Farioli on trip to Rio Ave: “They’re versatile, it won’t be easy” | OneFootball

FC Porto coach Francesco Farioli will speak from 12:45pm about the trip to Rio Ave. The Dragons visit the Vila do Conde side in the second round of the Primeira Liga, after beating Alverca at the Estádio do Dragão.

“Rio Ave? They are one of the teams that have kept the same coach. They finished last season very strongly, in mid-table, with no relegation worries. They did a good job. We watched some of their pre-season matches and against Gil Vicente we saw a few changes. They can press in different ways, with a winger and a striker, or with a number 10 and a striker, or with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool-style 3+3 press. It is a team with variety and it will not be easy to play there. We have to be very attentive and committed to continue our journey.”

“Medical update? Alan Varela is out, he is still in a lot of pain. André Silva has already trained and I think he will be in the match, just like Alberto. Cláudio Ramos is still recovering and we are waiting for him.”

“Deniz Gul? I continue to stress his qualities. He is a number 9 and players in that role are judged by the numbers. He has to gain a certain consistency in the way he plays, because he needs that to move up a level. But I like him a lot. This summer I honestly had a thousand calls about him, from clubs and directors who wanted to know his situation. I have a lot of faith in him.”

“Rodrigo Mora’s future? There is no news about Rodrigo, but there is none about other situations either. It is always like that. In the summer market, and even more so in January... It is absolutely normal and requires great professionalism from all parties involved. Coaches have to be sensitive to all topics. After that, what matters are the contracts and certain conditions... For me, it was a week full of news, information, details. But it is a lot of noise and nothing more than that. Rodrigo is very professional. He is young, but with strong experience on his shoulders to deal with all this noise. He is a big FC Porto fan and he is a player. There is no doubt that we will use him for as long as he is an FC Porto player. I understand your need to have more information. Maybe we will have to arrange a meeting in the middle of the week. But tomorrow we have a match and a lot to prepare. My focus is on the game because winning is the most important thing.”

“Hwang In-Beom? He is a player with great versatility, very intelligent. He is a bit like Pablo (Rosario). He has already played as an 8, a 6 and even a 10. Well, Pablo plays in three more positions. But Hwang covers the whole midfield and is an important option.”

“André Miranda? He got injured in March and is still recovering.”

“VAR decisions in the match against Alverca? VAR came in to help, because there are many things that are difficult to see in the moment. So it is good to have help from outside, because it is hard to see in the moment.”

“Leadership? If we let ourselves get carried away by euphoria in mid-August, we are going to have problems. Matches are only over when they are over. Teams are very well organised and can cause us problems in various ways, even from set pieces. So we have to stay focused to keep winning like last season.”

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