Carvalhal’s own philosophy has evolved over the course of his two decades in management, working in Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. But do English footballers – Championship-level footballers – really have the capacity to grasp his highly intellectual tactical concepts? “Yeah,” he replies. “Because ideas are very simple. The theory can be complicated. But the practice, very simple. Just play football. If you are a writer, you must write. It’s the best way to practise. If I’m a pianist, I don’t need to run in the forest for one hour or two hours to be a good pianist. I must play piano. So this is what we are doing all the time. Play football. Simple ideas.”