Farioli left his mark at Ajax, debunking FC Porto coach’s ‘weak spot’ | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli left his mark on Ajax, and the idea that the Dutch club would be a weak point in the current FC Porto coach’s career does not stand up to the most recent facts.

In the 2024/25 season, Farioli restored competitiveness to a team coming from a very difficult situation. Ajax finished second in the Eredivisie and secured qualification for the Champions League league phase after coming very close to winning the title. The Amsterdam side even led the championship by nine points with five matches remaining, but a poor run allowed PSV to come back.

Despite that outcome, the Italian coach’s spell was widely seen as a period of sporting recovery and competitive rebuilding. The team returned to challenging at the top and regained domestic prominence, something that was far from guaranteed when Farioli took charge.

Meanwhile, Ajax’s subsequent progress helped reinforce that view. In the months following the coach’s departure, references to the positive impact left by Farioli grew in the Netherlands, both because of his tactical work and his ability to restore identity and competitive ambition to the club. So much so that, at this moment, Ajax sit 4th in the table, level on points with 5th-placed Twente. League leaders PSV are 23 points ahead of Ajax.

At FC Porto, Farioli therefore continues to carry a track record that, even without the title in Amsterdam, enhanced his reputation. More than an “Achilles heel,” the Ajax experience now appears as proof that the coach managed to put a historic European club back in the fight for the main objectives.

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