Francesco Farioli has transformed FC Porto | OneFootball

In just over three months, FC Porto underwent a profound transformation. The team from the previous season, which was once led by Vítor Bruno and finished under the guidance of Martín Anselmi, left the fans and the board led by André Villas-Boas disappointed.

Faced with disappointing results, the management decided to make a complete change and chose Francesco Farioli to lead the recovery – a decision that has proven to be very successful.

The Italian coach reshaped what was left of the squad and turned it into a solid, more effective team with fewer mistakes. The official numbers this season confirm this evolution.

Excluding the goalless draw in the Classic against Benfica, FC Porto won nine of the ten official matches played in 2025/26. As a result of this recovery, they lead the Portuguese championship alone, with a three-point advantage over Sporting, and are positioned in the spots for access to the Europa League round of 16.

The good performance is not only due to defensive cohesion – only two goals conceded so far – but also to a clear increase in offensive production, with a focus on set pieces, where the team has become especially dangerous in corners.

Regarding the utilization of players in all competitions, and according to the following table, Diogo Costa leads with 900 minutes, having started in all ten matches played.

Next is the Danish player Victor Froholdt. Signed from Copenhagen in the last summer market for around 20 million euros – a value that can rise to 22 million based on objectives – the 19-year-old quickly became a key player in Francesco Farioli's plans, having participated in all ten matches (he was a substitute only in the match against Red Star).

Also present in all games is the Polish center-back Jan Bednarek, one of the defensive pillars alongside his compatriot Kiwior. Borja Sainz also has ten appearances.

Rounding out the top 10 most used players by Francesco Farioli are names like Alan Varela, Pepê, Gabri Veiga, Alberto Costa, Samu Aghehowa, and Jakub Kiwior. The Argentine midfielder, for example, was not used against Red Star, while the Brazilian international missed two matches due to an eye injury.

Gabri Veiga missed the Classic against Sporting at the last minute due to injury. Alberto Costa did not play against Nacional nor was he an option for the trip to Austria against Salzburg, also due to physical impediments. Samu Aghehowa also missed two matches due to injury, and Kiwior was one of the last reinforcements to arrive at Dragão in the last market.

On the other hand, goalkeepers Cláudio Ramos and João Costa – the latter also signed for the current season – as well as Tomás Pérez, currently serving Argentina in the Under-20 World Cup, have yet to take the field. Joining this list is Yann Karamoh, an unexpected reinforcement who has already appeared on the bench in the trip to Arouca.

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