Farioli praises Mora: “He shone defensively against Sporting” | OneFootball

Due to Gabri Veiga's injury, Rodrigo Mora was a starter at Alvalade and Francesco Farioli expressed his satisfaction with his performance. The FC Porto coach praised the young midfielder's defensive commitment and highlighted that this attitude is one of the demands made of offensive players.

Challenge of maintaining the same pace and intensity from the first games

«It's a challenge for everyone, but it's definitely what we want. Raising the intensity is something that requires physical and mental effort. But it's what we and the players want, and we feel that in the short and long term it will be more advantageous. In moments of difficulty, it's important how we react and how the entire squad is ready to step up and cover some needs. Rodrigo Mora is a fantastic example. He wasn't a starter in three games, Gabri Veiga wasn't at one hundred percent, I gave him the opportunity, and he played a great game against Sporting. It's what all players need to do.»

Mora acknowledged he needs to work more defensively

«I believe that one of the key areas for improvement for attacking players is the defensive attitude, the desire to help even when we don't have the ball. If you look at recent games, I've already highlighted what Luuk de Jong and William did, Borja [Sainz] made three fantastic recoveries in the last games, Rodrigo had two sprints of over 80 meters starting in the opponent's area and ending in our area. If you want to achieve something, there's no other way, for me. The sacrifice and spirit of putting the team first is a priority. The forwards, who have the privilege of having a team that delivers the ball to them often, what they need to do is give back some of that sacrifice. The effort that the defenders make in building up needs to be rewarded with defensive work.»

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