Carlos Vicens took over as head coach of SC Braga in 2025 after eight years at Manchester City, including four as an assistant to Pep Guardiola. The Mallorca-born coach had progressed from coaching an ultra-talented Under-18s side that included Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap, among others, to working on Guardiola’s first-team staff.

Braga became Vicens’ first top-tier head-coach role, and his first season at the helm was a big success, with European qualification via their Primeira Liga placing. To top it off, he oversaw a Europa League run in which Braga were the first Portuguese club to reach a European semi final for 12 years. A key performance in that campaign came with Europa League victory over a Nottingham Forest team that was fresh from holding Premier League champions-elect Arsenal.

In this exclusive Masterclass, Vicens uses the Coaches’ Voice tactics board to explain how Braga got the better of Forest. He details his pressing and attacking plans, as well as important tactical tweaks in the second half, and a restart structure and sequence that led to the winning goal.

It is a fascinating tactical breakdown from a talented coach who has transitioned from trusted assistant under Guardiola to one of European football’s most promising head coaches. We hope you enjoy the level of detail he reveals went into achieving a result that helped shape Braga's excellent European campaign. And you can read his full story in this Coaches’ Voice interview, here.