After leading Greece to the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup can Fernando Santos exceed expectations again with Portugal at Euro 2016?
Coming into the national set-up after a disastrous home defeat to Albania in the first round of qualifying, Fernando Santos triggered an immediate turnaround in the side’s fortunes. Seven wins from seven sealed a spot in France, shoring up the side’s defence with four clean sheets.
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It speaks of a strong mentality within the squad, something that was a hallmark of his time with the Greek national team. Santos led the Galanolefki to the knockout stages of both Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup against wider expectations. Santos has a strong connection to Greek football, having coaching spells at PAOK, AEK Athens and Panathinaikos; but also has the distinction of holding the top job at Portugal’s “Big Three” of Sporting CP, Benfica and FC Porto.
Despite his intimate knowledge of the Portuguese talent pool, Santos has struggled to find adequate support for Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. Hugo Almeida and Helder Postiga have dropped off the radar since being selected in the World Cup. Lille forward Eder scored his second international goal in a recent friendly against Norway after a strong end to the season in France, but it remains to be seen if the 28-year-old can deliver the goods at a major tournament.
With Ronaldo also joining the squad late due to his involvement in the Champions League final with Real Madrid, Santos needs to make sure the rest of his squad is ready to hit the ground running in the group stages. If he can align his players’ focus and support his star player, Santos can lead Portugal deep into the tournament.
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