Farioli on Moffi and Prpic's lack of minutes: “It's time to assess him” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli addressed Dominik Prpic’s situation in a measured tone, focusing less on his lack of minutes and more on what that competitive slowdown reveals about the defender’s current moment. In his response, the FC Porto coach spoke about the player’s development, explained the competition at the heart of the defence, and left a decision for the near future open. Essentially, the manager pointed to a calm assessment and assured: “It is a good time to assess him.”

In a moment of review and projection, Farioli came forward with a clear message about managing a player who has disappeared from selection choices since December, but not from the life of the group. Francesco Farioli painted a picture of Prpic between the enthusiasm with which he arrived, the loss of continuity in the second half of the season, and the usefulness he still has within the squad, even far from matches.

Asked about the reason for Prpic’s competitive absence and the role he may have next season, the coach framed his response around the player’s development and the dynamics created in central defence. Rather than pointing to a flaw, he described a situation of competition, balance, and adaptation.

“Dominik, perhaps it is difficult for you to see the progress he has made, because he has not played since December. Of course, with Thiago Silva’s arrival, we saw a different dynamic in the centre of defence. Jan [Bednarek] played almost all the time and we alternated between him and Thiago and, sometimes, Pablo Rosario completes the defensive line,” he explained. “If we go back to the beginning of the season, Dominik was eager to come, he signed fully committed to playing. He had many minutes at the start and none in the second half, which created this imbalance.”

In Farioli’s words, there is an attempt to separate the lack of playing time from any negative reading of the player’s growth. The coach does not hide the imbalance between the first and second halves of the season, but refuses to let that erase the progress he says he has seen.

The manager also stressed that Prpic’s assessment is not limited to what happened on Sundays. Here too, the response was less statistical and more human, looking at daily commitment and internal recognition.

“It is not a question of him not having developed. He made rapid progress, but at the end of the transfer window, the connection with the day-to-day dropped a little, though he always showed a high level. And even without playing since the end of the year, he helps keep the level of training high,” he said. “He is very important in training and the level of commitment he has always proves that he is at his best. And being so well regarded by the other teammates, especially the older ones, says a lot about how he is within the group. It is a good time to assess him and, calmly, decide what to do for his development and for the club. I am very grateful for what he did for us this season.”

Farioli thus outlines a case that is far from being closed by a simple lack of minutes. The idea he leaves is that of a player who is valued internally, whose future will be decided without haste, between what he showed when he played and what he continues to offer every day in training.

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