Bruno Alves hails Villas-Boas: “Everything comes at the right time” | OneFootball

Bruno Alves stated on Monday night that he believes FC Porto appears to have regained its winning ways after a season to forget. Speaking in the mixed zone at Estádio José de Alvalade, following the match between Portuguese legends and the rest of the world, the former defender praised the squad reorganization carried out by André Villas-Boas and highlighted the defensive solidity implemented by Francesco Farioli.

“My first impression is that the FC Porto team doesn’t defend only with the defense. The whole team defends together. I think it’s a team that is shaped to defend and attack as one. You can see a very strong collective. The center-backs are the complement of all this. That’s where the actions end. They have maintained a very low average of goals conceded and are being competent by not conceding goals and helping the team win,” Bruno Alves began, showing his enthusiasm for FC Porto’s first matches in this new 2025/26 season.

“Everything comes at the right time. After a year of experiences and lessons, the president knew how to organize himself and understand what needed to be done. I think, above all, he brought in other players who are connected with this coach and this president. That’s important, because football is made of human relationships and connections. FC Porto has that. They taught the players who came to FC Porto: what the club’s identity is, what the behavior should be, and what the attitude should be. That’s what I’ve liked most about watching this FC Porto team. The ambition, the desire, honoring the shirt, and making the club a champion. You can see and feel it from the outside,” concluded the former international.

However, not everything is peaceful at the Dragão. Despite a season start with five wins in five matches, Francesco Farioli is going through the most complicated period since taking over as FC Porto’s head coach. The 36-year-old Italian manager has seen the squad affected by a wave of injuries, especially in defense.

Nehuén Pérez suffered a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon and underwent surgery, and is expected to miss the rest of the season that has just begun.

Alberto Costa and Martim Fernandes are also still recovering from physical problems, as are William Gomes and Luuk de Jong.

The team has already started preparing for the trip to Rio Ave, scheduled for Friday, and in Monday’s training session Farioli gave additional rest to Diogo Costa, Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior, Alan Varela, Eustáquio, Victor Froholdt, and Rodrigo Mora, who had represented their respective national teams during the international break.

It should be noted that FC Porto has five wins from five games in this new season, including the victory over Sporting at Estádio José de Alvalade. The Dragons lead the league with 15 points, three points ahead of Sporting, who are second, and five points ahead of Benfica, who are in sixth place with a game in hand.

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