FC Porto Under-19s host FC Famalicão in Pedroso on matchday 14 | OneFootball

FC Porto’s under-19 team returns to Pedroso this time to face FC Famalicão on Saturday at 10:30am, in a match from the 14th round, switched with the fifth round, in which the Dragons were due to travel to the Minho side’s ground. José João wants a side that is “as competent as possible to earn another three points”. After reminding the players of “the demands of wearing this shirt and of what is truly important in their development as footballers”, the coach reinforced the obligation to “give their best to live up to the fans, who are the Club’s greatest strength”. João Brito, meanwhile, highlighted the need to “make decisions more quickly” and set the goals of “controlling the game and creating chances” against “a team that likes to go toe to toe”.

José João

The path to getting back to winning ways “Our objective is to be as competent as possible so that we can earn another three points. We’re coming off a not-so-positive result last week and it is very important that our team understands that our competitive mindset can never be in doubt. We want to be the same team for 90 minutes; we cannot have two faces or two different ideas on the pitch. Regardless of the outcome, we have to go into the warm-up already focused on what we want from the game. More than the tactical plan, that is what we have to understand: we have to be a team in FC Porto’s image to be able to win the three points. Teams are hugely motivated to beat us because we wear this badge and because we are the reigning champions. That is why we have to have the right mentality this weekend if we are to return to winning ways.”

The priorities for the younger players “Our players have to clearly understand the demands of wearing this shirt and what is truly important in their development as footballers. Sometimes players have things on their minds that go beyond the four lines, and then they do not focus on what matters most. At times they think the most important thing is what is said on social media, the way they dress or how they arrive at training, but all of that is secondary if they want to be footballers. What really matters is being competitive, capable, competent, honest and proud of the person they are, of what they project to the outside world. There is a lot of talent here at FC Porto, but everyone needs to work for it to be properly used.”

Representing the fans on the pitch “For us at Olival, it is very important to see the stand full of Porto fans at the weekend. That gives us strength and energy and shows us that the academy is making its way into the home and the heart of every Porto fan. We also have this huge responsibility to give our best so that we can live up to the fans, because they are our greatest strength and they drive us on to victories. We saw their strength on Tuesday at the Dragão Stadium: even with the rain, the stadium was full and the Porto fans gave vibrant support. Even with the team losing, they never stopped singing, so we want to mirror them in order to be worthy of wearing this shirt.”

João Brito

Preparing for matches during the week “In training, we try to bring a lot of intensity so that matches are like our day-to-day work. We have to prepare ourselves to make decisions in just a few seconds, in tighter spaces, because we will have opponents around us and we need to decide more quickly.”

The challenge against FC Famalicão “Famalicão are a team that likes to go toe to toe with us, that has caused us difficulties over the years, and we have to control the game. We want to dominate the game and create chances; that will be our objective.”

The support from the stands “The fans are always important, they are our twelfth man, they give us a lot of strength and we hope they will be in the stands supporting us and helping us.”

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