Vitinha – SC Braga’s powerful line-leading presence

Vitor Oliveira better known as Vitinha has had an intriguing career trajectory to this point as the 21-year-old always loved to have the ball at his feet, even kicking stones when he was unable to find a football. He was born in Cavez, in the municipality of Cabeceiras de Basto as by the age of 11, he was training with the seniors at his local club which prompted scouts to come and see him as his next club, Associação Águias de Alvite was a feeder club for Benfica. His football career was soon in jeopardy as his parents had no way of taking him to training while his brother, who usually drove him to training, fell ill. Bernardino Dourado, the president of the club came to his rescue and offered to take him to training as he spent five seasons at the club before moving to SC Braga. Within a couple of years, he would make the transition from the Under 18 side to the Under 23 side as he had no issue playing with players older than him.

The 21-year-old would become Carlos Carvahal’s favorite striker with the manager playing him up front due to his strength in aerial duels, ability to make runs into the channels as well as his ability to work connections in the central areas. Another facet of his game that makes Vitinha special is his propensity to stretch defenses by making runs in behind while his movement in the attacking line is exceptional. He regularly makes circular movements to move around his marker and dart into space or make the same movement to occupy space while he can make runs in behind and utilize specific body shapes to allow a teammate to play a through ball into a space in between himself and a defender that he has created. Vitinha also has potential as a ball-carrier with tremendous size, unyielding reserves of energy, magnetic close control and fantastic turn of pace as he could develop into a world class striker.

Vitinha’s rise started with his spellbinding outing in the in the Taca de Portugal Fourth Round at home to Santa Clara as Galeno had a volley saved for the 21-year-old striker to score the rebound. The attacker then received possession from the goalkeeper to hold possession and lob a pass to the opposite flank before making a run into the box to receive possession and apply the finish. By the time the clock struck 15 minutes, Vitinha had a hat-trick as he started the move in an offside position before moving back onside as he held his run at the near post to slot in a simple tap-in. Vitinha illustrated brilliant hold-up play as lovely double-movements as he held up possession to poke a pass to a teammate to facilitate a switch to the opposite flank which resulted in a good opportunity being missed. He then utilized his aerial prowess to win another aerial duel to flick on for a teammate to go in behind and have an opportunity on goal.

Vitinha would score four, driving past a glut of defenders and into the opposition box to smash a strike home as he would nearly score his fifth, spinning past a marker, powering past another opposition defender before having his opportunity smothered by the goalkeeper. This outing was an example of his attributes, his dexterity with his back to goal, authority in the air as well as his clean finishing. The 22-year-old would have an opportunity for his fifth goal, spinning past his marker before powering past Hidemasa Morita to have his shooting opportunity smothered by the opposition goalkeeper as he had another opportunity, making an intelligent run in behind to receive possession, taking a good first touch with the outside of his right boot before firing a shot at the keeper from a tight angle. At home to Vizela in the league, he started the game well, winning an aerial duel before showing intelligent movement to get on the end of a cut-back to have a shot blocked.

The 22-year-old is a wonderful attacking presence to have up front as he laid off a pass to a teammate for the attacker to drive into the box, dropped deep and tracked back to regain possession while he would receive possession in the deeper areas to thread a pass in behind for a teammate to have 1v1 with the goalkeeper. Vitinha is gifted at holding the ball up while being intelligent with his passing as he constantly allows teammates to make runs off of him as he got on the end of a cross to head wide in a chance which he should have scored. He is active in the counter-press making a big tackle in this area while the sharpness of his movement with the way in which he can just spin and ghost past opposition defenders, making early runs to the back-post before looking to pick the perfect moment to make a run across his defender to receive a cross. He then exhibited his ability to run in behind as the ball was played to him as he attempted to flick the ball past a defender to create a 1v1 situation, but he ended up fouling his goalkeeper.

