The "Invincible" One: FC Porto Manager's Rise to Fame in 18 Months

Andre Villas Boas is Portugal's newest and most intriguing manager

 by Alex Bowen



 
Not much can be said about Portuguese football since the League/Cup/European dominant sides of FC Porto under Jose Mourinho in the early 2000s. Any fame that might be credited to the champions of Portugal in recent years has been overwhelmingly overshadowed by the immense media and publicity of the English Premier League, Italian Serie A and the Spanish Liga. It is safe to say that the powerful Mourinho side is a thing of the past and has lent the limelight to others for the time being. Quite frankly, unless specifically searching for fixtures and results of Portuguese teams, chances are not much will be found without a little digging. Yet after witnessing the class of the most recent installment of FC Porto against Spartak Moscow tonight, and having followed the unbeaten clinching of the Portuguese Liga, one may be forced to turn his attention west of Spain for a bit. The record-breaking FCP side under manager Andre Villas Boas has been nothing short of astounding. In fact, Boas is being hailed as the Jose Mourinho Mk. II after just eighteen months of managing club sides. This conjecture might prove to be slightly premature as Boas progresses in his own right as manager of professional footballing sides.

As a scout under Jose Mourinho at Porto in his early twenties, AVB quickly became of age and used his talent in observation to expose Mourinho to the tactics required to remain superior to the opposition. Dubbed as Mourinho's "eyes and ears," Boas nurtured himself into a position of high regard in the Special One's eyes. In many respects, Villas became the Tonto to Mourinho's Lone Ranger, following him from Portugal to England and finally to Italy. After witnessing his boss's European superiority, Boas decided to have a go on his own for reasons unclear.

Apparently FC Porto had seen enough to merit a job offer after his short tenure at Academia Coimbra in 2009. The then 32 year-old helped his side from a win-less last place position in the league to complete the season at mid-table. Furthermore, he thrust his team into the semifinal of the Portuguese League Cup only to lose to his future employers. After only eight months on his first managerial position, he moved on to his Alma Mater and "dream job" of FC Porto in the summer of 2010.

His mission was simple: bounce his new team back from an embarrassing third place finish the previous year and lift the league trophy for Porto once again. This mission was slightly confounded by the loss of two key players (Bruno Alves and Raul Meireles) upon his arrival. Needless to say, his side had not the footballing stature nor the publicity of the intimidating reigning champions Benfica.

Rather than shaping his new campaign around excuses and cautious footballing behavior, Boas enforced an ironically "beautiful" tactical regime. He reintroduced the attacking 4-3-3 formation, focused their game around a free choice-oriented passing philosophy, and presto - FC Porto clinches the league after 25 matches and loses not a single game. This brilliant attacking philosophy seemed to also unify a now stalwart defense, keeping clean sheets the majority of the time and only allowing 26 goals in all competitions thus far. Easy enough? These results are absolutely staggering considering the position of the club, the experience of the manager, and the increasing pressure on the players to perform well day-in and day-out.

It is obvious that Andre Villas Boas possesses a sound tactical mind and a brilliantly adhesive locker room presence that brings out the best in his players. The world must watch and wait as a brilliant new Invincible One rises out of the shadow of his predecessor and begins to show Europe just what an overlooked Portuguese side can do these days.



sources:

-http://www.zerozerofootball.com/

-http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704380504575530111481441870.html

-http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/crucial-role-of-boy-scout-who-is-mourinhos-  eyes-and-ears-552798.html

-http://www.portugoal.net/

-http://www.footballistic.com/