“From now on we must work, build the team and our identity” | OneFootball

After returning to the Jorge Costa CTFD, driven by the desire to get back to work, FC Porto’s women’s team began preparing for the 2026/27 season. Daniel Chaves acknowledges the demands of the new challenge and highlights the need to start building a new identity, leaving the past behind.

“The season starts today, so from now on we have to work, build our team and our identity,” says the coach, aware that “the most important thing is to build a team with FC Porto’s identity” and to “make the most of this period to grow,” given that “a demanding season” is looming in the First Division: “We’ve just been promoted, we are fully aware of the adversity we will face and also of the quality of the opponents in this division. Some have strengthened more than in previous years, so above all, this season will require some patience, because growth takes time and that’s what we need.”

Back to work“It feels good, it’s obviously a positive feeling. We’ve missed this too, being on the pitch and training. It’s what we enjoy doing most, especially with this year’s goals, because we’re going to compete in Liga BPI, which makes everything even more emotional at the start of the season.”

A new chapter to build“Above all, we are aware of the Club we represent, of the demands of playing for FC Porto, and that the past was beautiful, it is well written, but it is behind us. Now we have to build a new story. The season starts today, so from now on we have to work, build our team and our identity. We have new players, we still have to grow even more as a collective, and that is what we are aiming for.”

The foundation for success“Above all, we want to build a team. With so much change — and we are still expecting players to arrive for some positions — the most important thing is to build a team with our identity, with FC Porto’s identity, and with what we also want to impose on the pitch. That takes time, obviously, and that will be our priority.”

Preparing for collective growth“Pre-season will serve exactly that purpose. Last year, we used the preparation period to grow as a team; we didn’t focus so much on results, which also were not that positive, but which then led to the growth we had during the season. That is what we expect for this year as well, to make the most of this period to grow, to grow as a team and in the quality of our play. Obviously, we need time because of the many arrivals we’ve had, and that is what we will also use these weeks for.”

The role of the training camp“We want to use the training camp so that the new players can get to know each other as well; we think that is important for group cohesion and for improving team spirit on the pitch, so the camp will help them settle in and also have moments of fun together, because that is part of a group’s growth.”

The challenge of a debut in the top flight“Yes, a demanding season is approaching, above all because of the expectations we place on everyone as a result of the last two years, especially the most recent one, in which we managed to reach the Portuguese Cup final. We’ve just been promoted to the First Division, we are fully aware of the adversity we will face and also of the quality of the opponents in this division. Some have strengthened more than in previous years, so above all, this season will require some patience, because growth takes time and that is what we need.”

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