Farioli on Arouca-FC Porto controversy: “Not my place to complain” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli admitted, this Thursday, at a press conference, that FC Porto faced, against Salzburg, "one of the most difficult" games of this season, which ended with a hard-fought 0-1 victory, thanks to a (great) goal by William Gomes, already at 90+3 minutes.

After the final whistle of the opening round match of the Europa League group stage, at the Red Bull Arena, in Austria, the Italian coach highlighted several adversities, among which the state of the pitch: "It was difficult, but not only for us. We saw how hard it was to stay on our feet".

"It was not easy to come here. It was a team with a lot of physicality, winning second balls... It was competitive. Honestly, today, any result could have happened, it was an open game. We had the first big chance, then we also had our moment, we tried everything to win the game and I'm happy that William shot, even though I asked for a cross. Good thing he didn't listen to me", he said, laughing.

"I'm harsh with the analysis, and there were things we could have done better. I saw players running, fighting and going into duels. Doing everything that is possible. Then, it's necessary to say that we played against a high-level opponent. Two or three times, they caught us in open field and with several players running above 35 km/h", he added.

On whether the dragons' result surpassed the quality of the performance, the former Ajax coach highlighted the importance of points: "It's very important, especially in the league phase of the Europa League. All results, all points, all goals count. I have to congratulate Salzburg and the coach for the game they played. I wish them the best".

Controversial visit to Arouca doesn't 'scratch'

Francesco Farioli also sought to downplay the controversy generated by the rescheduling of the next match, with Arouca, from the 7th round of the I Liga to 20:00 (Portugal Continental time) of the following Monday, which will force the team to play three games in just one week.

"We talked about this game, when to play it or not... I've already expressed myself about it. Thinking about the UEFA ranking... The scenario is not ideal, but my role is not to complain, it's more to find solutions. Today, we proved the team's value, you saw the importance of the players who came in, how they changed the game. When I talk about the Porto family, everyone's celebration, with the fans. With the right spirit, we have to overcome these challenges", he said.

"When I looked to the left, I didn't find anyone. Players, staff, everyone was there. We work for this kind of emotions. We move forward. Tomorrow, we start preparing for Arouca, I like their way of playing and we will take that into account. Very surprised by what they do with and without the ball, we have to be aware of what we can or cannot do", he concluded.

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