Joao Palhinha’s recent resurgence at Tottenham Hotspur has reopened the debate about whether he should start in midfield for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup.
Palhinha’s late strike at Wolverhampton Wanderers recently earned Tottenham their first Premier League win since December.
He followed up with a fine performance at Aston Villa on Sunday, providing the team with a platform to secure another hugely important victory.
With that in mind, read on as we assess whether the 30-year-old should start at the base of Portugal’s midfield in North America this summer.
De Zerbi recognises the value of experienceÂ
New Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has gone for a pragmatic approach in the middle of the park and the move has paid dividends.
De Zerbi picked Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall alongside Conor Gallagher in the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, but his decision backfired.
Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka ran the show and his performance, coupled with an unfortunate injury for Archie Gray, probably persuaded De Derbi to head down a different path.
Palhinha played alongside Rodrigo Bentancurm at Villa Park, while Gallagher was deployed ahead of them. It was the first time they have started together this season.
They outworked Ross Barkley, Lamare Bogarde and Youri Tielemans, which gave Spurs the platform they needed to secure a vital victory. It was a similar story back in January where Palhina’s dominant performance wasn’t enough to secure FA Cup progress against Villa.
Tottenham now have a template they can use for the rest of the season and one which could ultimately preserve their Premier League status.
De Zerbi’s recognition of Palhinha’s qualities may boost his chances of playing for Portugal this summer, although that is far from guaranteed.
Photo: IMAGO
Martinez may need to rethink his stance on Palhinha
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is renowned for preferring technical midfielders. It is an ethos he has stuck to since his first managerial role at…
..
