Diogo Dalot was an unlikely hero in Prague where Portugal beat Czech Republic 4-0 in the UEFA Nations League. The Manchester United right-back opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Bruno Fernandes doubled the advantage in added time.

Patrik Schick missed a penalty on the stroke of half time which proved a pivotal moment in the match. Dalot made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute before Diogo Jota added a fourth to complete the rout.

The victory takes Fernandor Santos’ side the top of Group 2 after Switzerland won 2-1 in Spain. The Seleção now turn their attention to a showdown against La Roja in Braga where a draw will be enough to advance to the UEFA Nations League finals.

PortuGOAL’s Matthew Marshall reports from Fortuna Arena.

Portugal assert their authority

Portugal monopolised possession in Prague and created an early chance, Ronaldo’s clever header releasing Rafael Leão who saw his shot blocked. Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva were linking up well down the right wing and frequently inviting Diogo Dalot to make it a threesome.

Crisitiano Ronaldo and Tomas Vaclik were involved in a heavy collision which saw the Portuguese superstar bleeding heavily from his nose.

Portugal’s full-backs were having problems stopping the hosts from wide positions. Mário Rui was impersonating Raphaël Guerreiro’s defensive effort against Germany, Vladimir Coufal enjoying plenty of opportunities to deliver the ball into the danger zone.

Jakub Brabec picked up an early injury and was replaced in the heart of defence by Ondrej Kudela.

Portugal created a great chance to open the scoring in the 24th minute. Leão’s lovely ball released Fernandes who decided against shooting, laying it on a plate for Ronaldo who couldn’t connect.

Czech Republic were having problems getting out of their own half before another Coufal cross was met by Antonin Barak who headed wide. 


Match reaction: “The best is yet to come” - Fernando Santos


Dalot comes alive

The breakthrough finally came in the 33rd minute with a move instigated and completed by Diogo Dalot. The right-back surged forward and found Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo unable to connect with his cross which eventually found Leão, the AC Milan winger picking out Dalot who squeezed the ball through Vaclik.

Diogo Costa was finally called into action when he diverted Alex Kral’s effort wide, but the hosts couldn’t maintain the pressure as Portugal resumed their dominance and turned on the style.

Added time action

Bruno Fernandes’ cross found Ronaldo who fired a difficult volley high and wide. Portugal’s persistence paid off however as they doubled their lead in added time, Mário Rui’s cross catching the Czech defenders asleep with Fernandes timing his run to perfection and converting from close range.

There was more action to come before the half-time whistle. A corner from the hosts took a deflection off Fernandes into Ronaldo’s raised hand, a penalty eventually awarded that Patrik Schick blazed over the bar.

Dalot at the double 

Portugal started the second half like they started the first, dominating possession and probing for an opening which came in the 52nd minute. Dalot found himself infield, stepping nside Tomás Soucek and curling a precision left footed shot into the bottom corner.

Jaroslav Šilhavý attempted to turn the tide by introducing Adam Vlkanova, Vaclav Cerny and Petr Sevcik for Jaroslav Zeleny, Antonin Barak and Adam Hlozek. Fernando Santos reacted by replacing Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leão with Ricardo Horta and Diogo Jota.

The game was becoming a snooze fest with the result firmly beyond doubt, William Carvalho and Bruno Fernandes making way for João Palhinha and Matheus Nunes with 15 minutes remaining.

Portugal gave the travelling support more to cheer about in the 82nd minute when they scored a fourth goal. Ricardo Horta’s corner was headed to the back post by Ronaldo, Diogo Jota accepting the gift and steering the ball past a stranded Vaclik.

João Mário replaced Danilo which saw Palhinha slip into central defence, Ruben Nevers dragging his shot wide with the final chance of the game. 


Portugal player ratings versus Czech Republic


Full-backs steal the show after slow start

With João Cancelo suspended, Raphaël Guerreiro injured and Nuno Mendes on the bench, Santos started Diogo Dalot and Mário Rui in the full-back positions. Rui was making his first appearance in a Seleção shirt since November 2020, the 31-year-old earning his 12th cap.

Both players were shaky early on, Dalot lacking confidence and Rui struggling with his defensive duties. All of those doubts were quickly overshadowed in the 15 minute spell before the break when Dalot opened the scoring and Rui provided the cross for Bruno Fernandes’ goal.

Positive signs for Portugal

Portugal overcame the second choice full-back situation in style, particularly the three attacking players stationed behind Ronaldo. Fernandes’ combination play and interchanging with Bernardo Silva were causing the Czech Republic defenders a whole lot of problems in the first half.