His style of running in behind is quite unique, consistently looking to make curling runs past his defender, isolating his man and making a curling run around him to surge in behind and receive possession as Vitinha is constantly looking to get into a good goalscoring position. In the counter-press, he is active as he is consistently regaining possession in this phase, even dropping back to force a turnover. He would drop into the ten space to close down the opposition six-space in the pressing phase while in attacking sequences, he constantly looks to occupy his defender’s blind-side to create space while he is constantly lurking at the back-post when his team have the ball in the wide areas. The 22-year-old made a run in behind to receive possession in the channels before having a cross blocked as he is consistently stretching play with his runs in behind, playing on the shoulder of the last man and sometimes taking up an offside position, forcing his defender to drop deeper to mark him which creates a few yards of space for him.

Vitinha has a sense for passing lanes which is also quite rare for a striker as he has certain sequences where he will move into the same zone as a player in possession to make a run in behind while creating space for a through ball. He has the potential to be a well-rounded striker, constantly putting his hand up when he makes runs in behind while always attempting to be in the perfect space when a cross is about to be played into the box to win the aerial duel and have an opportunity on goal. The 22-year-old then won a penalty, lurking at the back post as a shot was saved for the Portuguese attacker to react quickly to win a tackle before earning a foul. He had a shooting opportunity of his own when he received a lobbed pass to take a touch and have a shot saved. He then received possession, turned and blasted an opportunity over the bar from range.

Away to Arouca, he was involved in the first goal, making a brilliantly timed run in behind as his first touch was poor but he managed to hold the ball up and lay-off a pass for Yan Couto to send a deflected shot past the goalkeeper. Vitinha was given the goal as it deflected off of him as his movement was remarkable as he made a run into the box before dropping into space at the near post for a blocked cross. He pressed the goalkeeper to force him into clearing the ball as the fact that he was given an opportunity from the start after returning from injury was key for him. He accrued his second goal after a teammate had a header saved while Vitinha did well to remain onside and score with a tap-in. Another constant in Vitinha’s game is the use of his size to earn fouls, especially in the deeper areas as he drops deep to receive possession with his goal, shielding the ball and turning past his man to earn a foul. He then scored his third goal as his movement created the goal, dropping into space before making a curved run past a defender to open a passing lane as he received possession and drove a shot past the goalkeeper.

He received possession, skipping past a defender before beating a second to thread a through ball to Miguel Fale as his pass was too heavy for the youngster. Vitinha will constantly drop deep and lay-off possession while consistently providing a threat running in behind as when he does the latter, he will stay a yard ahead of his defender for freedom of movement while he will also drop deep and make vertical bursts into the channels. His ability to turn out of tight situations allows him to earn fouls while he can also earn fouls with his dribbling ability, looking to drive past defenders using his size and quickness to earn fouls. He would attempt to dribble out of a tight situation as he earned a foul before heading wide from the resulting free-kick. He has an impeccable first touch to receive possession in between the lines and lay-off the ball, the 22-year-old would control the ball with his head from an awkward angle as he would not lay-off the ball, instead looking to drive forward before losing possession.

The Portuguese attacker constantly takes up great positions in and around the opposition box as he received a lobbed pass to take a touch as he was unable to get a shot away before being brought down in the box. The referee initially waved away penalty shouts before VAR intervened and gave the penalty as the attacker had been involved in all of Braga’s four goals up to that point. He would be involved in the fifth goal as he received possession in the channels, taking a touch and working a pass through to the wing-back for a cut-back for 16-year-old, Roger Fernandes to apply the finish. Vitinha finished the game with 5 shots, 4 on target with 3 goals, winning ¾ aerial duels as well as 2/4 takeons. The striker would be out with COVID before returning to start a game at home to Maritimo, starting the game by receiving a deep pass in the nine-space to lay-off for a teammate.

Vitinha tended to be isolated up front as his teammates struggled to connect with him but the striker occupied his centre-back well, constantly looking to make runs in behind as well as being sharp with his double movements, occupying one flank before making cut-back runs into space. He attempted to weave past two opposition defenders to surge in behind but was tackled before flicking a pass to Galeno who had a shot saved from range as he continued to occupy centre-backs, using his movement to drag players out of position. A facet of his game that needs to improve is his first touch when making runs in behind as he does not drive the ball goalwards, normally driving the ball away from goal with his first touch which makes the shooting angle much more difficult for him. The 22-year-old had another instance where he did not push the ball forward far enough to use his body and acceleration to hold off his defender as his light touch meant that his defender recovered and made a tackle. Vitinha then received possession, evaded a marker and played a slide-rule pass into the box as the attacker is proficient in dropping deep to receive the ball as well as making runs in behind.

