To Win Euro 2020, Portugal Must Overhaul Their Midfield

With 80 minutes elapsed against Hungary, Portugal found themselves on the back foot.

The Hungarians had just a goal disallowed and Budapest’s Ferenc Puskás Stadium was rocking.

Then on came Renato Sanches, whom at the time seemed like an innocuous substitute, but ended up being the game’s difference maker. 

Whilst Sanches neither scored nor assisted in any of Portugal’s three goals, his inclusion highlighted Portugal’s glaring Danilo Pereira and William Carvalho double pivot midfield problem.

RELATED: Keep Calm And Carry On: Why England Can Still Win Euro 2020

With Sanches in the game, the 2016 Euro champs looked more urgent and more willing to take risks and drive the ball forward. And the same was true in their subsequent game against Germany where once again a stagnant midfield pivot hindered their ability to create from deeper positions on the ground.

And while Portugal’s title defence is still alive, their journey won’t last long until they're prepared to confront their double pivot problem. 

Both Danilo Pereira and William Carvalho are very good at the jobs they’re principally employed to do. These roles pertain to stopping opposition counterattacks while maintaining safe, solid possession.

PSG and Benfica provide comfortable livelihoods for both these players in exchange for them performing their roles so well.

At club level, they both play at the base of a 3-man midfield, and in both settings enjoy having two more adventurous and creative players in front of them. This allows their best attributes to stand out, as their primary duties pertain to recycling possession, breaking up play and shielding their back 4.

This has enabled them to both be in the 88% percentile of not allowing opposition dribblers to get past them. As Well as this, they both boast a 90% or better completion number on their short passes, with each continually displaying an ability to keep the ball ticking over, coupled with their immense defensive reliability. 

However with the national team, both of them play virtually the same role, which allows for little to no midfield creativity or freedom. 

Neither of them likes to play a progressive pass, nor do they have the ability to dive the ball forward, draw defenders in or create space in between the lines. 

This was seen in the game against Hungary, where the duo combined for 0 key passes, 0 big chances created and performed 1 successful dribble between them. 

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The way the national side is set up, it’s reliant on a solid base to allow for the attacking players to do their job. However, when that midfield base is slow, passive and limited to just feeding full backs, the team is both predictable and lacks spark.

If Portugal persists with a 4-2-3-1 formation, then they need a more creative, adventurous midfielder in there as well. Thankfully they have that player, and his name is Renato Sanches.

As indicated earlier, Sanches had such an influence in the Hungary game, whilst being anonymous at the same time. Unlike Carvalho, who he replaced, Sanches loves to make that line-breaking pass and drive with pace into those areas. This created another problem for the opposition as with this extra body forward, it allowed Portugal to maintain their width, whilst also getting numbers into those dangerous areas which caused all three goals to occur.

Sanches is such a brilliant passer and carrier of the ball. At club level and on his championship winning Lille outfit, he plays on the right-hand side of 4-man midfield. This has allowed his carrying of the ball in tight spaces to shine, as well being able to showcase his line-breaking passes. His 7.75 and 6.65 progressive carries and passes both rank in the top 10% of all Europe's top 5 leagues. His 2.89 goals creating actions also rank in the elite of Europe, and suggest that he really should he be given a more enhanced role in the national team.

Portugal are in a strange place at this tournament, as they clearly have the talent to be crowned back-to-back European champs, yet are presently being held back by a system that's not working for them. 

The tournament is still young, while the Stats Insiders futures model is still optimistic about a deep run, presently affording them a 47.9% chance of at least making the quarter finals.

With that said, to make some serious noise, Portugal is going to have to become a lot more daring and more expansive in midfield.

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