Farioli on Porto v Arouca penalty: No debate over red and green | OneFootball

In physical terms, how is the team? Is there room to manage the players' usage in this match? “Physically, we are very well. At the best moment of the season. Two days ago, I shared with the players that in the 37 games we played, we always ran more than the opponent. Against Arouca, it was the biggest game in terms of volume, the previous one in terms of intensity. In that regard, I have no fear that we will be ready to challenge them on the field and, if necessary, off it. That alone is not enough to win, but it is a condition to stay close.”

Substitutions usually occur around the 60th minute – about 75% of the time. Is there a tendency to stick to the plan or adapt according to the game? “If you look at the past, I am very analytical in these situations. If you want to reach a point where you have physical availability… I’ve already said that I like to train 24 or 25 players who are at a good level. And we are where we are today because the players connected with our short and long-term plan. They know how we think and that everyone will have decisive roles. I am grateful to have players for different positions. An example is Gabri and Rodrigo. Oskar is from 2008, adapting to a different reality. If I take them out at 60 minutes, it doesn’t mean they didn’t have the energy to finish the games. It’s what I believe, and you saw that William came in and was decisive. But the game sometimes forces changes, an injury, a problem… But I like to go into the field with a vision of different scenarios.”

Do you understand why the controversy was raised by the opponents regarding the penalty awarded against Arouca? “About the penalty, there is no doubt it was a foul. The good replay images are clear, Fofana is kicking, and there is contact, the referee is two meters away and saw what he saw, heard the sound of the contact. There is no discussion. But we are in a week where it is good to prepare for different scenarios. The mix of red and green came together… There is no controversy, it’s part of the game. We accept it. If we talked about everything that happened this season, it would be an entire conference.”

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