Bednarek: FC Porto’s success down to trust in Farioli’s ideas | OneFootball

Bednarek admits the charm of the first few months in those colors. In an interview with the Polish Football Federation's website, during a conversation with the other two Polish players in the Porto squad, the defender detailed curiosities about Francesco Farioli's methods and confided that the culture of demand in Invicta surprised him.

Before addressing the tactical component, the Polish international highlighted the fans' dedication and the club's care for its history. "I had no idea, before coming, of the 'religion' that the club is for the locals. They live it intensely," he began by stating, praising the aura surrounding the institution.

"The successes with Mourinho, the Champions League... the club takes great care of its history. When we arrive at the stadium, we pass through that tunnel with photos of the legends. We want to be there one day, holding a trophy. The training center also bears Jorge Costa's name, which shows the care for those who have served the club," he highlighted.

The core of Bednarek's intervention focused, however, on the work of coach Francesco Farioli. The defender explained some of the automatisms the coach introduced that justify the defensive cohesion observed this season.

"There are many details, the coach focuses a lot on that. For me, it was new to treat ball distribution like a set piece. It's interesting," he revealed. The low number of goals conceded, he added, results from the team's solidarity: "Our offensive players have many defensive tasks, so we concede few goals. It's harder to beat 11 players than seven or eight."

Interestingly, the emphasis in training is not predominantly defensive. "In training, perhaps 30% is defense and 70% attack, but the system requires a lot of attention to interdependencies. The automatisms are already appearing," he explained.

Regarding match preparation, Bednarek praised the precision of the information presented: "The coach shows us tactical animations on a touch screen and then, in the game, it happens exactly the same. It's incredible. The team fully trusts his ideas."

On the reason for his signing, the player emphasized the leadership profile: "They did their research, they knew what I could offer. I try to help everyone, I speak loudly, I give instructions. At the start of the season, we didn't focus on trophy promises, but on working hard to show the fans that we are a good team. We have a mix of youth and experience. We've shown that we are a team that can handle pressure."

As for strategy, the defender explained that the team feels comfortable when the opponent advances on the field. "At the start of the season, teams pressed us more, and it's easier for us that way because we find spaces. We try to 'invite' the pressure to then exploit the free space. If the opponent is closed, we have to play long or circulate more," he analyzed.

When asked about aspects to improve, he pointed to the final third as a priority. "Sometimes we lack patience, we want to resolve the play too quickly. As a defender, if a forward makes a move and doesn't receive the ball, by the second or third time, my concentration might drop. We need to have that calm to tire the opponent," he warned, reinforcing that the squad has "a lot of quality up front to finish better."

Set pieces, however, prove to be a well-tuned weapon at Olival, with "about 15 offensive variants" regularly rehearsed. "We dedicate a lot of time to that and it pays off. In England, they said that 25% of goals came from set pieces. We are at 23% this season. We need to improve to reach 25%," he concluded, laughing.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.