Rafael Leão had his best performance for Portugal, particularly in the first half where he looked intent on making a mark. Rúben Neves is becoming a key player for Santos with a number of taller and more physical options available to complement his style.

Rúben Dias was back in the team after missing six matches, getting some valuable game time next to Danilo Pereira, a central defensive partnership we could be seeing a lot more of in Qatar.

Portugal’s strength in depth was highlighted by the options Santos brought off the bench. With no players booked in Prague, the seven players at risk of missing the match in Braga can all breathe easy.

Most Seleção supporters will know what happened the last time Portugal required a draw to progress, the debacle against Serbia hopefully firmly in the minds of Santos’ players as they attempt to finish the job against Spain.

Line-ups 

Czech Republic (3-4-3): Tomas Vaclik - David Zima, Jakub Brabec (Ondrej Kudela 22’), Vaclav Jemelka - Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek (Jan Kuchta 77’), Alex Kral, Jaroslav Zeleny (Adam Vlkanova 64’) - Antonin Barak (Petr Sevcik 63’), Patrik Schick, Adam Hlozek (Vaclav Cerny 64’)

Unused substitutes: Jindrich Stanek, Jiri Pavlenka, Milan Havel, Lukas Kalvach, Stanislav Tecl

Head Coach: Jaroslav Šilhavý

Portugal (4-2-3-1): - Diogo Costa - Diogo Dalot, Rúben Dias, Danilo Pereira (João Mário 84’), Mário Rui - Rúben Neves, William Carvalho (João Palhinha 77’) - Bernardo Silva (Ricardo Horta 67’), Bruno Fernandes (Matheus Nunes (77’), Rafael Leão (Diogo Jota 67’) - Cristiano Ronaldo

Unused substitutes: Rui Patrício, José Sá, Tiago Djaló, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Ramos

Head Coach: Fernando Santos

Goals

[0-1] – Diogo Dalot 33’

[0-2] – Bruno Fernandes 45’+2

[0-3] – Diogo Dalot 52’

[0-4] – Diogo Jota 82’ 

 

Comments (25)

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Easiest way to put it is as follows. Overall we played well, my biggest gripe for 6 years is Bernardo isn’t a winger so why waste him there? Carvalho wasn’t necessary today, Neves and Bernardo should be together because what ends up happening is...

Easiest way to put it is as follows. Overall we played well, my biggest gripe for 6 years is Bernardo isn’t a winger so why waste him there? Carvalho wasn’t necessary today, Neves and Bernardo should be together because what ends up happening is Bernardo tends to drop deep very often. When that happens, the right wing isn’t as dangerous because only Bruno can ply there and he’s not always there because like Bernardo…they roam. It’s criminal that Neto isn’t starting on the wing and it’s even more criminal that he didn’t get minutes. I don’t watch the Portuguese league often but one thing I’m certain of is Ricardo Horta isn’t half the player Neto is in terms of being a right winger who will pin back fullbacks and cut in and take shots(see Diogo Dalot today for example)

Ronaldo
Leao Bruno Neto
Neves Bernardo

That is our best front 6 no doubt in my mind, no doubt about it.

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Justin/rochester
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I agree with having Bernardo coming deep. His link up play, ability to find space, and dribbling are all unmatched. I would’ve liked to see Vitinha play, he’s been one of PSGs best players this season. Phenomenal talent, an absolute hard worker...

I agree with having Bernardo coming deep. His link up play, ability to find space, and dribbling are all unmatched. I would’ve liked to see Vitinha play, he’s been one of PSGs best players this season. Phenomenal talent, an absolute hard worker in the engine room, and has exceptional vision. He would complement Neves extremely well.

Listen, Neto was a great talent before his injury, we saw this with the Seleçao too, super explosive. I really hate to say it, but the injury has really hampered his development. He’s still only 22, so time is on his side, but Horta is undoubtedly the superior player (at the moment). I’m positive that Neto will find his feet, he just needs time, hopefully he’ll reach the same levels when he was up for running for the PL Young POTY. If he hadn’t gotten injured I’m sure he would’ve won it over Foden. That being said, we have Leao, I’m so happy with his performance and I’m glad he’s been able to make an impression with the national team after having so much success with Milan. We do need more explosive wingers, Rafa Silva was always a good option to have on the bench.

The dropping deep and roaming you speak of on the right side allows Dalot and Bruno to venture deeper on that right side. It proved to be massively effective. Bruno got into some dangerous positions down the right wing and played some balls into the box that could’ve been finished if the delivery was a bit better, pitch condition better, finishing, etc.

The good thing to take away from today is that we were able to see Bernardo and Bruno play in the XI and both play well!