His ability to run in behind stretches the opposition defence while giving him the opportunity to create passing angles for teammates, especially from lobbed passes as he would take a free-kick down and have a shot on goal. He controlled another lobbed pass as he was tackled before he could take the shot as the 22-year-old received possession in between the lines to switch a pass for Iuri Medeiros as he also had a moment where he worked more connections with a teammate. He received possession on the right flank, standing his marker up to lob a pass into the central spaces. Away to Sporting, he was tasked with covering the passing lane to the six-space as he would scan to keep the opposition defensive midfielder in his cover shadow before pushing up to apply pressure as Vitinha was influential in covering the passing lane to that area.

At the beginning of the game, his link-up play was lacking while he continuously found very good areas in attacking positions. Vitinha can be a selfless player as in a counter-attacking situation, he made a phenomenal run to pin a defender. In some of his poorer games, the timing of his runs are late by a split second, especially when he drops back to the near post or makes a late dart to the near post as he needs to be in sync with his teammates in holding his runs for his defender to stop his feet before charging to the near post as by the time he makes the run to the near post, the cross has already been delivered. He made a run in behind to stretch a defence as Vitinha also has the potential to create his own shooting opportunities, receiving a loose ball in the channels to hold the ball, drive into the box and smash over from a tight angle.

Away to Vitoria Guimaraes, Vitinha, he created his own shooting opportunity once more, receiving possession in his own half to stride forward, surging into the box to have his shot blocked. The 22-year-old was engaged in a tussle with the opposition defensive midfielder, Tomas Handel who was closing him down whenever he dropped deep as the duo were also engaging in aerial battles. The Braga attacker would drive into the opposition box, hold possession before having a shot saved from a tight angle as Vitinha would eventually notch a goal, making a near post run while outmuscling a defender, receiving a low cross and finishing with an impudent lob. When leading the press, Vitinha can apply pressure on the opposition, making tackles and interceptions to regain possession while having the technique to recycle the ball and create opportunities from pressing and counter-pressing situations. He was consistently searching for the near post run as the timing of his runs was affected by the fact that he was making direct runs to the near post instead of stopping his feet and timing his runs to the area. This meant that whenever he made his run to the near post, he moved out of the width of goal making the shooting angle much more difficult.

His double-movements continued to be sharp as the way he holds his runs, positioning himself in a pocket of space or forcing a defender to stop his feet before making a vertical dart into a pocket of space as the striker was not receiving the ball. Another one of Vitinha’s favored double-movement routines is dropping deep before making a vertical run in behind or into the channels to receive possession as the 22-year-old would receive possession in the channels, cutting past a man to cross for a striker to miss the cross as Fernandes had a shot blocked at the back post. At home to Gil Vicente, he was consistently making circular movements around his defender as he had a sequence where he outmuscled a centre-back to receive a cross, attempting to back-heel the ball as it rebounded off his back-foot in a situation where he should have scored. He eventually had the ball in the net, making a run in behind to roll the ball into the back of the net before being whistled offside as the last man stepped up at the perfect moment when he received possession. The minute details are some of the issues that are holding Vitinha back from being a world class striker as he possesses the requisite tools.

Away to Vizela, he was holding his runs and making movements to the top of the box to receive cut-backs as he had a sequence where he made a run for a cross which was played behind him. Vitinha made a run into the channels to win a corner as he attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick from the resulting corner, kicking a defender in the face and being sent off before half-time. At home to Moreirense, he would engage in an aerial duel for a lay-off to a teammate before pushing up to occupy an opposition centre-back as he attempted to make a run in behind while his centre-back was in possession as his teammate played the ball to the wide areas instead. Vitinha found himself in an offside position, dropping back into an onside position before making a run in behind for a pass which was too heavy for him. The 22-year-old would attempt to make a dart into the channels, remaining in a deeper position to receive a pass to feet, laying off for a teammate to play a pass in behind for another attacker who was occupying the nine-space.

