Portuguese journalist, editor-in-chief of the famous A Bola Luis Mateus commented on the activities of his compatriot Fernando Santos in the Azerbaijani national team especially for Idman.biz:
The highlight of Fernando Santos' coaching career was, without a doubt, winning the European Championship in 2016, which was joined by the Nations League three years later.
Although loved in Greece, where he coached several clubs and their respective national team, the truth is he only won a few titles throughout a career spanning 36 years, even though he trained regular candidates to win them.
His game model was often criticized for excessive conservatism and lack of creativity in the attack, remaining faithful to a restricted group of players and resisting the introduction of young footballers among the main options.
He is not a very tactical coach and bases his ideas on careful management of the work group and the players' egos and on strong organization when without the ball.
As for the Azerbaijan's games, I think you had strong opponents. But it seems to me that miracles are not to be expected from Fernando Santos that are not based on a lot of caution and a very defensive posture.
Rasim
Idman.biz
