Ian Cathro on Porto v Estoril chaos: “They tried to intimidate me” | OneFootball

Ian Cathro gave effusive praise to the Estoril players who, despite the defeat at Estádio do Dragão (0-1), delivered, in his view, a high-level performance. In statements to Sport TV, the canary team's coach also addressed the confusion with FC Porto's bench after the final whistle and ended with a message directed at those who tried to intimidate him.

“We don't know how to do anything else [but play face to face]. My choice to come to Portugal and work here was to do something different. And it was ‘we're not going to play with fear’. Unfortunately, we have points that don't reflect the quality we have, but I think today was very important for the folks in the studio, and for those who write things, not to speak... I'm expecting many words about [FC Porto's] game on Thursday, tired players, that this might have allowed Estoril to have the ball, even because they play more or less well. I hope it's not like that. I will never talk about fairness based on the result. Life is not fair, I know. But there must be fairness in the analysis of the quality of the game and the players' work. And I hope there is justice in these analyses,” he initially stated.

Estoril surprised tactically – could this be a new face for the team? “As I said before the game: my responsibility here is to always try to improve. We will face other different opponents, with different routines. Maybe we tried to play like a big team, but we are not big. We don't have those resources. What we have is a lot of humility, a lot of work during the week, and the ability to adjust. And to get the most out of the squad and the players. You need a coach with the ability to be versatile to get the most out of the players.”

There is a notion that Guitane would have the quality to play for a big team... Does having players with that competence give you security? “You can add more names there... I understand the question, but for me, it would be absurd not to do that. It's difficult to respond with another explanation. That's how I am. I can't see another side.”

At the end of the match, and already in the 1st half, you applauded your team several times. There is no moral victory, but do you leave Dragão proud? “I leave very curious to see how people talk about this game. And honestly, I don't want to see news talking about the opponent team's fatigue, which allowed Estoril to grow and play more or less. I want to read about the quality of our game and our players.”

Was there any incident between the benches? “No... I really wanted to tell mister Farioli that I was really impressed with his work. It's not easy to get here. He has done good work before and here he is doing an excellent job. That was obvious. But when I wanted to pass in front of him, I think he felt that I had pushed him. And then the discussions started and I don't like it when people touch my face. It's a more Latin thing. On the other side, there were other people, and I have some issues with those people. They wanted to intimidate me and I think they made a big mistake. Maybe they don't know that it's impossible.”

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