Jorge Jesus's imprint has begun to show quickly with the Portugal national team, after Vitinha, the Paris Saint-Germain star, praised the changes brought about by the new coach and confirmed the work had started to bear fruit on the pitch.
Back in the starting line-up against Denmark, Vitinha produced one of his best matches in a Portugal shirt. He headed home a Bruno Fernandes cross for his first international goal in the second half, in a game where his passing accuracy hit 90%.
Vitinha told "RTP" after the match: "The coach's work has begun to bear fruit, and this is plain to see. I think I was very clear, and fortunately things are going well. This is the way we want to continue."
He had a message for the Portuguese fans, too, in comments carried by the Spanish newspaper "Marca": "If the Dragão stadium is completely full and we beat Norway 4-0, that would be perfect."
On the mood within the camp after the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo, Vitinha explained: "We tried to focus on the match and we succeeded in that. We put in a great performance, and I congratulate the whole team. Morale is very high, and when it is this strong, winning becomes closer even if things do not go technically as required."
Gonçalo Ramos, meanwhile, carried on proving he can cover for Ronaldo's absence. He scored one and set up another against Denmark to take his tally to 13 international goals, a rate of one every 94 minutes.
Ramos said: "It is always good to score, contribute and create goals, but the most important thing is to win. We all have high quality, the coach has many options, and I am happy to strengthen my place in the team."
The Portugal forward also praised his new coach, insisting the players now understood their roles far more clearly: "Jesus is a valuable addition, and we have come to understand the game better. We know the position of every player, defensively and offensively, and that showed in today's match and the recent matches."
He signed off: "We are improving day by day, and this is an ongoing process. I love playing this way because it suits my style, and winning the ball back in dangerous areas always brings us closer to scoring and creating chances."