It's time for The Professor to show some passion.
Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz is known for his cool rationality and football theorizing, qualities that have earned him the moniker The Professor.
After Portugal's cautious 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast in its Group G opener on Tuesday, Queiroz is under pressure to show against North Korea on Monday that he also has fire in his belly.
That means more daring tactics.
``In an opening game, you take fewer risks. You don't throw everything into attack,'' Queiroz said Friday. ``The second game will be much more straightforward: we have to make things happen ... we have to win to give ourselves a chance of progressing.''
Striker Liedson said the squad understands that message.
``We've been working hard on our scoring this week. We have to start putting the ball in the net,'' Liedson said Friday after a training session that went about two hours, which is longer than usual. ``Queiroz has been focusing on that.''
Liedson was playing at center forward when Portugal forced Ivory Coast's goalkeeper to make only one save in the match.
Queiroz has his full squad available for Portugal's assault on a North Korean back line that defended so stoutly against Brazil that it took the five-time World Cup champions almost an hour to break the deadlock before winning 2-1.
The game in Cape Town could prove decisive for Portugal's ambitions in South Africa. It could also provide a tonic for an unsettled team that is ranked third in the world but hasn't demonstrated the kind of polished play associated with that rating.
For Queiroz, a tall 57-year-old man with graying hair who left the assistant manager's job at Manchester United to take the helm at Portugal, a strong showing would help silence the doubters.
His two-year tenure has brought questions about his caliber and suitability for the job.
Portugal's qualification for South Africa was a bumpy ride. Three 0-0 draws, including one at home against 10-man Albania, dropped the team to fifth in the group before it recovered to qualify through the playoffs. Queiroz also oversaw a 6-2 thrashing by Brazil in a friendly.
The constant gripe of fans and commentators has been that Portugal under Queiroz is too prudent, too wary going forward, and too ponderous.
``Please think big ... Take risks! Do whatever it takes to win,'' Portuguese daily paper Diario de Noticias urged Queiroz in an editorial after the Ivory Coast draw. ``If we have to go out of the World Cup early, at least let us leave with a clear conscience, having pushed ourselves to the limit.''
Midfielder Deco, a seven-year veteran of the Portugal team, also grumbled about Queiroz's approach to that game, telling reporters the tactics and substitutions were ``strange'' and ``not as good as they might have been.''
Queiroz has been unfavorably compared to previous coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, a fiery and effusive Brazilian. Scolari was Portugal's most successful coach, leading Portugal to the 2004 European Championship final and the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup.
Other dissenting voices noted that while Queiroz - a graduate from one of Lisbon's top physical education institutes where he also taught classes - has had successes with youth teams and as an assistant coach, he has come up short when handed the top job.
He is a former coach of Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon but failed to win major trophies with either club.
Queiroz made his name developing youth teams in Portugal before being promoted to national coach in 1991.
He nurtured Portugal's so-called Golden Generation, which included former FIFA world player of the year Luis Figo, leading the country's under-20 team to consecutive world youth championship triumphs in 1989 and 1991.
His almost three-decade coaching career has also included stints with teams in the United States, Japan and United Arab Emirates.
