Farioli: “Alverca? We’re at a slight disadvantage…” | OneFootball

After winning the Super Cup with a 1-0 victory, FC Porto, the national champions, begin their title defense in the league this Sunday against Alverca at their stadium. Francesco Farioli, the Dragons’ coach, previewed the match during the pre-game press conference.

Expectations for the match: «Tomorrow there is a lot of excitement for the start of the season. Being back with our fans will be motivating. The fans will do the rest. As for Alverca, we had the chance to study them since the coaching change. It’s a team we know well, we faced them several times last season. They combine good organization with a good spirit since the arrival of the new coach. They play in a more positive way, try to win the ball back high up the pitch and build under pressure. We expect them to play like that. They have players with interesting technical and physical qualities. We have to be prepared and we’ve worked well for that»

Unavailable players: «As for injuries, tomorrow we’ll be without Oskar Pietuszewski and Alberto Costa. Oskar has a muscle problem and Alberto took a knock that is still causing some issues. They have different timelines for returning. Bednarek has recovered well and will be available»

Rest given two days before the match: «It’s something we thought about last season. We want our own way of managing the team. We had two days of very hard work for everyone and we believe there should be peaks during the week and moments of reduced load. That’s how we build our week. We had good energy in training today and we are very focused, connected, with good emotion and ambition. It’s the only way to get the results we want.»

Transfer market and calmness in the role: «The market is always a big puzzle. There are many pieces that are going to move. It’s a game of chess, where we have to be alert to every move. I believe that 95 percent of the players we have will choose to stay here. Some may have the desire for more experience and minutes. As for what we can bring in, I think we are working with commitment and attention to maintain our level of ambition and remain competitive in domestic competitions and ready for the Champions League. We still have a lot to do. We are ready to start.»

Alverca’s coach knowing Porto well: «It’s normal that when someone leaves your home and becomes a rival there is always some disadvantage, but that’s part of football. It is what it is. One day we are on the same side, the next we face each other. The most important thing for us is to perform well. If we are respectful, pay attention to the details, I believe we have the ability to overcome any disadvantage. The focus has to be on our side, on our preparation and our strategy.»

Rodrigo Mora’s situation: «I’m very honest. I’ve only had one player come to me asking to leave, someone who came directly to me. Rodrigo was not that player. I’m not here to talk about individual scenarios. In the end, the reality is that we have a game tomorrow. I know that the market, at this moment, can be destructive, because some players think about different destinations. Whoever stays knows they will have opportunities in all the competitions we have. When you are at FC Porto, there is nothing bigger than FC Porto, its interests and its fans.»

Does the team need to be less predictable? «I said we have things to improve, not to change. I think it’s natural, over a season, to have things to improve and to have certain characteristics in certain positions. In this morning’s meeting there was the right level of alertness in our minds, especially because there is the market and the pressure from social media. I remember that last season, when we lost our first game, against Nottingham Forest, there were two or three articles describing us as a catastrophic team, unable to play, with several problems. I’m a person who is open to criticism, demanding of myself. When I’m not able to do it, I have a coaching staff that does. We are hard on ourselves. Having a season like the one we had, with 34 games and 28 wins, does not happen by chance, it comes from consistency, the ability to overcome difficult moments, sometimes without being perfect, but still believing in what we do. That is what I demand from the players: to believe in what gives us so much.»

Recovery of Samu: «We have a forecast, but we are still at an early stage to consider him an option, unfortunately.»

André Silva compared with Deniz Gul: «They are two different players. André is mature, experienced, a player who was born and raised here. He had a fantastic career at several clubs and decided to come back home. He arrived with humility and put himself at the service of the team. He is curious about everything we do. It has happened several times that, after training, he asks what more he could do to improve. That is something special when you are talking about someone with his experience, with so much knowledge of the game. He is a mobile player, with presence in the box, and someone who knows how to be the team’s trigger to start the press. As for Deniz, we have a player who doesn’t even know how good he can be. Powerful, very fast, technically gifted. He has to find consistency and his way of contributing to the team. His potential is massive, he is a great lad who wants to work. He got injured last season and was one of the main characters in our title win.»

The value of starting with a win: «It would be extraordinary. In this morning’s meeting, one of the topics was, I don’t know if you know the expression, “burn the boat”*. People who crossed the ocean to go to America and, when they got there, burned the boat. That has to be our spirit, our desire. What is done is done, and we have to stop comparisons with last season. This morning we burned the boat. We are not comparing ourselves with last season. Our feet have to be on the ground to go after what is in front of us and explore all the possibilities the season will give us. We have no intention of looking back, only forward.»

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