FC Porto head to Rio Ave with Farioli urging full focus | OneFootball

After an opening matchday that proved “there are no easy games” in the Portuguese League, FC Porto are preparing for the trip to Vila do Conde, where they will face Rio Ave in the second round on Saturday at 8:30pm, live on Sport TV1. Francesco Farioli demands “very high levels of focus” and an approach “on alert, with great attention and commitment,” an essential condition to “win as many games as possible.”

“If we let our emotions spill over in mid-August, we would have a lot of problems. Teams are very well organised and can surprise you, creating danger through transitions and set pieces,” warned the coach, who recognises in the opponent “one of the teams that continues to work with the same coach, has a lot of variety and can press in different ways.” Even so, he is confident that “all the players who represent FC Porto are connected and committed to giving their all for the Club.”

As for the medical report, “Alan Varela has been doing a great job with the physiotherapists, but he will not be able to play.” Alberto Costa will be available, while André Silva, a forward who “has already trained and put in a positive performance, so he will be part of the squad,” is also among the options. “Oskar Pietuszewski, Cláudio Ramos and Samu are recovering separately and we are still awaiting their return to training,” Francesco Farioli said.

Rio Ave “They are one of the teams that continue to work with the same coach. Last season, they finished the league comfortably, in mid-table. This year, we saw some changes and adaptations in the friendly matches. At times, they were more aggressive; they are a team that can press in different ways, whether with the wingers, strikers, by sectors or man to man. They have a lot of variety, they are continuing the work developed in the past and it is always a difficult ground to play at. We felt difficulties there. After starting well, we dropped our level a little and they created some chances, so we have to be alert, with great attention, commitment and the desire to continue our journey.”

Medical report “From a medical point of view, Alan Varela will not be able to play. He has been doing a great job with the physiotherapists, but he is still in a lot of pain in his foot, so he will be left out. André trained today and put in a positive performance, so he will be part of the squad for the match, as will Alberto Costa. Oskar, Cláudio and Samu are recovering separately and we are still awaiting their return to training.”

Deniz Gül “I have already spent many words emphasising my belief in Deniz Gül. As a striker, his assessment is often based on statistics, but he is a player who needs to gain some consistency in his way of playing to show a certain level on the pitch; that is what he needs to raise the bar. He is a player that both I and the club like very much. This summer, I received a thousand calls from sporting directors curious to know what our plans were for him, but I like him a lot and I have great faith in what he can give us.”

Rodrigo Mora “You have been patient, you wait a week to come back here and get news, if there is any. The truth is that there is no news, not only about Rodrigo Mora, but about the market. It is always like this in the summer; as we get closer to the end, things start to appear. In January it is even worse, because we are in the middle of the season and the market causes even more disruption than the summer one. It is something that people who work in football have to deal with, but many of us do not agree with the transfer window being open during competitions, even though it is something normal and requires a lot of professionalism from everyone involved. What matters are the contracts, the conditions and the expectations, nothing else. It has been a week in which we have been bombarded every day and at all hours with new information and little details, but it is nothing more than noise. In Rodrigo Mora’s specific case, he is a young player, but very professional, with a lot of experience and shoulders broad enough to carry all this pollution. He is a big FC Porto supporter and an FC Porto player, so there is no doubt that we will use him and that he will help us for as long as he is an FC Porto player.”

The market again “I understand that you need to have more information about the market, and I always try to be very open about the subject, but we have a game to play tomorrow, three points to win, so we need to be fully focused. My focus has to be on preparing for this game; everything else around it is part of the sport, but not of the match itself.”

Inbeom Hwang and André Miranda “Inbeom Hwang has great versatility; he is a very intelligent player. He is somewhat similar to Pablo Rosario, because he can play in several positions, although more limited to midfield. He has already played as a number six, as an eight, as an eight-and-a-half and as a ten, so he can cover all the midfield positions. That is how we see him and that is why we signed him, because he allows me to give different stimuli to the game, according to what I want. As for André Miranda, he had a few setbacks during recovery, but he is working to return as soon as possible.”

The role of VAR “Last season, I said several times that VAR was created as a tool to help referees make better decisions, because sometimes it is difficult to see everything, especially with players playing faster and faster. It is difficult to see everything around us, so having extra help is good.”

Total focus “If we let our emotions spill over in mid-August, we would have a lot of problems. We are at the start of the season and it has already been proven that there are no easy games. Even when the result seems wrapped up, it never is. Teams are very well organised and can surprise you, creating danger through transitions and set pieces. We have to keep our level and our focus very high, compete with every detail in the right place and try to win as many games as possible.”

Eustáquio and the importance of the fans “Eustáquio is just another player in the squad. He was with us and played an important role at the start of last season; when we won the title, I made a video call with him on the pitch and that says a lot about the person he is and the character he has. Many things can still happen in the market, but all the players wearing this shirt are connected and committed to giving their all for the Club. While nothing happens, the ball keeps rolling and that is what matters most to our fans, who will once again play a key role in another away game.”

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