Euro 2012: 5 Players Who Must Step Up for Portugal Against Denmark

Portugal must beat Denmark and multiple players need to step up.

Portugal played a decent game against Germany, but they still walked away without a point. Now, Denmark can bury them.

Portugal (as well as the fans) wants to have something to play for against Holland, and beating Denmark is the first step.

With that said, some players will need to step up for Portugal. If they do, there's a good chance that Portugal wins this match.

Raul Meireles

Raul Meireles had a tough season at Chelsea.

He was regularly picked, but he did not play up to his normal standard.

In the first game at Euro 2012, he continued that lackluster play. Meireles has himself a starting spot, and he must play well. If Portugal wants to win, they will need the midfield to play better.

Meireles needs to be better moving forward, or Portugal will be going home early.

Joao Moutinho

Joao Moutinho had a pretty forgettable first game, and that won't get the job done.

Big things are expected of the Porto midfielder, and he needs to live up to the hype. He's a creative player, and he needs to play like it.

If he can't start facilitating the attack, a lot of people will start to question if Moutinho can really be a star at the highest level.

Joao Pereira

Joao Pereira needs to be better on the right side of defense.

He was lost on Germany's goal, and he needs to be more aware in the back (granted, Pepe lost his mark). He's not the strongest defensively, but he needs to be more reliable when he's responsible for the back post.

As for going forward, Pereira can just continue to let Nani do his thing. The Manchester United winger played well in the opening match, which relieves a lot of pressure from Pereira on the offensive end.

If Pereira only has to defend, he must get that job done.

Striker

It doesn't matter who starts; someone needs to play well in the middle of Portugal's attack.

Helder Postiga had a pretty terrible game against Germany, and that can't happen again. If he gets another shot, he better make the most of it. In my opinion, he was too awful in the first match to let him start again.

Instead, Portugal should start Nelson Oliveira. He didn't even play 30 minutes, but he added a little danger to Portugal's attack. He put pressure on the defense, and Portugal looked dangerous when he was out there.

Whoever gets the start needs to play better than Postiga did in the first match. Otherwise, too much will be expected of the wingers.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most skilled player in this tournament.

He's the captain. He scored more than 70 goals this year. He needs to show that skill in this tournament.

A lot is at stake for Ronaldo's legacy. If Portugal gets knocked out early and Ronaldo doesn't have a good showing, that will be five straight disappointing major competitions.

Ronaldo is simply too good to let this keep happening. He will make an impact at some point. Unfortunately for him, if that doesn't happen against Denmark, he might not get a chance to make an impact in the knockout stages.