Pablo Rosario: “The bar is high, FC Porto are Portugal’s biggest club” | OneFootball

Pablo Rosario is in his second season wearing the FC Porto shirt and is set to play his third clássico against Benfica. With the match drawing ever closer, the 29-year-old midfielder shared his expectations and stressed the importance of the team staying true to its identity.

“We can say it’s a different kind of game, but we’re not going to do anything differently. What works for us is staying true to ourselves,” he began, speaking to Betano Mag.

“We know, of course, that it’s a big game. We’re playing at home, so the support from our fans will be incredible as always. Playing at the Dragão gives the team and everyone involved an extra boost,” he added, highlighting the influence of playing in front of the home crowd.

The Dominican Republic international also recalled winning the title last season, an experience he described as something he had “never experienced” and “completely different,” despite already having been a champion with PSV. Rosario also spoke about the size of the club and the constant demands that define day-to-day life at FC Porto.

“The bar is always high. When we win, when we achieve things, people always expect more, and I think that’s what makes this club so great. For me, it’s the biggest club in Portugal,” he said.

“Here, we always want more. ‘It’s never enough’ is, I think, a great expression, because we can always do more and we want to do more. That’s what we’ll try to do this season as well,” he added.

The midfielder also explained that his adaptation to FC Porto was made easier by the fact that he had already worked with Francesco Farioli at Nice. In his first season wearing the dragons’ shirt, he finished with 41 appearances and two goals.

That familiarity with the coach’s ideas allowed him to absorb the technical staff’s principles more quickly and take on an important role in the Porto side.

“Yes, without a doubt. It’s not always easy for a player to arrive at a new club and adapt to a new playing system. I was lucky to already know the way he likes to play and what he demands from the players, which helped me adapt much more quickly than would normally be the case.”

Asked about the characteristics that set the coach’s playing model apart, Rosario highlighted the special attention given to strategy and detail.

“Farioli and his coaching staff are always looking to improve, both themselves and the team, and they place enormous importance on details. That means that we, individually and collectively, are extremely attentive to the little things. We go onto the pitch with a clear idea of what we want to do and we stay focused on carrying it out. It’s great to see that, when we step onto the pitch and the game starts, the things we’ve worked on happen and work.”

The clássico between FC Porto and Benfica is scheduled for Sunday at 8:30pm. The match can be followed live, minute by minute, on Maisfutebol.

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