Farioli on Porto’s line-up: Focus is on Arouca, not the derby | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli spoke to Sport TV about the match against Red Star, expressing confidence in the players who will take the field this Thursday. The starting lineup of the Dragons underwent a significant change, which the coach attributed more to the fatigue from the game against Arouca than to the pressure of the classic against Benfica. He also had words for Ángel Alarcón and for Zaidu.

Rotation in the starting lineup: “It’s normal… We managed the squad because we’ve had clear weeks, but not now, things are tighter. I already did this at Ajax. I really believe in fresh energy, fresh legs, and of course, we have to protect the players a bit… Besides, I really believe in the group and in what the players are doing. And mind you, there are several players who have already started several games as starters.”

Looking two to three games ahead: “At all clubs that play in European competitions, with a schedule of over 50 games per season, we have to look at that. We’re only thinking about this game and nothing else, but we have to protect the players and keep them as fresh as possible.”

Bednarek’s continuity: “It’s a balance of everything. We have to see how the game goes… We have our plan, unfortunately with Nehuén’s injury things aren’t as we wanted at the back. And that’s why he will play.”

What to expect from Red Star: “They have a fantastic history, they are the biggest club in their country. They will surely be very competitive, and we will have to be prepared.”

Are the choices influenced by Benfica: “It’s not about the next opponent, it’s more about Monday’s game. Playing with 10 men for a while is difficult for everyone… For us, the focus is this, it’s this game, how we want to implement our game successfully. This Europa League format doesn’t give many opportunities to drop points and even goals are important. We have to be ready to fight from the first to the last minute.”

Fear of losing identity: “I don’t know if it’s easy to name the key players… In the last few games we’ve even had great contributions from players who have come in, I think it’s a good balance between all these factors. Alarcón wasn’t giving everything when I started here, now he’s changed, he’s lost two or three kilos.”

Internal message: “Yes. What we’re achieving now isn’t because of one or two players, it’s because of the collective spirit. There’s that fantastic image of the 1-0 in Salzburg, but for me even better was the 4-0 for Zaidu’s goal. The whole bench ran 80 meters to be with him, to be with him after the injury he had. You have to work with this passion.”

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