Franclim Carvalho did not hide the size of the job at SC Braga. Speaking to A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese, he said: "The squad is very large for what I like," and explained that the heavy run of games has forced him to keep managing players physically.
In the four matches he has overseen, only Adrian Bajrami has not played among the outfield players, with Sikou Niakaté excluded because he is injured. Bernardo Fontes, Víctor Gómez and Ricardo Horta have started all four games under the new coach.
Braga's rotation under Carvalho
Carvalho's first four matches have already covered Gent, Nacional, Famalicão in the Allianz Cup quarter-finals, and Famalicão in the league. That is enough to show why the rotation has been so widespread. Braga have had European and domestic fixtures in the same stretch, and Carvalho said he has to keep players fresh because his teams are expected to run a lot.
The numbers back up how quickly he has settled on a core. Bajrami has made 9 appearances across all competitions in 2026, so this is not a case of a player being absent from the wider season plans. He has also logged 418 Primeira Liga minutes this year, while Bernardo Fontes already has 10 league appearances and has been one of the constants in goal.
The squad depth problem
Carvalho's point is less about one omission than about the shape of the squad. A coach who wants high work rates and repeated intensity will reach for fresh legs quickly when the calendar tightens, and Braga are already there after only four games in charge.
That leaves Bajrami as the one outfield player yet to appear under him, while Niakaté is sidelined by injury. The rotation has not been random, though. The same names keep coming back, and Braga will go into the next block of fixtures with Carvalho already using a long list of players rather than a settled XI.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
