Europa League Performance Insights: Porto's slick combination play versus Nottingham Forest's midfield rotations
Friday, April 10, 2026
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UEFA's game insights unit and Technical Observer Willi Ruttensteiner examine how Porto threatened with intelligent attacking sequences between the lines against the away side's compact 5-4-1 structure.
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"We need to repeat the same performance with a better level of finishing." Francesco Farioli's concise summary was as neat and incisive as his team's attacking thrust.
The Porto coach's verdict came after his team drew 1-1 against Nottingham Forest in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday, despite forcing the away side's goalkeeper Stefan Ortega into a string of fine saves.
In a display comprising the attacking verve typical of their five successive Europa League victories at the Estádio do Dragão this season, Farioli's side managed 16 goal attempts and eight shots on target, compared with six and two for Forest.
Working with UEFA Technical Observer Willi Ruttensteiner in this article, UEFA's game insights unit explores the home side's penetrative thrust in breaking down Forest's defensive structure and highlights the away side's more direct threat posed by quick wing-backs and the game intelligence of their midfield four operating in between the lines.
"Forest had a strong 5-4-1 defensive structure with a compact shape whether in a mid or low block," said Ruttensteiner. "The compact plan, with tight distances between players and lines, was the right decision from the Forest coach Vítor Pereira. It worked well for periods in an away leg. But Porto's highly intelligent positional play proved too much to defend at times."
Porto's collective thrust
The first video illustrates exactly how Porto gained success.
In the first clip, we see a clear 4-3-3 system, with clever movements from the front five players creating a two v two situation on the right before intelligent combination play between Gabriel Veiga and Borja Sainz. The second clip shows well-timed movements and forward runs to create and exploit space.
"We saw many sequences of this excellent positional play," explained Ruttensteiner. "Players moved intelligently, always staying connected. It's not just about positioning, of course. It's about timing of movements and actions, the direction, seeing the open space and playing at the right tempo for the moment.
"Porto's players displayed great intelligence to read the game, scan and execute actions. The result was high-quality combination plays with excellent passing quality, brilliant individual technique, speedy wingers and lots of line-breaking runs in behind."
Porto's reward for a period of early domination came in the 11th minute. As we see in the third clip above, William Gomes finishes the move at the far post. "But the build-up play was typical," said Ruttensteiner. "It's patient and controlled possession, always with great quality of passing."
Gabriel Veiga's movement out wide creates space to attack, dragging Forest's right-sided centre-back wide. This space is eventually exploited by Gabriel Veiga's quick forward burst to latch onto a disguised back-heeled pass from Pablo Rosario.
"When we see this high quality, it's important to note that it's all very well trained and prepared," said Ruttensteiner. "The players react in the moment because they know what is happening. They understand their team-mates' intentions. It's always a complex and changing situation, but they possess the quality to find the pass and break the lines."
Despite this elite quality, William Gomes' one-touch finish proved to be Porto's only goal. Ortega made seven saves as Porto registered an xG of 2.16.
"Ortega kept his team in the game with the big saves," said Ruttensteiner. "For any team looking to defend in a 5-4-1, having a goalkeeper as leader behind the block is a great asset."
Forest's midfield freedom
Led by former Porto coach Pereira, who was given a commemorative shirt by club president André Villas-Boas before the match, the Premier League side offered more than just stout resistance.
Although their only goal came from an unfortunate own goal by Porto defender Martim Fernandes, they showed attacking freedom within the confines of their structure.
The second video shows the fluidity of the four midfielders: Morgan Gibbs-White, James McAtee, Ryan Yates and Nicolás Domínguez.
"Forest's attacking strategy contained two elements," explained Ruttensteiner. "First they looked to seize on transitions from their compact shape and attack with verticality, either to the target man up front, the high No10 or the wing-backs high and wide.
"But the second key feature was the relationship between the midfield four. They showed great game intelligence to rotate, generally staying on two lines but moving according to the game – always very clever, often moving to the sides and behind their opponents to create different possibilities to attack."
All three clips show their versatility and creativity as a unit of four free to attack with freedom.
Pereira recognised the efforts of his team afterwards. "The players tried everything to be organised, to create something," he said. "In the end, 1-1 is a good result."
Coaching focus: From fundamentals to mastery in the game
Ruttensteiner hailed both Pereira and Farioli for giving the more creative players in their team a platform to play between the opposition's defensive lines.
The former Israel men's national team coach and Austrian Football Association sporting director emphasised the importance of coaches developing players capable of "playing in the moment" with similar game intelligence.
He highlighted "three stages of development":
1) The individual
What: The fundamentals for the player on the ball, including individual actions such as scanning, first touch and open body shape.
Why: "These are the priorities for young players."
2) The game situations
What: Exposing players to role-specific game situations. These could be a midfielder combining with other midfielders or forwards, or a full-back linking up with a winger and midfielder.
Why: "Increased realism to put their technique into action and educate players in the needs of the specific positions."
3) The full game
What: Playing in the full 11v11 game
Why: "The full game brings together all the complexities and different phases of the game. If players lack the basic education of the skills and situational knowledge, they will be unprepared to cope in the game."
"It's all about repetition," said Ruttensteiner. "The more repeated exposure players get to game situations, the more their responses will become automated. Players who have these attacking instincts, they are not thinking so much.
"So it's not about thinking 'I'm going to be brave.' It's about being well prepared through repetition of relevant and realistic practices, with vital analysis and detailed feedback from coaches. I find that this gives players the motivation and self-confidence to act on instinct, automatically, in the moment."
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