Why Renato Sanches Should Start Portugal's Must-Win Euro 2016 Match vs. Hungary

Frustrated and more than a little deflated by events on Saturday night in Paris, Portugal coach Fernando Santos had a message.

“The next game is a final and we’re going to win it.”

That’s that taken care of, then.

That next game, of course, comes against Hungary in Lyon on Wednesday, and although a draw might end up being enough to send Portugal through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams, that clearly isn’t a possibility that Santos is considering—for him, it’s win or bust.

So, will the somewhat conservative coach throw caution to the wind, then?

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Group F leaders Hungary have shown themselves to be a hard-working, determined outfit with no little quality about them, and with their place in the second round is aleady assured then perhaps Portugal’s best chance here would be to open the game up somewhat, ensuring that Hungary’s priorities soon differ from merely trying to mark Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game.

For that, though, Santos is going to need fast, dynamic runners in his team who are capable of feeding off Portugal’s main man and taking responsibility on their own shoulders.

With plenty of his charges disappointing in the draw with Austria in Paris on Saturday, the Portugal coach should be looking out across his squad for replacements and answers, and in Renato Sanches—the teenager who will be wearing the red of Bayern Munich next season—he could well have that solution.

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Unburdened by expectations and with Portugal’s failures of the recent past—failures which Ronaldo, Nani, Joao Moutinho, Ricardo Quaresma and others throughout the squad seem to carry with them onto the field—Sanches could shine here. He could replace the more experienced Moutinho, who hasn’t looked his best following an injury-disrupted season with Monaco.

A spot in midfield alongside Andre Gomes would give Portugal two hard-working, energetic and, above all, creative influences that could then link up well with Ronaldo and whichever two wide men Santos chooses to field—surely two of Nani, Quaresma and Joao Mario.

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It is clear that Portugal need to do something different as they hover dangerously close to “give it to Ronaldo” mode, and by picking Sanches, Santos would be avoiding something that Portuguese coaches have been guilty of in the recent past: being reluctant to embrace change and sticking with a plan for too long.

Young players can often have a lot more confidence about them than a seasoned professional, and picking Sanches could be the right move for Portugal at a time when their most trusted seasoned professional is going through something of a crisis of confidence.

Ronaldo needs someone around him to do something off the cuff, to take a chance and not to just make the default deferral to the captain.

In Sanches, Portugal have a player who can provide that X-factor for the team—just at the moment that one is needed to try to avoid an embarrassing exit.

Bayern Munich wouldn’t have paid big money for the 18-year-old if he wasn’t the real deal, and it has to be hoped that Santos embraces the braver side of his character to pick a player who most of Portugal would agree was ready.

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Hungary won’t want to face him, that’s for sure, with coach Bernd Storck doubtless preparing a team with which to try to nullify Ronaldo as well as deal with the predicable Nani and the hit-and-miss Quaresma.

If Sanches is used in midfield with Gomes, then the attack can focus on other areas, with both players possessing the speed and ability to get into what is probably going to be a crowded penalty area in support of Ronaldo.

If anything, the law of averages is dictating that this could well be the Portugal captain’s night in Lyon, but he could do with some fresher legs to help him.

Sanches can be that man, but the question is will Santos—seemingly so convinced that his side will win—be brave enough to pick him?