Sérgio Conceição: Porto thrived under financial fair play | OneFootball

The Saudis of Al Ittihad, coached by Sérgio Conceição, will host the Qataris of Al Gharafa, led by Pedro Martins, on Tuesday (6:15 PM), in a clash between Portuguese coaches in the penultimate round of the Asian Champions League group stage.

On the eve of the match, Conceição – whose team is in sixth place in the Asian Champions League, with the top eight securing advancement to the round of 16 – predicted a challenge with “many difficulties” “against a very experienced coach,” but assured that his team is ready to overcome them.

In another matter, the coach was questioned about the recent departure of N’Golo Kanté to Fenerbahçe in the winter transfer market, which occurred after Karim Benzema terminated his contract with Al Ittihad and moved to rivals Al Hilal.

Regarding Kanté, Conceição admitted that it is a significant loss, especially since the French defensive midfielder, a World Cup champion in 2018, was not replaced by any new signings, but he refused to use this as an excuse.

“He was a very important solution for the midfield, it's true that no option came in for that area of the field, but I am here not to look at the past, but to look to the future, and see those who will give me different solutions, because no one can erase what Kanté was as a player, but we have different solutions to maintain the same ambitions,” he emphasized, recalling how he managed to win 11 titles during his time at FC Porto, “even with many financial limitations.”

“In my recent past as a coach, during a long period in the seven years I was the coach of Porto, we were under financial fair play with great financial limitations and that did not stop us from winning. We managed to win 11 titles even with many limitations, and that happened because the club, the fans, and the different staffs were totally connected with each other. We need the strength of our fans, even knowing that things won't always go well, and we need the strength of the players and the staff, of everyone who works at the club, and my strength to achieve results. We all have to be united,” he urged, in conclusion.

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