Força

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Teresa
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The obvious thing going against Vitinha is size. We know Santos likes big guys in the engine room, so this could be a case where Vitinha alternates with Neves or Vitinha only plays if Santos switches to something more like a 4-3-3.

Matthew Marshall
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Agreed - that is for sure. Just dreaming of a PSG Veratti + Vitinha style-link up in a double pivot.

Not entirely convinced that William is the "big guy" for the job (or Danilo when not playing CB). That being said, he does produce some good...

Agreed - that is for sure. Just dreaming of a PSG Veratti + Vitinha style-link up in a double pivot.

Not entirely convinced that William is the "big guy" for the job (or Danilo when not playing CB). That being said, he does produce some good passes and movement when playing further up the field (we've seen this with Betis as well). Always referred to him as Portugal's insurance policy in the past, a strange career and injuries put a cap on his potential a little bit, but nonetheless will be important player for us on and off the bench. Palhinha has been a key figure in the Fulham side, I think he deserves some time in the starting XI. Nunes is 1.83 and is aggressive, can be useful in the engine room, the question being whether to opt for experienced or young players. We have a healthy mix of veterans, players in their prime, and young starlets at the moment, so finding the right balance is key.

I'm positive that Vitinha won't start and the XI we see against Spain will be extremely similar to that of the game yesterday (perhaps identical barring Cancelo's and maybe Mendes' inclusion).

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Teresa
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5'7 Mourinho's 70+ caps under Fernando Santos would seem to undermine this idea that he likes big guys in the engine room.

Not to mention Renato Sanches and Adrien Silva.

Based on this, I agree with Teresa that Vitinha should be getting...

5'7 Mourinho's 70+ caps under Fernando Santos would seem to undermine this idea that he likes big guys in the engine room.

Not to mention Renato Sanches and Adrien Silva.

Based on this, I agree with Teresa that Vitinha should be getting starts at the Nation's League.

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Chris
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***Moutinho. For some reason my phone always corrects Joao's last name into that of "The Special One".

Chris
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I am talking about the probability that Santos sticks with a 4-2-3-1 with Ruben Neves a starter. I don't see any way he goes with Neves and Vitinha.

Matthew Marshall
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Yeah, pretty unlikely. But on form, Vitinha should, in my opinion, find a way into the starting 11 over Ruben Neves.

At least in the Nation's League, the kid should be given a chance to start. But likely won't happen.

Chris
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I don't have the time or energy to break this down, but it's impressive how you could get so much wrong in just one comment.

Matthew Marshall
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It's heartwarming to see the younger players like Dalot gaining confidence and courage to be proactive.

Samuel
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Very happy for the win. I was scared during the national anthem because players were looking dull. But after the kick-off, Portugal played brilliantly. Confidence and assertiveness make a huge difference in the way we play. Bruno was superb last...

Very happy for the win. I was scared during the national anthem because players were looking dull. But after the kick-off, Portugal played brilliantly. Confidence and assertiveness make a huge difference in the way we play. Bruno was superb last night and the man of the match was obviously Dalot. People doubted him, there's a reason why Santos used to pick him over other since several months(including the Euros) and he showed it we why. Great character, disciplined and a great talent. I think Mario Rui had the most touches on the ball,he looked very good, even bagging an assist. Ronaldo is like an old lion, but still can hunt prey when he wants to. I hope he becomes fully fit by November.

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Nishanth Dsouza
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Agreed Nishanth. Seeing Dalot at Porto a few years back, you could tell the kid was special. Feels like he was another "too soon" story after he went to Manchester and disappeared into obscurity, but he seems to finally be finding his form and...

Agreed Nishanth. Seeing Dalot at Porto a few years back, you could tell the kid was special. Feels like he was another "too soon" story after he went to Manchester and disappeared into obscurity, but he seems to finally be finding his form and it's good news for the Seleccao.

If he operates at RB, Cancelo can become an option at LB along with Nuno Mendes. Great game for DD.

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Chris
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Disappointed not to see Vitinha.

Tarini Prasad Sahoo
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@ Matt Marshall

Lol oh ok that’s fun. I’d love to hear why I’m so wrong, please enlighten me, specifically why having our right winger dropping back into his own half is the right move? Explain to me why having our main threat on the right way...