His hold-up play is exemplary as he would regain possession from an opposition corner in his own box before playing a phenomenal line-breaking pass to a teammate who drove into the opposition box to send a shot wide. Vitinha then received a throw-in with his back to goal, holding up play and flicking a pass into the next line for a teammate. He won an aerial duel from a goal-kick to lay-off a pass to a teammate to instigate an attacking move. When Vitinha drops deep in combination play, he consistently allows teammates to make runs past him as he would lay-off a pass to a teammate for a wide attacker to make a central run to receive possession and play the ball to the flank. The 22-year-old is an essential transitional tool, dropping deep to receive possession, spinning to drive the ball forward, holding off a marker and driving the ball on the right flank to play a cross to a teammate which was deflected for a corner. Another aspect of his combination play is his ability to win aerial duels from direct passes from the goalkeeper as he utilized this skill to flick on for a teammate to instigate an attacking move in the opposition half.

Vitinha employed his aerial ability once more, making a run to the near post to have a header saved. This was an intriguing moment as his near post run was out of the width of the goal as it will be important for the striker to communicate to teammates that if he is making a near post run and is within the frame of goal, he should receive a cross to feet while if he is out of the frame of goal, he should receive an aerial delivery. The 22-year-old received a throw-in with his back to goal, holding off one defender before holding off a second to skip past a third defender as he drove into the box to have a cut-back attempt blocked. At home to Pacos Ferreira, he began the game by leading the pressing phase, pushing forward to apply pressure on the centre-back from the central positions from the centre after closing down the six-space before pushing forward to close down the right sided centre-back, denying him passing access to the centre forcing a back-pass to the goalkeeper as he applied pressure on the goalkeeper, denying him passing access to the centre-back, forcing the ball into a pressing trap where his team won a throw-in.

Vitinha then had a moment where he exhibited his sharp and precise movement as while the ball was switched to the right flank, the Portuguese striker dropped back from an offside position, making a circular run around his defender to attempt a run in behind when the ball was played to the half-space. The ball was then switched to the flank as Vitinha maintained his focus, scanning to check the positioning of the keeper and the width of goal, making a run from the right half-space towards the penalty spot to be in the perfect position to receive a cross which he bounced over the goal as he should have scored. He received another long pass from the goalkeeper to chest back a pass for a teammate. He can drop deep and lay-off the ball as well as making runs in behind to stretch the pitch as in the next sequence, he would make a run into the channels to receive a lobbed pass, holding possession up to work a pass for a teammate in the box who was tackled as the striker regained possession by leading the counter-pressing phase and making a block.

He led the counter-pressing phase once more after losing an aerial duel from a goal-kick, pushing forward to make a tackle which set his team on the counter-attack as a pass to him in the opposition box was intercepted. The 22-year-old then laid off a pass for a teammate in a sequence that led to a shot on goal before he dropped deep to receive possession, crossing his feet as he attempted to thread a pass in behind for a teammate to lay-off as he recovered by laying off an outside of the boot pass for a teammate who worked a pass for another attacker tucking into the nine-space. He utilized his trademark move of dropping into an onside position from an offside position to make a run in behind and receive possession where he was tackled and won a free-kick from a high-quality position. In another pressing situation, he pushed forward to apply pressure on the right-sided centre-back from the central positions to force an errant pass which led to a turnover.

Vitinha was playing on the shoulder of the last defender, dropping deep to receive a deep vertical pass in between the lines and lay-off to a teammate while a wide attacker was tucking into the central spaces. He would utilize his combination play to make a run into the channels, flicking a pass for a fellow attacker to receive possession in the box and have a shot saved. The 22-year-old dropped deep to receive possession in the ten space, spreading a short through ball to a teammate in the box who attempted to play the ball back to him as the pass was blocked. He would move into the box from the right flank, scanning his position and the positioning of his winger, making a run in between the opposition centre-backs before stopping his feet in the centre-box to hold his defender as he was waiting for a cross in the zone in between him and the goalkeeper as the delivery was played into the goalkeeper’s arms as his timing for the delivery was perfect.

