Another tournament and Portugal miss out, once again, on the big prize. Other than the obvious, that there was some weakness in defending set-pieces (as was the case in Euro 2004), Portugal have deeper problems. They were closed down in midfield by the Germans and weren't able to play their normal exquisite passes that often open up defences.

Just as with Arsenal in the Premier League and Barcelona last season in the Champions League, the best way to defeat a technical passing team is stop them in their game plan. Here I believe is the problem with Portugal. When teams close them down, they lack the ability to play direct football – the use of set-pieces, crosses and intelligent long balls from the back. The ability to improvise.

Maybe one obstacle for Portugal in adapting their game plan  – as Gary Neville noted on TV after the match – is the absence of an out and out striker, a player like Klose, Van Nistelrooy or Torres, someone they can target with quick balls. In the last World Cup they were toothless in the semi-finals against the French. Their main striker (Pauleta) was woeful at times (he was substituted by Luiz Felipe Scolari against France).

On the other hand, the Germans last night showed the potential of combining different styles of play – technique and passing coupled with quick, direct football (often through counter attacks).

The future is bright for teams that can improvise their game plan to the circumstances of a particular match. Obviously, this would require more intelligent footballers who would be able to think on their feet – when to attack, when to hold the ball and when to make that decisive move.

North European direct football, dynamic total football or Brazilian/Portuguese flair/technique all have their advantages. I suppose it's about keeping the strengths of a certain ethos alive but improvising with different styles, with good teams being able to change and switch styles when necessary. A recent example would be Manchester United last season - where they often played contrasting styles in the Premier League and the Champions League, changing the team line-up when necessary – the players best suited for any given system.

Finally, let me quote Hans van Breukelen (Dutch goalkeeper of the 1998 European Championship winning team), when commenting on Marco van Basten's current tinkering with the age-old 4-3-3- formation:

"In our country we have a great reverence for 4-3-3, for the Ajax way of playing. But there are other systems and you have to be open-minded. Marco van Basten thought a change of shape would better suit the players he has at his disposal. He had the courage to be flexible … It's been wonderful watching us dismantle the Italians and the French. We've proved ourselves to be the complete team. Collectively we look strong, we have a vast array of individual attacking talent and are able to take the game to the opposition or hit very effectively on the break. Our combination play has been outstanding, we're able to change rhythm quickly and at the back we've been pretty solid."