@ Matt Marshall

Lol oh ok that’s fun. I’d love to hear why I’m so wrong, please enlighten me, specifically why having our right winger dropping back into his own half is the right move? Explain to me why having our main threat on the right way should be our right back(Dalot,Cancelo) which when we play great teams will leave our back 4 exposed in case of a counter? Explain to me why Pep Guardiola plays with an attacking right winger(Foden,Marhrez) and Bernardo drops team? Explain to me why having a pure right winger like Neto who routinely pins back defenders in the epl isn’t the right move? I’d love to know more about this game, apparently being 38 years old and having played at the very highest levels in the states with a legitimate Portuguese background aka my parents are from Madeira…apparently I just can’t grasp this game. Let me know how someone named Matthew Marshall can be the voice of reason for the Portuguese.

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Justin/rochester
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Must admit that I would really expect more from somebody who publishes articles on the topic Portuguese football. Even if he is not a real journalist, his answer was really really bad style. Completely understandable you feel upset.

Rolf Gerber
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Interesting, Rolf, that this is your only comment after Portugal won 4-0.

Are you sitting back and waiting for Portugal to lose so you can regurgitate all your anti Santos screed?

Matthew Marshall
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Hi Matthew. No, of course not. I'd love to see Portugal win against Spain. The result against Czech Republic was good, but t.b.h. over longer periods, the game was not so impressive. relatively slow and no high intensity. So even though 4:0 looks...

Hi Matthew. No, of course not. I'd love to see Portugal win against Spain. The result against Czech Republic was good, but t.b.h. over longer periods, the game was not so impressive. relatively slow and no high intensity. So even though 4:0 looks good on paper, Santos has done nothing to convince me with this. Not with forgetting Djalo on the bench and not with calling up an out-of-form Neto who will not get any minutes anyway (IMHO Santos would rather have called up Fabio Carvalho and give him 15 - 20 minutes to 1) test him in a senior team competitive match and 2) secure him for Portugal. That kid could offer what Neto promised before his injury. But since I'd dont want to be put into the shelf of the "Santos Bashers", I better stop. Let0s see how Portugal will do in a high intensity game like today with Spain, without Renato. Particularly if Bruno can now show up against a big team and not only against middle-class opponents.

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Rolf Gerber
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Being labelled a Santos-basher is the same as being labelled a 'hater': the reality is that people are allowed to like and not like.

I have a great appreciation for all that Santos has accomplished for us while also seeing his massive...

Being labelled a Santos-basher is the same as being labelled a 'hater': the reality is that people are allowed to like and not like.

I have a great appreciation for all that Santos has accomplished for us while also seeing his massive short-comings in the last 3 years.

The reality is that managers have a shelf-life, and after a while, players need a refresh. Santos is capable of winning trophies, he's proven that, but he's also proven he can be clueless and have a basic understanding of tactics.

We have no other option at this moment in time before the World Cup, so all we can do is hope his confident comments are running off on the team and that's he can settle on a strong starting 11.

Aside from that, being honest about a manager's performance (particularly when they get an annual salary in the millions and have massively talented players), is not cause to be called a hater or basher.

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Chris
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Hey Justin,

I am certainly no expert, but...if I can tell you why I think Neto is not seeing playing time: in my opinion, it's a formation issue. Neto operates really well in a 4-3-3 as the right winger, and in such a formation, tends to have...

Hey Justin,

I am certainly no expert, but...if I can tell you why I think Neto is not seeing playing time: in my opinion, it's a formation issue. Neto operates really well in a 4-3-3 as the right winger, and in such a formation, tends to have more space. Santos has preferred 4-4-2, 4-2-2-2 (midfield diamond) and 4-2-3-1 formations more than the 4-3-3. That's why guys like Neto don't always see a lot of playing time.

I agree that Neto could be a big addition to the Seleccao, but as Teresa mentioned, he's not been the same since returning from his injury, and although I don't agree with Santos' philosophy a lot of the time, I think in this case, if he is leaning towards tactics over 1 player who has yet to return to form, it definitely was the right call he made.

Anyways, just my 2 cents, cheers.

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Chris
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Justin I would be more than happy to sit down and have a beer with you and chat about our families, Portugal and football. It's nothing personal about you, simply the comment you made.

And if we did that, I would say exactly the same thing I did...

Justin I would be more than happy to sit down and have a beer with you and chat about our families, Portugal and football. It's nothing personal about you, simply the comment you made.

And if we did that, I would say exactly the same thing I did about your original comment and I think we would have a great discussion about it.

I am just too busy to break it down here, and from my recent experiences, it would be a never ending cycle of comments that ultimately went nowhere.

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Matthew Marshall
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At this point I think it’s more then fair to say with Santos as coach none of these hypothetical replacement discussions matter. We have 2 world class players out of 11 starting. Dias and Bernardo. They have nobody close to them and unless...