He made a run into the channels to receive possession, holding off a defender before standing him up to loft a cross into the box which was deflected out. He received a deep pass with his chest to lay-off to a teammate before he received a pass on the right flank during a counter-attack, driving the ball into the centre to play a line-breaking pass for a teammate in the box who laid off for him to send a shot wide. Vitinha is such a selfless and collaborative attacker as his movement provides greater fluidity to an attacking line as the striker was positioned in the nine-space but made a run towards the right flank, dragging his defender out of his zone to clear space for an attacking midfielder to receive possession and prod the ball forward with his directional first touch. He notched an assist in the game, dropping deep during a counter-pressing situation before receiving possession in the right half-space, skipping past a defender to drive into the box and cut-back a cross for a teammate to apply the finish. In a pressing situation, his team was leading by one goal in added time as he was the only attacker pressing the ball, managing to regain possession with a sliding tackle, outmuscling his defender to drive the ball forward and thread a pass to a runner who switched the ball for his team to have a shot on target.

Away to Belenenses, a teammate in the line beneath him received possession as Vitinha made a movement towards the left channel, dragging his marker out of position to create a space for a runner as he would have also been able to receive possession in the channels. In another sequence, he was occupying a centre-back in the nine-space, making a circular run in behind to receive a direct through ball which was played to a wide zone for a teammate to cut-back a short as the 22-year-old reacted slowly which allowed the defence to clear. In that situation, if he reacted quickly, he could have used his body to shield the ball, forcing the defenders to panic and lunge as he could have won a penalty. In a counter-pressing situation, he would show desire to attack a defender’s blind-side and win a turnover before laying off the ball to a teammate. He would drop back onside from an offside position, making one of his trademark circular runs to receive possession in behind and have a shot on goal from a bad angle. He then made a run into the right channel, receiving a through ball to stand-up a marker and loft a cross to the back-post for a lay-off and a shot on goal.

In a counter-attacking situation from an opposition free-kick, he would make a movement outside a wide player towards the right flank to receive possession in a pocket of space and send a shot straight at the goalkeeper. He then created a shooting opportunity for himself, latching onto a loose ball by the halfway line, surging into the box and sending another shot straight at the goalkeeper. Vitinha will need to improve with the placing of his shots to make use of the opportunities he creates from dribbling and ball-carrying situations as well as from situations when he receives through balls and has 1v1 opportunities. Vitinha would then make an early run in behind while his defensive midfielder had possession as he had to hold his run as the midfielder worked a pass into the next line, a lay-off was played back to the defensive midfielder who lobbed a pass in behind to Vitinha who received possession and attempted a cut-back which was blocked.

Vitinha received possession in the ten space after a turnover, driving the ball forward and driving a shot straight at the goalkeeper. His team played a switch to the right flank with the 22-year-old starting with an early run in behind, focusing on his teammate delivering the ball rather than the defensive line, receiving a cross as he realigned his body to finish with his first touch as his goal was chalked off for offside. The young striker needs to maintain an awareness of the defensive line when making runs in behind, especially from the deeper areas as it was his second offside goal of the season. In another sequence, he occupied the back-post, making a run around his marker to the wide areas where he rose highest to have a header saved. After a clearance from an opposition corner, Vitinha received possession to flick-on for a teammate to drive forward and switch possession to the opposite flank for his team to have a shot on goal from a counter-attack.

Vitinha dropped deep on the right flank to receive possession before the ball was switched to the opposite flank as he held his run, occupying a position at the back post, moving into the centre as the ball was switched back to the right flank as he made a dart towards the six-yard area, dragging a marker out of position and creating a cut-back opportunity for a teammate as the wide player attempted a shot. Vitinha then occupied the ten space, receiving possession to turn and work a one-two with a teammate before sending a shot wide. Away to Familicao, he made a good run into the box to jump at the perfect time to receive a cross and direct a looping header over the goalkeeper. The striker then received possession in the opposition half to drive into the box, cutting past a defender before cutting back and lofting a cross to the back post for a teammate to head directly at goal.

