Who Is Vitinha?
Talent residing in Portugal has always been on the radars of clubs across Europe, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are notorious for their recruitment policy, finding the best young talent of Portuguese descent or from within the Primeira Liga.
This trend began in 2016 while playing in the EFL Championship; Wolves acquired Hélder Costa from SL Benfica and Ivan Cavaleiro from AS Monaco in Ligue 1.
The following season, Rúben Neves was brought to the Midlands club from FC Porto and has since become a household Premier League name.
As Wolves eventually achieved promotion to the top flight of English football, their Portuguese contingent grew stronger, with the addition of Nélson Semedo and Diogo Jota, who now plays his football further north in England for Liverpool.
The players mentioned have cemented themselves as regulars for the Wolves and are well-known around the league.
That said, one name that has slipped under the radar is Vítor Ferreira, also known as Vitinha.
Vitinha was signed on loan from FC Porto in 2020 and made 19 appearances, including five starts, but failed to meet the standards set by former Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
As a result, Wolves decided not to exercise their £16M buy option.
Vitinha is now back at FC Porto, showcasing all that was promised of him on his loan spell in England, and with the performances he has been displaying so far this season, Premier League fans will surely know his name if they fail to recognise him before.
This tactical analysis and Vitinha scout report will delve into the inner workings of Vitinha’s style of play and how his multi-faceted approach makes him a special talent on the European scene.
Vitinha Position & Style Of Play
Vitinha occupied a central midfield role in a double-pivot during his loan spell at Wolves within a 3-4-3 formation, and now at FC Porto, he plays in a 4-4-2 formation.
When stationed in the middle of the park, the Portuguese can utilise all the qualities he possesses, as within a midfield position, he is tasked with operating in each third and contributing both offensively and defensively.
On an international front, Vitinha excelled during Portugal’s run to the U21 European Championship final, playing as an interior (wide midfielder) in a 4-4-2 diamond, where he could operate in the half-spaces and combine and interchange in wide areas.
So far, during Vitinha’s young career, he has mostly been used as a midfield number 8, although he can also function elsewhere.
Vitinha has many strings to his bow, and this will be discussed throughout.
Vitinha Heat Map & Positions
Vitinha Creative Passing
The young midfielder is a creative passer, but it is important to acknowledge that he is not of the mould of a Kevin De Bruyne or Nabil Fekir in that regard.
Vitinha is not an outright assister, but he is a key contributor in attack, as he provides the killer pass into the penalty area or around the box for wingers and strikers to finish the move.
The Portuguese U-21 international demonstrates an excellent understanding of the space where he can receive the ball.
From this platform, Vitinha can show his variation in passing, delivering cross-field switches to free wingers and full-backs on the far side, which is helpful for any team attempting to play against a deep defensive structure.
When quickly playing on one side and then promptly switching the attack to the opposite flank, the opposition team must suddenly shift over, and, in the process, will be stretched and create space for the team in possession to take advantage of.
For clarity, Vitinha is not a quarterback per se, the slinging ball left, right, and centre.
He prefers to play more intricate, shorter passes but can also deliver them over longer distances.
While Vitinha’s passing quality is clear when in space, the U21 international is equally bright when on the move, as he shines when creating off the dribble.
Here, the FC Porto player creates this attacking move on his own, starting slightly deeper.
From the starting position, Vitinha can bypass Boroarson and attack zone 14 and find a thorough pass to Paulo Bernardo.
When Vitinha is positioned slightly higher up, his passes are clever; as he pokes the ball through gaps in behind while integrating chip passes and balls around the corner.
That said, Vitinha’s best attacking work occurs when he operates within the half-spaces.
From these areas, he tends to chip the ball over the top and find a runner in behind.
Here, Portugal U21 is attacking within the final third, with Vitinha in possession.
Within the right half-space, he spots Fábio Silva running in-behind and can first and foremost spot the run initially, and second, with the proper technique and weight on the ball, find Silva within his stride and create a shot-creating action.
Despite Vitinha’s creative strength, the 22-year-old midfielder still exhibits some shortcomings, which is very typical and expected for a player his age.
Vitinha’s passing can be inconsistent, with him sending long passes that are over- or underhit, and he also uses the wrong passing technique.
Sometimes, a clean drive pass is most appropriate in specific scenarios, but he would rather dig the ball out of his feet, which is not always optimal.
Vitinha Defensive Contribution
In an attacking sense, Vitinha is a major asset to FC Porto, as he can be the creative spark from deep positions and further forwards in the half-spaces.
While being so clever in the attacking phase, Vitinha also shines in the defensive phase and is a massive contributor when his team is out of possession.
As mentioned previously, Vitinha plays in a double-pivot, so he shares attacking and defensive responsibility with his midfield partner, and data suggest he does not shy away from off-ball duties.
According to Statsbomb, 3.4 tackles per 90 minutes, accompanied by 2.5 interceptions per 90.
The numbers do not lie, Vitinha is contributing defensively and runs vigorously to retrieve the ball; however, Vitinha is still an inexperienced player and must develop in certain areas in this respect.
Defensively, Vitinha possesses good anticipation, as he likes to sneak into opposition passing lanes to gain possession and intercept passes.
On a few occasions, when facing an opposition attacker in a 1v1 situation, Vitinha would expect his movement to be too early and get bypassed because he missed the initial opportunity.
Furthermore, when going to the ground, Vitinha did not win the ball cleanly, resulting in one of two outcomes: the ball either bobbles away without Vitinha regaining possession, or he misses the ball entirely.
Vitinha Press resistance
While supplying creativity in the final third, Vitinha is also tasked with helping his team progress the ball through from the first phase of play.
When beginning attacks, Vitinha operates slightly deeper than his midfield partner and splits the centre-backs, much like a number six.
In deeper positions, we can see his ball retention skills and capacity to evade pressure through dribbling.
When playing against a press, he uses his first touch well, quickly shifting the ball into space and getting around the opposition player.
Vitinha is quite elusive, as his swift body movements aid him in 1v1 situations against the opposition, thanks to his no-touch dribbling.
Here, the 22-year-old receives the ball on his right foot, inviting the opposition player, who is trying to apply pressure to the same side as the ball.
With a quick switch of feet, the Portuguese plays the ball onto his left foot, takes a big touch into the open space ahead of him, and progresses the play.
Vitinha’s dribbling style and quick thinking allow him to escape pressure within tight areas; the young midfielder does well to quickly find solutions when in tight spots.
Conclusion
When observing Vitinha, the talent is clear to all, as his game is so multifaceted.
Across all three thirds, he adds value to FC Porto’s tactics.
The 22-year-old can operate deeper, serves as a tempo setter, changes and speeds up the point of attack at will, gets up and down, contributes defensively like an “8”, and can create within the final third and facilitate attacks at the very least in these positions, like a 10.
An argument can be made that a player who can play multiple roles is typically considered a utility player, a jack-of-all-trades, or a master of none.
This is not the case.
Players like Jude Bellingham and Luka Modrić can seamlessly occupy those three positions because their skill sets are multi-layered and high-quality.
With this in mind, Vitinha is a number 8 by trade, but so much more, and managers should not be afraid to apply his skills in a variety of ways.
The Portuguese wonderkid is a genuine star in the making.
If he follows along the line of his development trajectory, Wolverhampton Wanderers will regret not keeping him all for themselves.
