Ricardo Carvalho praises Farioli’s talent at FC Porto | OneFootball

Ricardo Carvalho once again spoke about FC Porto, addressing various topics related to the club. The former Porto defender highlighted the rise of André Villas-Boas to the presidency and recalled the time they worked together. “I worked with him daily for almost two years, at Shanghai SIPG and at Marseille. Even back then, he said he would return to FC Porto, but not as a coach. It would be as president. That was his goal, the dream of helping the club grow beyond borders. I wasn’t surprised that he ran nor that he won,” he said, praising Villas-Boas’s “great ability” to lead the club.

Regarding the work of Francesco Farioli, Carvalho believes that the Italian coach had an auspicious start. “After a difficult, transitional season, this start has been spectacular. The coach started off on the right foot, the team is playing well, winning, and convincing. You can tell he has a lot of quality and that the players who were signed have also brought another level. He is building a beautiful team,” he emphasized.

As for the defensive signings – Bednarek, Kiwior, and Prpic – the former center-back recalled that football is a collective sport and that individual blame cannot be assigned. “We can’t just blame defenders or forwards. When the team doesn’t function as a unit, everything gets complicated. But the signings were very good, both at the back and in midfield. The team is more balanced.”

The former international believes that the title race will be tighter this season. “FC Porto is much better, but Benfica and Sporting have also strengthened very well. SC Braga started off less well and is a step behind. I think there won’t be the points gap of last season, because the big three are very evenly matched,” he analyzed.

Finally, Carvalho did not hide his emotion when recalling Jorge Costa, his former teammate. “It was a shock. After returning to the National Team, we spoke more often. Jorge had a huge heart and represented the values of FC Porto like no one else. We had been talking more frequently and this loss left me devastated. No one is ever prepared.”

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