Farioli's Ajax work buries the FC Porto boss's 'weak point' theory | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli made his mark at Ajax, and the idea that the Dutch club would be a weak point in the career of FC Porto’s current coach 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 context. Ajax finished second in the Eredivisie and secured a place in the league phase of the Champions League, after coming very close to winning the title. The Amsterdam side even led the championship by nine points with five matches remaining, but a negative run allowed PSV to recover.

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 for the top places and regained domestic prominence, something that was far from guaranteed when Farioli took charge.

Meanwhile, Ajax’s subsequent development 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 for his tactical work and for 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 its main objectives.

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