As we reach the final of the inaugural UEFA Nations League 2018/19, we now have only two remaining teams. The teams contesting for the honour of becoming the first Nations League champions are Portugal and Netherlands. In this tactical preview, we shall take a look at the possible tactical trends we might see in this anticipated match-up and the key points either team will use to get the upper hand over the other.
Build-up
Portugal come on the back of a 3-1 win against Switzerland where Cristiano Ronaldo shone and he will look to do so this time around, too. Fernando Santos team have won three and drawn two of their matches in the Nations League. Scoring eight goals and conceding four, they have looked solid both offensively and defensively.
Koemans Dutch side beat England 3-1 in a match that was closer than it looks to be on paper. Out of their five matches in the UEFA Nations League 2018/19, they have scored 11 goals and have conceded five in excellent displays against world-champions France and previous champions Germany. With a young and talented squad, this side has been the revival of the Netherlands national team after some disappointing performances in the recent years.
How the midfield will influence the set-up
If you win the battle of the midfield, your whole team can win. ZiNeDINE ZIDANE
Portugal will look to contain the midfield of the Netherlands and to do this, they will look to contain Frenkie de Jong. To do this a high press of de Jong is crucial to stop him from controlling the midfield. To do this, playing Bernardo Silva on the right wing will be very useful as he has an excellent work-rate. However, he will be played at CAM most probably and he will still look to press de Jong and avoid progression.
Along with this, the young Dutchman prefers playing a bit to the left as an LCDM where he can dribble the most. Carvalho will provide stability at CDM and look to stop de Jong from driving forward. As Portugal mostly play a 4-3-3, Ruben Neves will mostly occupy a spot in midfield as he has been a solid option for Portugal.
The third spot should be occupied by Bruno Fernandes for a number of reasons. He has incredible attacking contribution not only in terms of goals, assists but also driving the ball forwards by passing and dribbling. He will provide an additional element as he looks to play long balls frequently and that should be an interesting dimension in the transitions.
Netherlands playing de Jong is pretty much a given at this point. Koeman will be more than aware of Portugals attempt to contain him but to counter that, a 4-2-3-1 might be used. De Jong should be joined by Marten de Roon as they have provided great stability and balance of experience and energy in this formation.
Wijnaldum will mostly play in a
