Southampton can learn from Portugal and upset the odds, says Cedric
Euro 2016 winner tells Alan Tyers that belief is key to his side pulling off the surprise at Wembley today
I f Southampton’s players are intimidated by the prospect of facing the might of Manchester United in today’s League Cup showdown, they need look no further than their own dressing room for evidence that underdogs can triumph against the odds.
Their right-back, Cédric Soares, was part of the Portugal team that pulled off a daring heist in Paris last summer when they beat the favourites France in the Euro 2016 final.
“The Euro final was a great game,” the player, who goes simply by Cédric, told The Sunday Telegraph. “Nobody expected us to win, but the key is we believed from day one we could win the trophy and the coach always believed. When a team starts to believe and gets together, they can achieve anything. That day, even the players who didn’t play were helping the ones that did.”
One of those not on the pitch for most of the match was Ronaldo, who showed glimpses of a future career as he urged on the team, at times apparently job-sharing with national team manager Fernando Santos.
“He might become a manager, who knows,” said Cédric. “Cristiano had a lot of very important words with the team before the game and when we came in at half-time. He told us to stay together, and to believe in each other.
“They sound like simple words, but coming from him, someone who has so much experience of these sort of games, and of pressure, they meant a lot. When he speaks, everyone listens. He is very demanding, but if you want to learn and to work, he is a very good teacher. He will always help you.”
Another famously intense Portuguese will be found in the opposing dug-out today. “I know Mourinho a little,” said the 25-year-old defender. “He is one of the best managers in the world and I will him all the very best for the future. But not for this game.
“Sure, Manchester United is a big club. But we will not go into the match thinking, ‘Oh God, they have so many big players.’ We have a lot of internationals, a lot of quality, good organisation and a good staff.” Speaking at Southampton’s training ground last week, Cédric is a very impressive fellow. He says that he prepares for every match, big or small, with extensive video study of any opponents he will face from the opposition’s left-hand side, or a central player who might stray “into my area”. “I was born in Germany and went to a German school in Lisbon,” he said.
“The Germans are very clinical, they always put work in front of everything. I have a combination between the emotional Portuguese people and the Germanic: the rules, the organisation, being very professional. I think this is a good combination.”
It is a chilly February day and, after training, he is shivering in shorts and a tracksuit top but never complains and is unfailingly polite and engaged. He apologises, unnecessarily, for his English, which is very good.
While it would undeniably be a step up from St Mary’s to the Nou Camp, you can certainly see why he is on Barcelona’s radar as they attempt to find a right-back replacement for the departed Dani Alves and the injured Aleix Vidal: Cédric is quick, has stamina, can tackle, reads the game, and delivers a lot of crosses.
Saints fans, though, have already seen one Portuguese defender bid farewell this season, Cédric’s It is funny to talk about the aerial threat of Manchester United when they have always been known as a footballing team but Southampton face a huge test from set pieces. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini are all giants and they know they will get quality delivery.
Until recently, that is where you would be looking for a Virgil van Dijk or Jose Fonte to take control but Van Dijk is injured and Fonte has left the club, so they may rely on someone like Oriol Romeu to organise at set pieces and the goalkeeper Fraser Forster will need to dominate his area.
It will be interesting to see who starts at centre-half. Maya Yoshida is a good organiser and it would be a hell of a challenge if Martín Cáceres, who was signed a fortnight ago, makes his debut, but he is experienced having played alongside Ibrahimovic at Barcelona and Pogba with Juventus.
James Ward-Prowse’s delivery from dead balls means United will have their own
countryman and friend, Jose Fonte. “I miss him, he is a fantastic player, a player I was used to playing next to, for the national team too. He was very influential in me coming here.
“But he is not here any more. And we have shown we can beat big clubs without our very important players.”
Cédric also has the rare distinction of having won a cup final while with Sporting… upsetting everyone at