Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez, the Spanish coach who previously managed Belgium for six years and guided them to third place at the 2018 World Cup, took charge of Portugal after the 2022 tournament. He favours a possession-based 4-3-3 that transitions into a 4-2-3-1 in defensive phases, using Vitinha and João Neves as the engine room behind Bruno Fernandes. His Belgium tenure showed he can organise a squad of strong personalities around a single dominant forward — a skill directly applicable here.

Martinez typically deploys a 4-3-3 that compresses into a 4-2-3-1 without the ball, with João Neves and Vitinha forming a double pivot that allows Bruno Fernandes to roam as a ten. Nuno Mendes and João Cancelo push high to create width, while Bernardo Silva drifts inside from the right. Rúben Dias organises the defensive line, and Gonçalo Ramos leads the press from the front.