Estoril Praia 2024/25: a season of two halves, led by a flying Scotsman | OneFootball

Estoril Praia came into the season with an overhauled squad and a certain degree of trepidation among the fanbase, or at best a step into the unknown. The previous year had been a year-long struggle against relegation and the core of the first-choice XI had departed over the summer.

Star loanees Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Gomes earned moves to the Premier League, youth prospect João Marques and midfield magician Rafik Guitane both headed north to Braga, and goal guarantee Cassiano switched to Casa Pia.

The biggest change of all was the appointment of Ian Cathro as the head coach. The Scot had worked in Portugal previously as Nuno Espírito Santo’s assistant at Rio Ave, subsequently accompanying the Portuguese coach in Spain (Valencia), England (Wolves) and Saudi Arabia (Al-Ittihad).

The 38-year-old Cathro had already packed a lot into his career, with a spell at Newcastle United as assistant first to Steve McClaren then Rafael Benitez also on his CV, but his only venture as a first-team manager had not ended well. Cathro became the youngest ever manager in the Scottish top flight when hired by Hearts, but lasted little more than half a season.

Tough start

Cathro and a raft of new arrivals had it all to prove and things did not begin well. Just one victory in the opening nine games of the season, culminating in a chastening Portuguese Cup exit against 4th-tier Lusitano de Évora, led to Estoril fans waving white handkerchiefs at Cathro and multiple reports that the manager was on borrowed time, with Estoril just one point and one place above the relegation zone.

The Board backed him though, and the very next match provided relief with a 4-1 hammering of Arouca at home. Although performances were improving, aided by switching to a three-at-the-back system with wingbacks, another iffy run of results – one win in six – saw Estoril still flirting dangerously with the drop zone.

Spectacular turnaround

Those worries proved unfounded. The turn of the year marked a magnificent period of form for Estoril, winning six and drawing one of seven matches in January and February. Although victories were not so plentiful until the end of the season, the performance level rarely dropped, with Estoril impressing even against champions Sporting at Alvalade and in narrow defeats against Porto and Benfica at Amoreira.

Individual report card

Several players have significantly enhanced their reputations at Estoril this season. Player of the season is a toss-up between seasoned midfielders João Carvalho and Jordan Holsgrove. Former Benfica youth player Carvalho has been Estoril’s creative hub, his technical proficiency and clever passing the key to opening up the opposition on numerous occasions, while Holsgrove’s consistency, finely tuned positional sense and top-class delivery from dead-ball situations have been invaluable.

Midfield anchor-man Xeka was also a vital cog in Estoril’s midfield until an unfortunate injury cut short his season.

At the back, Kévin Boma (pictured dueling with Porto striker Samu) is another serious candidate for Estoril’s best player this season. The scouting department did a marvellous job picking up the tall centre-back from the French lower leagues. A full Togo international, Boma is an outstanding prospect with a huge future in front of him and the 22-year-old is likely to earn the Canarinhos a massive transfer windfall when a bigger club inevitably comes in for him. Right wing-back Wagner Pina has progressed nicely after a promising debut season last year and is another gem Estoril will do well to hold onto and who could fill the club’s coffers when he departs.

Captain Pedro Álvaro has had an extremely solid season, alongside Austrian centre-back Felix Bacher, who was unspectacular but rarely put a foot wrong, making up the usual trio of defenders with Boma. Left wing-back Pedro Amaral likewise enjoyed a positive season.

Up front the goals have been shared around three young forwards with Cathro rotating between Venezuelan marksman and top scorer Alejandro Marqués, Moroccan striker Yanis Begraoui and Portuguese centre-forward André Lacximicant. It is credit to Cathro and his coaching staff that all three players have shown signs of significant improvement over the season, with no apparent discontent about limited playing time in a team that almost always has just one striker on the pitch.

Other players who deserve a mention include Rafik Guitane, who returned from Braga in January, and midfielders Vinícius Zanocelo and Jandro Orellana, all of whom have had their moments and made important contributions.

Towards end of season rookie right-back Pedro Carvalho and midfielder Tiago Brito, both promoted from the U23 team, showed plenty of promise when given their chance.

Exciting future

The Estoril hierarchy deserve credit for sticking with Ian Cathro when results were bad. Patience is in short supply in the boardrooms of Portugal’s top-flight clubs. Only four teams ended the 2024/25 season with the same manager they started it with, and several teams changed the man in the dugout multiple times.

This stability, alongside the competence shown by the coaching team, backroom staff and the players, sees Estoril in a good place right now. Should Ian Cathro stick around –  and his frequent references to building on what has already been achieved suggests he will – and if the club can keep hold of most of the above-mentioned players, the outlook is bright for the Yellow and Blues.

Ian Cathro has talked throughout the season about changing the mentality at Estoril Praia, whereby the season’s goals must be far more ambitious than simply surviving in Portugal’s top division. On the back of a campaign where the steady and constant improvement, both collectively and individually, has been wonderful to watch, Estoril fans will surely start next season sharing their coach’s expectations of a highly competitive team continuing to move in the right direction in 2025/26.