João Brandão: Wanted the win, but pleased with players' progress | OneFootball

The match between FC Porto B and UD Oliveirense ended in a goalless draw (0-0). João Brandão highlighted “a dominant, controlling FC Porto that created opportunities,” praised “a very cohesive defensive block,” and admitted that “some things were lacking offensively, namely effectiveness.”

“In such a balanced and tightly contested game, it’s important to be effective with the few chances you get,” explained the coach, satisfied because “the players didn’t shy away from the fight and faced the challenge as they should,” even when playing with fewer men after André Oliveira had to leave due to injury.

Unawarded penalty“It was a tough game in a challenging week of preparation. That became evident throughout the match, in the way we had to manage the minutes for Gonçalo Sousa and Tiago Andrade. Some players felt limited and we had many difficulties preparing for this game, but the players didn’t shy away from the fight and faced the challenge as they should, in true Porto fashion. Obviously, we were missing some things offensively, especially effectiveness, because in such a balanced and closed game it’s important to be effective with the few chances you create. Today we couldn’t be, but we were always a very cohesive defensive unit and it was very difficult for Oliveirense to find space within our block. It was a dominant, controlling FC Porto that created opportunities, but it’s hard not to mention that last play…”

André Oliveira’s injury“The players never shied away from the fight and tried to win, even with 10 men. We formed a cohesive block, with two lines of four and Melnichenka up front, and we recovered two balls where we could have created more down the right wing. Even with 10, we managed to keep the game in the opponent’s half, it’s a shame we couldn’t finish our chances and it’s also a shame about André Oliveira’s injury, which we’ll now have to assess. We really wanted to win this game because of the absences we have, not just André Miranda, but also Brayan Caicedo, Martim Cunha, and Yoan Pereira, who are players we miss. I wish all of them a speedy recovery and I hope André Oliveira’s injury isn’t what we all fear it might be. The players went after the game and wanted to fight, but it’s a shame we couldn’t finish the chances we created.”

From last to sixth place“It has been a big challenge to prepare for each game and help these young players grow. This week is an example of that. I want to say a word for the under-17 players, like Tcherno Jamanca and João Brito, who have been working with us to adapt to the environment and demands of professional football. I also want to mention the great victory of the under-19s, with a very strong spirit from the players who belong to the B team, who didn’t go to the under-19s just to fill minutes, but to add value and bring a very strong spirit. Other players, like Gonçalo Sousa, Tiago Andrade, and Gabriel Brás, were called up to the A team, and that creates a big challenge in preparing for the game. That is also the purpose of the B team and we are very satisfied with our position in the standings. We want more, we wanted to win this game, but we are also very pleased with what each of the players is building.”

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