At this point I think it’s more then fair to say with Santos as coach none of these hypothetical replacement discussions matter. We have 2 world class players out of 11 starting. Dias and Bernardo. They have nobody close to them and unless injured have nobody at there level at this point in there primes. The rest of our team is loaded with good to great players and who has a damn clue which one will be superior on any given day. Each of them has different skill sets and they are all very close in terms of level. Santos doesn’t have a proven style like Pep or Mourihno or Klopp for example where we know the types of players that work best for them. Santos is all over the place imo. His tactics and style change with the weather. With that said until some of our younger guys make that next leg up to being irreplaceable it will be a coin flip.

Dalot is a great example. Cancelo is probably the better player but there not that far off and on his day Dalot can play at and above Cancelo if he’s not at his best. The performance yesterday was just as good if not better then any Cancelo has ever had for the NT. And that’s how every position is atm. Santos will put his chips on a lineup and let’s hope there in form. Because the talent gap is so close with most of our positions the player who is in form, rested, healthy etc probably is the one you want in the team. We can argue all day about Neto and Leao and Felix and Bruno and Vitihna and so on but in reality none of them are world class yet and absolutely irreplaceable. If there direct backup is In better form chances are they are the better option. So it’s up to Santos to make those calls and we’ll see how it goes. Even if Dias is at 75% he’s better then the next option. Same with Bernardo, other then then those two if these guys were mentioning aren’t at there best there replaceable and none of us knows what’s happening on the training ground but Santos and the staff. I’ve never been a huge fan of Santos but this year a monkey could throw darts and come up with a good 11 for Portugal. His tactics will never be the best so the best we can hope for is the guys he chooses are the ones who are feeling there best that day. And let the rest take care of itself

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Justin
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@chris/teresa

I agree with everything you’re saying. My whole gripe is I just don’t like the right wing attacking space being occupied solely by our right full back that’s all. When we play against an equal or better team, Dalot/Cancelo can’t...

@chris/teresa

I agree with everything you’re saying. My whole gripe is I just don’t like the right wing attacking space being occupied solely by our right full back that’s all. When we play against an equal or better team, Dalot/Cancelo can’t be as adventurous going forwards because if they do then we’re susceptible on counters. If they(dalot/Cancelo) don’t go forwards then we have no right winger because Bernardo roams too much. Even if he does play right wing, we all know that he’s not efficient there so this entire plan doesn’t work. Cheers!

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Justin/rochester
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100% agree on Bernardo. I've always advocated him being in a central role as I believe have most fans on this site.

Cancelo is a beast going forward, but his defensive game has always been a liability. He has improved a bit in the last 2 years...

100% agree on Bernardo. I've always advocated him being in a central role as I believe have most fans on this site.

Cancelo is a beast going forward, but his defensive game has always been a liability. He has improved a bit in the last 2 years defensively, but he is still often caught out of position.

Many times, Bernardo playing on the right, he'd actually run back and defend because Cancelo was so often caught out of position. So it became a situation where Bernardo was wasted both because he was playing out of position and also because he had to defend for Cancelo.

At the end of the day, if there is a way for the team to gel and believe they can pull it off, that's all I care about. Cheers.

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Chris
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I am in agreement with Justin. Bernardo needs to play centrally. Bernardo and Bruno need to be on the pitch.
Unlike Justin, I did not play soccer at the highest level. I played college football at Leigh.
However, there is some crossover between...

I am in agreement with Justin. Bernardo needs to play centrally. Bernardo and Bruno need to be on the pitch.
Unlike Justin, I did not play soccer at the highest level. I played college football at Leigh.
However, there is some crossover between the two sports. For one, you want your best players on the pitch/field at the same time where they perform best.
The formation needs to accommodate the players, not the other way around. If Santos wants to play a 4-4-2, then he needs to figure that out. A 4-3-3 would accommodate Bernardo and Bruno where they are most effective.
I wrote this at a level that a first grader can understand. I hope Matthew Marshall can understand this too.

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Dan DaSilva
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Santos has to figure out a role for Joao Felix. He has been injury prone for the last couple of years but I really hope he shrugs off that demon for good. He has some abilities that very few players have in this world. He could be a great asset...

Santos has to figure out a role for Joao Felix. He has been injury prone for the last couple of years but I really hope he shrugs off that demon for good. He has some abilities that very few players have in this world. He could be a great asset if he sets his mentality right and Santos finds a way to utilise his talent in the game. Ruben Neves can offer good passing, finding teammates on long passes and long range shooting. I don't know whether Renato Sanches would come back to the camp or not, because he's either getting little game time and on the next day he is injured. I like Otavio's intensity, so I would pick him over Neto(no offence to him anyway).

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Nishanth Dsouza
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