Pepê hails team spirit as the key to FC Porto’s success | OneFootball

The evolution of FC Porto from one season to the next is evident. The Dragons lead the championship, have secured a spot in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, and are in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup. Pepê participated in this transition and, in a conversation with Betano, explains the changes in the club, highlighting, however, that adjusting to the intense style of Francesco Farioli was not a simple task, at least initially.

“The most important thing, without a doubt, is the unity this group has. It’s what we all want: always more. I think that was fundamental for us to be following this path, which is being incredible. No player is complacent. We are always wanting to seek more, to improve, to pursue more results, more games, more victories and, consequently, to continue on this path.”

“This unity is fundamental for me to return to playing the football I’ve always had, which is always joyful, always playful, always having fun on the field. Not just me, but everyone else too. We came from a very tough, very difficult season, and I think we needed this, this unity, this collaboration with each other, always wanting to help and motivate more and more, so we can be at our best level.”

“I knew I needed to be the Pepê I’ve always been. Last season I ended up losing sight of what my essence was, especially on the field. That was one of the factors for my lower performance. I knew I needed to focus on what I had to do, on what I’ve always been, because if I was like that, with a calm, clear, and joyful mind, doing what I love so much, I could be helping my teammates in the way I am now.”

Demand placed by Farioli

“It’s that desire for more. He’s a coach who doesn’t let us get complacent, doesn’t let us be satisfied with a positive result or a good training session. He always wants us to seek improvement, to be at our highest level. And I think that’s very important for each of us to strive for that: to continually perfect our qualities. This has been shown game after game and is fundamental for us to continue growing more and more.”

“The start was a bit difficult, with that high intensity throughout the game. At first, I confess it was complicated, but we see that the results are very positive and all this effort was well worth it. And it’s also very worthwhile because every day we strive to perfect and improve these aspects more and more.”

“As I said at the beginning: I think this unity that we all have here with each other, including the fans, is fundamental. We feel them getting closer to us and that’s important for us to want more and to always be at the highest level. We always want to help our teammates and be able to live up to what the fans expect. This unity is the main factor we have to continue achieving these great results.”

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