Helton: “André Villas-Boas left many sessions to Vítor Pereira at Porto” | OneFootball

Helton, who worked with both at the Dragão, began by identifying the differences between the two coaches, highlighting the more technical side of Vítor Pereira, who currently manages the English side.

“He had more technical knowledge, was more focused on drills and practice,” he said, in contrast to Villas-Boas, now Porto’s president, who, in his view, stood out above all for his leadership: “He had what, for me, is most important: managing people. He controlled the dressing room like no one else.”

The former Brazil international also recalled the dynamic within the coaching staff, confirming that Villas-Boas had often delegated tasks to his assistant.

“It’s true that many training sessions were delegated to Vítor Pereira, because of the trust in him and the knowledge he already had,” he explained, stressing that those skills ended up underpinning the development of Nottingham Forest’s current manager.

When asked which of the two helped him improve more, Helton refused to make comparisons, underlining that both contributed to his development.

“There’s no difference in terms of development. I think I was able to grow under both of them within their approaches,” he said, adding that factors such as the dressing room, the players and the way of working always influence individual and collective performance.

On Vítor Pereira’s career path, Helton said the Portuguese coach has quality and experience, but avoided talking about a possible move into executive roles.

“That depends on whether he wants to. He certainly doesn’t lack quality or knowledge, but I don’t believe he wants to go through that kind of adventure,” he said.

As for André Villas-Boas, he suggested that Porto’s current president still has characteristics that could take him back to the bench, especially in terms of leadership and group management, though without elaborating on any scenarios.

Regarding the tie, Helton stressed the importance of the first-leg match at the Estádio do Dragão, considering it could be decisive for Porto’s ambitions.

“Every match is crucial, especially at the Dragão,” he said, acknowledging the ‘Dragons’’ historical difficulties in England, but expressing confidence that the team can “make the difference” and fight for a place in the Europa League semi-finals.

FC Porto host Nottingham Forest on Thursday from 20:00 in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, in a match played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.

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