Last season in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, he finished in the top 10 for expected goals for U23s with a number of 5.37, scoring 7 goals with the second least number of minutes in the top 10. For expected assists, he finished in the top 30 with a number of 1.73 for 2 assists with the 4th least number of minutes. For all available players in the Portuguese top flight, he finished in the top 25 for touches in the opposition box, placing in the top 10 for the per 90 metrics while for dribbles, he finished in the top 20 for U23s while in the top 30 in the per 90 metrics for players of all ages in Portugal. He was one of two strikers under the age of 23 on the list with Darwin Nunez as he finished in the top 10 for offsides. For key passes, he finished in the top 30 for U23 players as he also finished in the top 30 for progressive runs while finishing in the top 30 of general ball progression by runs. It is important to note that Nunez and Vitinha are the only strikers in a lot of these lists as they were both two well-rounded strikers under the age of 23 in Portugal. This will be an interesting season to assess for Vitinha as he will be a starter from the first game of the season as he could finish this season with a greater sample size than last year. In the first two games of the season, he has a 1.03 expected goals number for 0 goals, ranking in the top 10 as majority of his shots have been from inside the box as if he continues on this trajectory, he could have a phenomenal season.

Vitinha is a young striker with high-level potential due to the fact he can receive early balls in between the lines, easing transition by laying off the ball, switching passes to the flank, shielding the ball from his marker before spinning past him to drive the ball forward or he can also use his body to win a foul. The 22-year-old is a consistent threat with early runs into the channels, receiving possession to hold-up the ball, laying off passes to teammates or driving into the box to square crosses for other attackers. Vitinha is a build-up conduit, chance creator as well as being a threatening presence in the box as he has a propensity for intelligent movement in the box while he could grow as a prolific aerial operator with runs to the near post, deliveries from set-pieces and crossing situations while also being able to create for teammates with knock-downs.

The Portuguese attacker can drive into the box in a variety of ways as he can utilize his movement to receive possession in the box, he can utilize his dribbling to drive the ball into the box while he can also make runs in behind to receive possession in the box as this could lead to him being an effective presence in the opposition half. In terms of his running in behind, he can utilize his circular movements to make runs around a defender before darting into space to receive a pass and have a shooting opportunity while he is also very clever with starting a sequence in an offside position, dropping back into an onside position on a defender’s blind-side before making a run in behind to receive possession and have a shooting opportunity on goal. To score more goals, Vitinha will need to improve with the placing of his shots, especially as he has the potential to be a high-volume shooter with moving into space to have shots created for him or creating his own shots from dribbling situations as from the latter, he would need to improve at skipping past a marker and placing shots at goal. During crossing situations, he needs to improve at angling his body to finish with the first touch as these are highest quality opportunities that he tends to miss with poor touches from good areas in crossing situations.

Vitinha is apt in leading the pressure phase, especially in taking good angles in pressing triggers when pushing forward from the six-space to close down a centre-back, denying passing access into the next line and forcing a back-pass before pushing forward and applying pressure on the goalkeeper. He is also highly intelligent in forcing the ball into zones for pressing traps be it forcing passes into the wide zones or into congested zones in the centre of the pitch for his team to win a turnover. Vitinha is also strong in the counter-press, retreating to attack an opposition player’s blind-side and use his body to regain possession as once he regains possession, he can use his dribbling to drive the ball forward or can work a pass to a teammate. The 22-year-old can also lead counter-attacking situations, receiving possession and using his passing range to thread passes into teammates or use his dribbling to drive the ball forward as in these situations, he can constantly stretch an opposition defence with runs in behind.

Vitinha has a contract till 2024 with a reported €25 million release clause which is cheaper with current pricing of young strikers on the market, especially for English Premier League clubs. He would suit Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United well as the club have a Portuguese contingent in their playing staff, he is similar to Sebastien Haller with his combination play while in the attacking phase, his ability to drop deep and allow teammates to make runs off of him will be crucial to passing interchanges in the final third while allowing Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes to participate in interchanges. He would be a strong attacking option for Everton as an alternative or replacement for Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Wolverhampton Wanderers with their scouting in Portugal would also be a good place for the youngster. Southampton, Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United should all be looking at the young striker. Brighton and Hove Albion were looking to add Darwin Nunez to their striking corps as Vitinha would provide a good alternative as he is in a similar point of his career to Nunez after his first season at Benfica while he would also be a good replacement for Danny Welbeck. Vitinha would be a good attacking option for Chelsea as his attacking movement, combination play and ability to run in behind suits the demands of Thomas Tuchel’s system. Vitinha could develop into one of the most highly regarded strikers in Portugal in a year as the English Premier League should be the next destination for him.