Portugal Wasting Cristiano Ronaldo Presence by Keeping Paulo Bento for Euro 2016

White tissues of protest were out in force on Sunday evening as Portugal slumped to an astonishing 1-0 loss to Albania in their opening UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier.

Bekim Balaj's second-half volley won it for the minnow side, and while Os Seleccao pushed for a late equaliser and hit the bar through Ricardo Horta, Paulo Bento begins a fresh campaign in the exact same way he ended the FIFA World Cup 2014 one...terribly.

Portugal are not the greatest international team in world football, but the lack of Cristiano Ronaldo should not excuse a loss to a nation ranked 70th in the world. Barring Lorik Cana, former Sunderland midfielder, and Granit Xhaka's older brother Taulant, Albania boast a squad of barely recognisable names.

Personnel- and system-wise, this setup isn't far removed from the one that played superbly at Euro 2012 only to lose to Spain after extra time. Bento has kept the same 4-3-3 formation that looked so well balanced and well-oiled in Poland and Ukraine, but as the game has moved on, this team have been left behind.

Ultimately, Os Seleccao have gone stale.

Warren Little/Getty Images

Bento even switched his side up for the game against Albania—as many have been calling for him to do—by starting William Carvalho (finally) and Andre Gomes in midfield. Miguel Veloso has held onto the holding role for far too long, and Raul Meireles has always been a true Bento favourite.

But with Eder up front loafing around and no Ronaldo to save the day, Nani and Vieirinha failed to come up with the goods in front of goal. Bento persists in his selection of Ricardo Costa, further irritating the fans.

Portugal have been haunted by the lack of a top-class striker ever since the magnificent Rui Costa retired, with Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida, at best, reluctant selections to fill a gap.

	Int. apps	Int. goals
Hugo Almeida	56	19
Helder Postiga	70	27
Eder	12	0

Ronaldo's emergence on the left wing negated the issue to an extent, but teams were able to key in on the Real Madrid man at times and crowd him out of games. With Os Seleccao lacking firepower in other areas, no single player could take advantage of the space being freed up elsewhere.

It led to calls for Bento to introduce a 4-2-3-1 formation where necessary, perhaps placing Danny in the No. 10 role behind a striker. It would add guile and creativity in forward areas, bring another body into the goalscoring mix and shift the focus from the left side to an extent.

To date, that's never happened.

Bento has escaped many accusations of ineptness and favouritism over the past two years post-Euro 2012, but the crime he is perhaps most guilty of is wasting Ronaldo's prime years.

Martin Rose/Getty Images

Portugal is a small country with a population of just over 10 million; they struggle to produce world-class players in droves and are often limited to just one per era.

Ronaldo turns 30 in February, and injuries are slowly beginning to build up. Euro 2016 will likely be his last shot at winning a major international tournament, and Bento is wasting this short lifespan. 

It shouldn't be OK for Os Seleccao to scrape through qualifying via the playoffs and subsequently underwhelm at the finals; the team should be in win-now mode.

That switch will never come with Bento at the helm, and the Apresentacao de Portugues need to act now before it's too late.

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