One-man army

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo shows no signs of flagging as he approaches his mid-30s but there are plenty of other worries for a team with an ageing central defence and a number of players struggling for form. Dour and pragmatic, Portugal will also have to carry the high expectations that come with being European champions and boasting one of the world’s two best players.

Coach Fernando Santos said before their March friendlies against Egypt and the Netherlands that it was proving much more difficult to assemble his squad for the World Cup than it had been two years ago before Euro 2016. Many of those who played a key role in that triumphant campaign have lost their way at club level.

Renato Sanches, who commanded the midfield in the knockout stages with a confidence that belied his 18 years, barely played after joining Bayern Munich for the subsequent season and a loan move to Swansea City has not worked out either. Injuries and a continued lack of form have badly affected his confidence and he is highly unlikely to be selected for the squad to go to the finals.

Adrien Silva missed the first four months of the English Premier League season because his move from Sporting to Leicester City was not registered in time.

Andre Gomes has barely featured at Barcelona and Joao Mario has been loaned to struggling West Ham United after losing his place in the Inter Milan team. Eder, unlikely scorer of the winning goal in the Euro 2016 final, is playing at Lokomotiv Moscow and, like Sanches, appears to be out of Santos’s plans.

The defence, meanwhile, are still heavily dependent on pantomime villain Pepe who is now 35 and playing in Turkey rather than at Real Madrid. The Brazilian-born player suffered a broken toe in March but is already back in action. Rolando and Jose Fonte, also in their 30s, were all over the place as Portugal lost 3-0 to the Dutch in their last friendly. Bruno Alves is also well into his 30s, leaving Luis Neto as the only central defender under 30 with international experience.

It would be wrong to write off Portugal, however. Ronaldo is as dangerous as ever — as he showed by blasting 15 goals in the qualifiers.

With players such as William Carvalho, Joao Moutinho and Bernardo, there is plenty of talent elsewhere in the squad and, under Santos, Portugal have made an art form out of grinding out 1-0 wins. It is also worth bearing in mind their formidable record — under Santos, Portugal have lost only one out of 29 competitive internationals.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Even at the age of 33, Portugal’s captain, most-capped player and all-time leading scorer remains a fundamental presence for the team — even when not playing, as he showed by encouraging the team from the touchline during the Euro 2016 final. Some feel his habit of hogging free-kicks and penalties is not healthy and that his presence is a burden for his teammates, but his record of 81 goals in 149 games speaks for itself.

Key players

Pepe

He has been the linchpin of the defence for the best part of a decade, although his rash tackles, explosive fits of temper and liberal use of gamesmanship make him many people’s pantomime villain. He let down the team when he was sent off in the first half of the 4-0 defeat by Germany in the 2014 World Cup but held the back-line together magnificently in the Euro 2016 final against France. He was born in Brazil and moved to Portugal as an 18-year-old

William Carvalho

Known as “Sir William” by fans of his club, Sporting, Carvalho was born in Angola and moved to Portugal as a child. Physically imposing, he forms a defensive wall in front of the Portugal defence and is remarkably calm in possession, providing excellent distribution, though he sometimes looks cumbersome and slow — Reuters

Lampard becomes manager of 2nd-division club

Derby: Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is taking over as manager of second-division club Derby. The English team said the 39-year-old Lampard has signed a three-year contract. The former England international said: “I know it won’t be easy — managing a football team never is — but I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead.” In his time at Chelsea from 2001 to 14, Lampard became the club’s record scorer with 211 goals, made 649 appearances and was the heartbeat of teams that won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League in 2012. Lampard started out at West Ham before finishing his career with short stints at Manchester City and then New York City FC in Major League Soccer before retiring last year.

Japan coach turns to old guard for World Cup

Tokyo: Japan will hope star power can reverse their flagging fortunes after new coach Akira Nishino named his 23-man squad for the World Cup on Thursday. The former JFA technical director, who took charge after Vahid Halilhodzic was fired last month, signalled his intentions by turning to his old guard, including talismanic forward Keisuke Honda and playmaker Shinji Kagawa. Japan, beaten 2-0 by Ghana on Wednesday in Nishino’s first game as coach, face Colombia, Senegal and Poland in Group H at the World Cup. — AFP