Pedro Marques Lopes: Farioli a brilliant choice, says Pinto da Costa | OneFootball

FC Porto finished the 8th round of the Liga Betclic with a goalless draw against Benfica and heads into the second international break as the sole leader, three points ahead of Sporting and four ahead of Benfica. In eight rounds, they have seven wins and one draw.

The favorable start in the league, complemented by two victories in the Europa League, has sparked great enthusiasm among the fans, with Francesco Farioli leading a group that combines new faces and familiar figures. Record spoke with Pedro Marques Lopes, businessman and fan of the Dragons, who attended the classic at Estádio do Dragão on Sunday.

“I’m not surprised by this start, but I am very pleased. In fact, I couldn’t be happier with what’s happening. President Pinto da Costa used to tell me that the choice of coach is vital for a team’s success, and I believe that Francesco Farioli was an excellent choice,” he began by saying, emphasizing, however, that “it’s still early” to make any definitive judgment beyond “being happy” with the Italian coach and the group at his disposal.

“We have to see if this intensity and physicality imposed in the game can be maintained until the very end of the league, that’s still something to watch. However, for now, everything is going well. The game against Benfica even left me pleased with the coach, in the sense that he realized, at a certain point, that it wasn’t necessary to take so many risks,” stressed Pedro Marques Lopes.

When analyzing the new signings, he praised a few names: “There are two or three who seem to have been excellent signings, namely Froholdt and Kiwior,” he said, pointing to the “good performance” of Borja Sainz on the field as another factor for the recent results. However, he left a warning: “It’s still very early to make any concrete judgment and the procession has just begun.”

Present at the Dragão, Pedro Marques Lopes also highlighted the impact of the coach’s work on the unity between the team and the stands and recalled an anecdote related to José Mourinho. “The image of fighting spirit and the interesting group dynamic that is being created is felt by the fans. There are a number of signs. I even remember a story about Jorge Costa, in Mourinho’s first season, I believe, who turned to the coach and said: ‘Mister, we have great spirit and we’re finally united,’ or something like that. That’s when Mourinho realized there was a group ready to win everything. Today, I feel that, that this spirit is in the team and that makes the stadium come alive and get used to possible ‘failures’, like this draw with Benfica,” he said.

Asked about Mourinho’s arrival at Benfica, he was direct: “He was never a Porto fan, but I have a good memory and I know he was important at FC Porto. In the stadium, I wasn’t one of those who booed him, he was the most successful coach in our club in terms of trophies won, with a Champions League and a Europa League, so I’ll never forget him,” he recalled, however, adding that he hopes Mourinho “loses every game and is eliminated from all competitions”: “He’s at the rival, my respect for him won’t be lost, but at Benfica I don’t wish him luck.”

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