Jesualdo Ferreira: Porto’s defensive steel surprised everyone | OneFootball

Jesualdo Ferreira praises the defensive solidity and intensity of Francesco Farioli’s team, finding similarities with his own FC Porto three-time champions (2007–2009).

FC Porto finished the first half of the Liga Betclic with 16 wins and one draw in 17 matches (49 points out of a possible 51), the best score recorded at the halfway point in championships with 18 teams.

In statements to Lusa, Jesualdo Ferreira – who managed the Dragons for four seasons and is one of the club’s most decorated coaches, with three league titles, two Portuguese Cups, and one Super Cup – admitted his admiration for the current trajectory of the blue and white emblem.

“I think this moment from FC Porto surprised everyone. I mean, it surprised in the first few months, because since the preseason games you could sense a change. It’s a team that stands out for its defensive solidity, not just from the back line. The forwards and midfielders develop lines of pressure, leaving the defenders only concerned with covering,” he observed.

The intensity in pressing and defensive balance, which translates into the best defense in the competition – only four goals conceded – are, according to Jesualdo, decisive for Farioli’s success in his debut with the blue and whites.

“The structure of this FC Porto is very simple, but extremely well executed by all the players, who start the game running and finish the game running. Overall, it’s a very strong unit, both defensively and offensively. They are very strong in their balance, an aspect I consider fundamental,” analyzed the coach, who also highlighted midfielder Victor Froholdt as a player who “gives a lot of rotation to the team.”

For Jesualdo, the seven-point lead over Sporting at the end of the first half was more due to the merit of the Dragons than a decline from the Lions, who, in his opinion, are also having a good season.

Farioli’s arrival implied a tactical transition to a 4-3-3 system, an option Jesualdo frequently used at FC Porto and throughout his career – recognizing similarities, but also differences in behavior.

“The return to 4-3-3 pleased me. In my time, we had a similar structure, but with some different dynamics. Our full-backs provided more depth and our wingers were practically forwards. It even seems to me, I confess, that the current defensive structure is more secure, but it had to be that way because we had players with different characteristics,” he explained.

Jesualdo Ferreira

Coach

However, he warned of some inconsistency in performance that may arise: “At that time, when we reached first place, it was very difficult to take it away from us. Because the team was less prone to ‘peaks’, the current one has more of that tendency. Now, there are more ups and downs, which can be good or bad depending on the situation,” he argued.

He also recalled an episode from the 2007/08 season, when, despite good tactical behavior and high competitive levels, relaxing cost them a Portuguese Cup.

“The team maintained very good tactical behavior and high competitive levels. The European matches were also important. Winning was essential, that habit of winning. It happened once, relaxing cost us a Portuguese Cup [defeat in the final against Sporting], at a time when we had already secured the league title long before,” he recalled.

Finally, he highlighted FC Porto’s summer transfer window as decisive in correcting the results of a season considered “atypical.”

“Compared to last year’s squad, it made a difference to find players who specifically fit that style of play. Even the loss of Luuk de Jong was well compensated by Samu and Deniz Gul. It’s impossible to play a certain way if the players don’t have the qualities to execute it,” he concluded.

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