Portugal's Euro 2008 central defensive partnership of Ricardo Carvalho and Pepe cannot be regarded as the best in the world until they have won a title, Pepe said on Monday."For us to be considered the best of the tournament or the best in the world, we're going to have to win something together," he said of the partnership which has helped Portugal reach the quarter-finals."Ricardo is a great defender but it is not only with him that I have a good partnership," he told reporters."I have no problem pairing up with Bruno Alves or Fernando Meira," the Brazilian-born 25-year-old said, suggesting the reserves in the squad were also up to the task.This might not have seemed the case when Alves played alongside Pepe in the second-string side that lost 2-0 to Switzerland in Portugal's final, meaningless group match on Sunday.In that match they renewed a partnership they had at Porto before Pepe left for Real Madrid a year ago.Other ObjectivesPepe, who has six caps, said speculation as to the true strength of Portugal's squad was understandable after Sunday's defeat but Scolari had other objectives."The most important thing was to give match rhythm to those who had not played in the other matches," he said."The quarter-final will be decided by small details so it's important for us all to be prepared to give our best on Thursday."Portugal's opponents for the quarter-final in Basel on Thursday were going to come out of Monday's night's final Group B matches involving Germany, Austria and Poland.Pepe said Portugal would be able to continue in the knockout phase with the same attacking tactics that saw them through the group stage.The attack comprises a three-man midfield of ball-winner Armando Petit and creators Deco and Joao Moutinho and a trident up front with wingers Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao Sabrosa either side of Nuno Gomes."We can continue to play that way because the team has some great players," he said. "But it is the great team spirit that tips the balance."
