“No one in this house likes losing” | OneFootball

FC Porto B began the Segunda Liga with a 2-0 defeat to Lusitânia de Lourosa in Penafiel, in a match where João Brandão identified a slow start, shortcomings in the final third, and room to improve in duels. The coach refused to make peace with the result, but framed it within the process of a young team and a long season. In the end, he left a blunt guarantee: “I never accept losing.”

At the start of the reserves’ Segunda Liga campaign, João Brandão focused less on the immediate weight of the outcome and more on the lessons taken from a demanding match. That message ran through the entire press conference: there are mistakes to correct, especially in the team’s competitive response, but the path forward lies in persistence and development from the very first moment.

Asked about the team’s performance against Lusitânia de Lourosa, the coach acknowledged a first half below the required level. Brandão pointed to the difficulties in playing out of the opponent’s press before highlighting a reaction built on quicker circulation and a greater ability to create imbalances.

“We took too long to get into the game. We came in at a very slow pace, allowing the opponent to press and without being able to get out of that pressure. From the moment our midfielders started to take more control of the game and we began to have more depth out wide, we started to control things better and to have longer spells of possession. But it was essential for the ball circulation to be different, and that’s what happened in the second half. We managed to circulate the ball more quickly, through the middle of Lourosa’s block, and that variation is fundamental. From there we were able to create imbalances,” he analysed. “In the first half we lacked sharpness in the final third. We managed to get there a few times, not with the volume of the second half, but that lack of precision didn’t allow us to create real scoring chances. One game does not define the season; this is a young team that will grow. In this game we saw the importance of defensive duels and second balls in the context of the Segunda Liga, and that is where we have to improve. The second goal is a good example of that: we chose a long ball, with the team spread out, and exposed ourselves to losing the advantage on the second ball.”

Brandão’s reading does not separate the match from the learning curve that the Segunda Liga demands: more quality on the ball, greater solidity without it, and extra attention in the moments when games are decided. The defeat does not erase the reaction described by the coach, but it made the aspects the team will have to fine-tune more visible.

Asked whether he agreed with the outcome, João Brandão was unequivocal. The possibility of an equaliser before Lusitânia de Lourosa’s second goal also drew a response that shows the distance between accepting a result and resigning yourself to it.

“No. I never accept losing.”

The coach also explained that a goal before the 2-0 could have changed the way the match was viewed.

“If we had equalised before Lourosa made it 2-0, I would have accepted that result better.”

In the coach’s words, there is no room to turn the group’s youth into an excuse for defeat. Instead, there is the demand to compete for the result, even when the game reveals weaknesses that need correcting.

With the season still in its early stages, Brandão again looked beyond this match when projecting FC Porto B’s response. The aim is to continue developing the process without losing sight of the need to start picking up points straight away.

“At this club, nobody likes losing. We have to keep going and be persistent in developing the process,” he stressed. “We know we have a long and demanding season ahead of us, with several competitions, and that is how we want to approach it: growing and moving forward. To do that, we need to start collecting points right from the beginning.”

It is in that balance between development and competitive ambition that the coach places the challenge for the reserves: to grow without postponing the urgency of picking up points, in a competition where every duel and every second ball can make the difference.

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