Success poser in Portugal
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Article summary
Portuguese teams have made a habit of reaching major finals in the past few years.
Article body
By Nuno Tavares
The last three years have been a dream come true for Portuguese football. Starved of success in UEFA club competitions since SL Benfica reached the European Champion Clubs' Cup final in 1990, Portuguese club football suddenly came alive when FC Porto decided to hire José Mourinho halfway through the 2001/02 season.
Immediate impact
It did not take long for the former Benfica and UD Leiria coach to deliver. Porto started their European quest with a dramatic extra-time win against Celtic FC in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup final. That was followed by an even more impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League, culminating in a 3-0 victory against AS Monaco FC in the final.
EURO final
Buoyed by Mourinho's men's accomplishments, the Portuguese national team went on to shine at UEFA EURO 2004™, reaching the final only to lose out to Greece by a single goal.
Fourth final
Now Sporting Clube de Portugal have picked up where Porto left off and qualified for this year's UEFA Cup final, where they will meet PFC CSKA Moskva at Sporting's own Estádio José Alvalade. Incredibly, Portugal has had a team in one UEFA European Championship final, one Champions League final and two UEFA Cup finals, not to mention two UEFA Super Cup deciders, in the space of two years. For good measure, Boavista FC reached the last four of the UEFA Cup in 2002/03 as well.
Porto pioneers
However, it is Porto that have set the standard for the rest to follow. Excellent organisation was at the heart of the club's astonishing rise. Mourinho, of course, played a major role in this process, with his innovative training methods being eagerly followed by other young coaches in Portugal. José Peseiro (Sporting), José Couceiro (Porto), Carlos Brito (Rio Ave FC), Vítor Pontes (Leiria) and Carlos Carvalhal (CF Os Belenenses) have all emerged in recent years and helped boost standards in the Portuguese game.
New talents
In a season where four teams were still battling for the title with only two games to play, the SuperLiga has been full of new, emerging talents. Benfica's midfield player Manuel Fernandes has made it into the Portuguese national team, and he is likely to be followed by Sporting's João Moutinho, who has been hugely impressive all season.
Scolari thankful
Portugal national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will reap the benefits. Rui Costa may have retired and Luís Figo is finally showing signs of ageing, but the Brazilian now has a crop of young players based in Portugal who have a wealth of European experience.
In demand
Of course, the downside for Portugal's clubs is that European success makes their players targets for Europe's top clubs. Porto's 2004 stars Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira departed last summer and just last week it was announced that Maniche and Costinha will also be leaving. Ironically, in a week when the Portuguese club game will seek to show its superiority in European competition against Russian opposition, the midfield pair are joining five compatriots at cash-rich FC Dinamo Moskva.
Key question
Porto's failure to challenge in Europe this season without their star players highlights the dilemma that other Portuguese clubs are sure to face. Success or money? Sadly it seems that you cannot have both.
