Francesco Farioli on Samu's return: “We know how much we missed him” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli, FC Porto’s coach, spoke after the 3-1 win over Benfica in the Clássico of the seventh round of the Primeira Liga. The manager highlighted the returns from injury of Samu Aghehowa and Oskar Pietuszewski, praised the work done to bring both players back, and assured: “We are a team that needs everyone.”

The win left FC Porto at the top of the table, with a five-point lead over Benfica. In the aftermath of the match, Francesco Farioli focused his message on the importance of being able to count again on players who had been sidelined and on the collective effort that made their returns possible.

Asked about Samu and Oskar Pietuszewski, the Dragons’ coach was keen to share the credit with the medical and performance department. The striker’s long absence, he admitted, had clearly weighed on the team.

“The fact that we have Samu back says a lot, and Samu was there congratulating the entire medical and performance department, especially Pedro [Silva], who spent a lot of time with him preparing him so that he would be ready; Oskar [Pietuszewski] in the same way. We are a team that needs everyone,” explained Francesco Farioli. “Unfortunately, we played many months without him and we know how much we missed him. We are very happy to have him back and now it is time to try to recover those who have been out in recent days.”

More than celebrating two returns, Farioli acknowledged the work done behind the scenes and recalled the impact of Samu’s absence. The priority now is to recover the remaining unavailable players, strengthening a squad that the coach wants fully fit for the challenges ahead.

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