After watching POR match on replay, a thread: Ruben Semedo just not the guy, at least not yet. I get many are impressed by his rugged approach, but there's much more than that required to be a great CB. I've said it b4, I'll say it again, he needs to move to a better league

I'm not only critical of his involvement for Croatia's goals, there were many times he was clearly not where he needed to be on the pitch. That lack of positional intelligence is a killer for a CB unless you have Raphael Varane's pace, for example, which Ruben does not.

We need some different variations in midfield for times we can't play a fluid transition game. When the pitch looks like it did yesterday, we need power/individual skill, not slick passing. Trincao/Semedo brought skill, but we seriously lacked raw aggression.

Obviously, Renato was hurt, but yesterday was case in point why we need a guy like him. Danilo by himself was not enough. He's great in tandem with William but I've never been a fan of how he holds down our midfield when solo at DM.

And as for Bruno Fernandes....

I really like Bruno and think he can help this squad, but right now he's not collaborating well enough with those around him to make a real difference. Santos will decide of course, but Bruno has to find a way to help this midfield during difficult matches....

Mario Rui also struggled to perform some of the basic tasks of a modern fullback like staying wide & getting a simple cross into the area. He lacks the technical ability to create that necessary yard of space. Have to start researching other options bc our back 4 is off-balance.

Ultimately, our midfield suffers bc it is congested w/quality players who don't always complement each other. William/Danilo may complement each other well, but Bruno/Joao Felix/Bernardo don't. Santos won't play w/a CAM for some reason, but we need a creative engine.

All that said, I think it's important to face adversity bc it helps the squad sort out its weaknesses. It's a disappointment we won't compete in the UNL playoffs, but if we improve between now and next summer it will be worth it. We weren't quite good enough this go-around.

Renato Sanches, Domingos Duarte, Trincao, Rafael Leao, Andre Silva & others on the fringe have every chance to lock down their place in this squad and possibly help us retain our Euro crown.

Forca Selecao!