Five wins is great, but Farioli eyes personal record | OneFootball

Farioli has already had promising starts in his short career, but he had never before achieved five consecutive wins. Determined to surpass his own limits, the Italian coach is looking to exceed the streak he reached while at Nice – and what an achievement that was!

In the 2023/24 season, at the helm of the French club, Farioli recorded a remarkable start: he remained unbeaten for 13 games – eight wins and five draws – and his team conceded only four goals, the best defense in Europe. This performance becomes even more impressive when you remember heavyweight opponents such as Lille, Lyon, PSG, Monaco, and Marseille. The streak only ended on the 14th round of Ligue 1, with a defeat against Nantes.

Despite a difficult spell between February and March – with just one win in eight games – Nice recovered and finished the season in 5th place, securing a spot in the Europa League. During his time at Ajax, in the previous season, Farioli started with four straight wins, but ended up suffering his first defeat in the fifth game, in the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League, against Panathinaikos.

The five consecutive wins were exactly what the fans demanded after a weak second half of the 2024/2025 season, which ultimately cost Vítor Bruno his job at the start of the year, and Martín Anselmi his position after the lackluster participation of the blue and whites in the Club World Cup. In addition to identifying the squad’s needs – addressed in FC Porto’s biggest transfer window ever, with an investment of over €94 million in 10 new signings – Farioli carried out an exhaustive assessment of the expectations of Porto fans. In 10 weeks, he turned a team lacking stamina into a relentless side; today, the blue and whites impose themselves through the intensity with which they fight for every ball and the minimal leeway they give their opponents.

The next challenges begin with a tight schedule: in just 16 days, FC Porto will play five matches, starting this cycle against Rio Ave and ending with the classic against Benfica at the Dragão, scheduled for the October 5th holiday. In the short term, the team faces three consecutive away games – Vila do Conde, Salzburg, and Arouca – returning to the Dragão only on October 2nd to host Red Star in the second round of the Europa League group stage.

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