Inbeom Hwang moves ahead of Rodrigo Mora in Farioli’s pecking order | OneFootball

Anyone who watched the Super Cup match last Saturday will have come away with one clear conclusion: at this stage, FC Porto’s 2026/27 side still does not show any significant differences compared to the previous season. The team won and claimed another trophy, but it also raised some of the same questions that had emerged at the start of the calendar year and may now be resurfacing: shouldn’t they be playing better? Who will be able to score goals? Is it normal to defend with so many players against opponents of a lower level, in this case from Liga 2? The truth is that there is not much new, and as long as the results remain positive, the concerns will be limited.

Among the new faces, André Silva has been the most used, also because of the near-total lack of competition. The striker naturally has more quality than Deniz Gul to lead Porto’s attack while Samu is out, but he was responsible for at least one of those misses that usually lead coaches to demand reinforcements immediately. I do not know whether Santiago Giménez will be the answer to Francesco Farioli’s prayers, but I fear that one goal last season — and six the year before — is far from matching the profile the Italian coach is looking for.

Inbeom Hwang was another signing to get minutes. The South Korean midfielder clearly brings more quality to Porto’s ball circulation, although it is fair to question to what extent that trait is really valued in this team. One thing does seem clear, however: in the pecking order among the backup options, the midfielder has already moved ahead of Rodrigo Mora. It was Hwang who replaced the weary Gabri Veiga, in a change that is common in this FC Porto side, but this time it left the young Portuguese on the bench until the final whistle.

There has already been plenty of discussion about what Mora’s role should be in Farioli’s team. So far, however, the youngster has added very little in relation to what is being asked of him. In fact, there have been several moments — especially against stronger opponents — when his presence on the pitch ended up exposing the blue-and-white side. Almost a year ago, I wrote that Rodrigo would have to find a new role and adapt to the new philosophy. It seems he has managed to do neither, nor has the coach found alternatives in the meantime that might benefit the player and, consequently, the team, which is the most important thing.

At the moment, Rodrigo Mora is even further from a starting spot and is worth far less than the millions that nearly arrived from Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2025. There is also a sense that he still has not understood what he needs to do to reverse this situation. Considering that he has not lost his talent, it is, at the very least, strange. Farioli needs reinforcements, but some solutions seem to have turned into problems.

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