João Brandão: Our team has grown, hard work got us through tough times | OneFootball

João Brandão, coach of FC Porto B, spoke to the club’s official channels ahead of the trip to Leiria for the 22nd round of the II Liga, scheduled for Sunday at 6:00 pm.

On competitiveness: “The competitiveness of this league doesn’t let us fall asleep and the level of demand that is felt daily at this club keeps us anchored to our work. That’s what we’ve been doing since the start of the season. In both good and less good moments, we’ve always clung to our work, to the responsibility of representing this club, and to developing young players who can be ready and available for the demands of the first team. The points gap is very small between all the teams, the difficulty of earning points is tremendous, as we’ve already experienced firsthand, so nothing allows us to relax, everything keeps us focused on what’s still to come.”

On the opponent: “Before talking about União de Leiria, I want to send a message of solidarity to all the victims of this catastrophe that has struck Portugal and to wish that we can all quickly recover together in solidarity, as is characteristic of our people. Speaking of Leiria is to speak of a title contender, a team that has strengthened and also reshaped itself a lot in this winter transfer window, a team that is extremely aggressive in defensive moments. We know they look for man-to-man marking, not only in the central corridor but also on the flanks. They are an extremely competent opponent in set-piece situations, but we are prepared for a great challenge and focused on the opportunities that Leiria may give us. We’re taking our game plan and the creative ability to also discover something the game might offer us. Above all, the team has grown a lot in terms of maturity and in how it understands the different moments of the game. I think that will be decisive.”

On the three consecutive wins: “Our team has really grown a lot, it has become much more competent in certain moments of the game, so I believe we’ll play a much more consistent match than in the first round. Our team has recently shown that it’s better prepared for the situations that arise during the game, whether they are positive or negative. That consistency and regularity are fundamental for us to compete at the highest level. Leiria is a team that reflects its coach, with very distinct characteristics, so we are focused, but prepared for any plan the game may bring.”

Regarding the connection with the first team: “Yes, I think there’s not much doubt about that, just look at the average age of the B team compared to previous years. The main goal is to create the ideal context to develop players who can one day be at the level of the first team, and that context also includes the competitive side. We don’t hide and we want to approach games as very important moments where we want to win, perform well, and collect points as a team, but also respect the characteristics of each player, the way each one needs to develop and enhance their abilities. There are two essential factors for them to make the leap: opportunity and the player’s readiness. The player’s readiness is decisive so that, when the opportunity arises, they can deliver, because in the first team you live solely and exclusively on performance, with the demand to win, and that’s what we want to cultivate daily here in training and also in games.”

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