Farioli confirms one absentee, “There were loads of calls for him…” | OneFootball

What can we expect from Rio Ave? “One of the teams that kept the same coach from last season. In the friendlies and also in their last match against Gil Vicente, we saw some changes compared to the past, some adjustments at certain moments, a bit more aggression. It’s a team that can press in different ways. Sometimes with just a striker and a wing-back, other times with a number 9 and a number 10, and on other occasions, a bit similar to what Klopp’s Liverpool used to do, like with a 3-3; at other moments, in a man-to-man setup. So, it’s a team that is adding variability. There is continuity in the work, players with quality and, of course, it is never easy to go there and play. It’s a difficult ground; last season, we had a very strong start, but then, in the middle part of the game, we dropped our level and gave away some chances. So, full attention, full commitment and the desire to keep moving forward on our journey.”

Looking at the injury report, we have eight players listed. Can you explain the situations of Alan Varela, André Silva and Alberto? And regarding Deniz Gul, the potential is there, but why has he still not emerged? “Alan will not be part of the match. He is still working with the physiotherapist, he has worked tremendously hard to recover, but he still has too much pain in his foot, so he will be left out. André was out on the pitch today and that was positive, so I believe he will be part of the match. The same goes for Alberto. Oskar, Samu and Cláudio are still working separately. On the subject of Deniz, I think I have already used enough words to emphasise my belief in the player. Of course, as a number 9, judgment is often based only on numbers and statistics. He is a player who needs to achieve a certain consistency and gain regularity in his performances in order to maintain a certain level, and that is what he needs to truly take the next step. But he is a player we like very much, I like him a lot. This summer I received a thousand calls about him, from clubs or directors who were curious to know what our plans were, because, from what I understood, I am not the only one who rates him highly and, honestly, I have great faith in him.”

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