Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz aiming to get team off to winning start in World Cup qualifying

The immediate goal for new Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz is to do well in the first four qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup.

"We have 12 points up for grabs over the next three months. That will be our priority area. That's our first objective," Queiroz said Wednesday at a news conference in his first day in the job.

Portugal plays Malta and Denmark in September and Sweden and Albania in October to start its qualifying campaign for the tournament in South Africa.

The 55-year-old Queiroz's first game in charge will be a friendly against the Faeroe Islands in Portugal on Aug. 20.

Queiroz, who quit as Manchester United assistant coach to sign a four-year contract last week, took over from Luiz Felipe Scolari and has inherited a talented group of players, led by Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Portugal still hasn't won a major trophy, and Queiroz's previous three-year stint as national coach ended when his team failed to reach the 1994 World Cup.

"It requires a huge amount of work to get to the top," Queiroz said. "I'll promise little and do a lot."

Queiroz probably won't have Ronaldo for first batch of qualifiers. The winger, who has expressed a desire to leave Man United and join Real Madrid, is recovering from ankle surgery in Lisbon and is expected to be out until October.

Scolari ended his five-year spell as Portugal coach to join Chelsea after the European Championship. Portugal went out in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals, but reached the 2006 World Cup semifinals and advanced to the Euro 2004 final.

Queiroz had previously been publicly critical of Scolari, prompting the Brazilian to accuse him in 2006 of trying to take his job. But Queiroz says he intends to consult with Scolari about his experiences with Portugal.

"I have to gather all the available, useful information ... to be able to make the right decisions," Queiroz said.

Queiroz's two-decade coaching career has included stints at Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon, as well as at teams in the United States, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.