Daniel Chaves: “We need to keep our feet firmly on the ground” | OneFootball

The debut of the women’s team in the National Second Division is imminent (Saturday, 3:00 pm) and Daniel Chaves demands that the players “keep their feet firmly on the ground” in order to achieve “a victory” and deliver “a good game” in Santo Tirso. The coach, in agreement with Ema Gonçalves, described the squad as “ready and eager to start,” determined “to evolve” and “make their mark” right from the beginning, as well as wanting “to win for FC Porto.”

Daniel Chaves

The goal for the debut“Above all, a victory with a good performance from our side, a controlled game with plenty of attacks on the opponent’s goal and without conceding any goals.”

The opponentThe coach emphasizes that both Tirsense and the other teams in this first phase will be demanding opponents, in a particularly competitive second division. “Both Tirsense and the other matches we’ll have in this first phase will be tough because this is clearly a very competitive second division and Tirsense is no exception. We know Tirsense partly from last year, they have many players who were already there, we faced the team twice, so we also know in part what we’re looking for and what we can exploit.”

Pre-seasonAssessing the preparation, he acknowledged that there were setbacks that delayed the integration of the squad’s new additions and, for that reason, the team won’t be at its best right from the first match. “Above all, we want to create those routines with the players who have arrived. It was a pre-season with some setbacks, which delayed us a bit in developing a stronger collective. We won’t be at our best, obviously, in the first match and certainly not in the second either. The goal is to consolidate our ideas, our process, and try to be as competitive as possible in every game.”

Game by gameChaves calls for prudence among the team and fans, highlighting the ambition of the teams relegated from the first division and the recent bigger budget investments by some clubs. “We need to keep our feet firmly on the ground, both internally and among the fans. It’s really going to be a very competitive second division, especially because of the teams coming down from the first division. There will be a clear focus from them on returning to the top division. We also have some teams investing more than in recent years in terms of budget and squad quality. We hope the fans get used to our victories, but not necessarily by such wide margins.”

Ema Gonçalves

Full focus on the start of the championship“We’re ready to start. Clearly, we’re not at our best yet, because the first game is coming up and maybe only later on will we be at our best, always evolving. Tirsense won’t be at their best either, certainly, but we’re ready and eager to start and to bring the three points home. It’s important to make our mark, show that we want to play and, above all, win for FC Porto.”

TirsenseEma recalls last season’s encounter, but believes little can be carried over to this year due to differences between the squads and the divisions they competed in. “We already faced them last year, but I don’t think it translates to this year, because we were in the third division, we had a very different team. This year we have many new players, they’ll certainly have their reinforcements too, but last year we went there and won, and I hope it’s the same this year.”

The role of captainRegarding her role as captain, she feels that leadership comes naturally to her. “I think it’s something that’s already inherent in my personality. I always give my all in everything I do in my daily life, so it’s just a matter of coming here and being myself.”

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