There it is. If Portugal had beaten Germany, Chelsea’s announcement on their website, announcing Big Phil’s hiring during the Euro, would have been overlooked. But they lost and the Portugese football federation quickly heaped plenty of criticism at Chelsea for their inopportune timing. It was a distraction to the team and a motivational dampener to the players. That well maybe. Chelsea’s act was self centered and crass. And it just adds to its reputation as a club that believes money buys everything.
However, we have seen so many Portugese teams overloaded with talent, crash and burn in the past that these statements from the federation are mere rationalizations. The Portugese defense failed to apply themselves against the German set pieces, their approach was disorganized, and the marking shoddy. The Klose goal should never have happened. Ricardo’s indecision resulted in a tentative hand which did nothing more than deflect the ball into goal.