António Neto: “I think the team is really united, very confident” | OneFootball

Top of the Northern Series with 12 points after five matchdays, FC Porto’s under-19s host Rio Ave in Pedroso on Saturday at 3pm in round six. José João expects a test of adaptability against an organized team, while António Neto is targeting another three points with confidence and focus. Describing a united group, the midfielder said: “I think the team is very united, very confident, and we are a great team.”

The Estádio de Pedroso is preparing to welcome an FC Porto side looking to extend its strong start to the season without giving up its high standards. José João, head coach of FC Porto’s under-19s, put player development at the heart of his message at a time when the team is balancing domestic and international challenges while staying connected to the B team. Admission is free for members with their August dues paid up.

Asked about Rio Ave, José João did not treat the opponent as a formality. The coach highlighted the Vila do Conde side’s defensive solidity and variety of solutions, demanding constant reading of the game throughout the 90 minutes.

“They are a difficult opponent, who in five games have conceded only four goals and have shown various ways of defending throughout the championship, which will require great adaptability during the game. It is a team that presents different systems, different structures in the way it defends, and now it is up to my players to be ready to adapt and to understand how they can be at their best so that we can attack, find spaces, and be consistent throughout the game,” he said. “so that we can get another three points.”

From the coach’s perspective, the challenge lies in finding spaces without losing consistency. The ambition is clear, but it requires a team capable of responding to the different situations the game may present.

Home advantage is seen as a clear asset, though without changing the competitive standard José João wants from his team. In Pedroso, the objective remains tied to winning and asserting a style of play.

“Of course, playing at home is always an advantage. It is our home, our pitch, our grass, our dressing room. Even so, our ambition does not change whether we play at home or away, because our purpose is always to win,” he stressed. “We really want to win, show our idea, and demonstrate our commitment to the Club so that we can keep improving and help our players develop. Our commitment to player development is to help them improve so that they can have a future within FC Porto.”

More than the comfort of playing on home soil, the message points to an ambition that does not vary depending on the stage. The result and the players’ growth therefore appear linked by the same level of demand.

On the start of the season, José João valued the way the group has absorbed the ideas and dealt with a packed competitive schedule. The connection to the B team is presented as part of a pathway of progression to higher levels.

“The work has been going well, the team has absorbed the ideas well, we have had a very high competitive workload, with national and international matches, always with this interconnection with the B team so that we can project more players to higher levels and so that they understand the level of demand above them is high. We have been in great harmony and the team has understood our ideas well, so we feel it is capable of giving another positive response this weekend.”

The coach sees signs of alignment between the daily work and the team’s response in competition. Confidence ahead of the match against Rio Ave comes from that understanding and from the demands the group has faced.

From the players’ side, António Neto expects a match in which FC Porto should control most of the possession, but he rejects any excess confidence. The priority is to turn that expected dominance into victory.

“It will be a game in which we will have most of the possession, but we have to do everything we can to get the win. We always have to keep our feet on the ground and go into the game with the confidence we bring into every match.”

The midfielder thus draws the line between confidence and caution. The desire to claim another three points does not remove the need for concentration from the very start.

In preparation for round six, António Neto described a week marked by intensity and focus. The team goes into the match backed by the work done in training.

“It was a very good week, we always worked with great focus, with a lot of intensity in training and maximum concentration.”

That daily commitment is what the midfielder takes into the match in Pedroso. In a group that wants to be competitive, intensity emerges as a defining feature of the preparation.

When speaking about the dressing room, António Neto summed up the team atmosphere in one direct sentence. Unity and confidence are, for the midfielder, the foundations for taking on another round.

“I think the team is very united, very confident, and we are a great team.”

The final picture is of a team confident in its path, but aware that it will have to prove it on the pitch. Against Rio Ave, FC Porto’s under-19s are looking to continue delivering the response their coach expects.

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