Resisting the temptation
Portugal won Euro 2016 playing a narrow 4-4-2, ostensibly with four central midfielders across the pitch, and that has remained Fernando Santos’ go-to formation for the majority of his reign as Selecao coach.
However, the emergence of a plethora of attacking talent and the fact Portugal have an array of top-quality full-backs with a propensity to push forward has led to calls for a change in approach. The personnel available suggests a change to some form of 3-4-3 could be an exciting route worth pursuing, but Santos will not make such a radical tactical switch so close to a major tournament, especially given Portugal’s paucity of centre-back options.
Santos has dabbled with 4-3-3, employing a double pivot in midfield to get four attacking options on the pitch. With Ronaldo spearheading Portugal’s attack, one of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Diogo Jota will have to settle for the bench, and that’s even before factoring in striker Andre Silva – who’s enjoyed a fabulous club season – while Pedro Neto will be sorely missed after his season-ending knee injury.
Despite the myriad of possibilities, expect Santos to go with his tried and trusted 4-4-2 this summer.