Francesco Farioli’s playing style doesn’t suit Rodrigo Mora | OneFootball

FC Porto defeated Sporting de Braga 2-1 on Sunday night, in a match where Rodrigo Mora stood out. The young player was included in the starting eleven by Francesco Farioli and responded positively.

About a month after being a starter against Red Star in the Europa League group stage, Mora, 18, returned to the starting lineup and began paving the way for FC Porto's victory with a goal shared with Samu.

Israel Dionísio, a coach who worked with Rodrigo Mora in FC Porto's youth teams, commented on the player's performance against Sporting de Braga.

Exclusively to Portal dos Dragões, the coach considered that the prodigy is already showing some adaptation to the tactical ideas imposed by Francesco Farioli, dismissing the notion that Mora's absence from the starting eleven is due to the Italian coach's stubbornness.

“It's not about stubbornness, it's about a game idea that has some variations. Mora has already acquired some behaviors and others he hasn't yet. And he hasn't managed it due to his characteristics as a player. We all know that, increasingly, this type of player is disappearing from football. He is a very complex player and sometimes more strategic coaches have difficulty introducing him into their own idea. This is partly the coach's idea and also the player's behaviors,” began the 51-year-old coach.

“Against Sporting de Braga, for example, FC Porto started the game pressing high, as they have accustomed us to this season, and then, at a certain point, switched to another idea, lowering the lines, to try to block Sporting de Braga and the spaces they were managing to have in the first half. The coach lowered to a mid-block, to a line of five defenders and then four more players in front, playing, let's say, on the expectation. That's how they scored the second goal. In this case, Mora has to adjust some behaviors. Mora will have some difficulties because he is a very technical player, who needs to be fresh so that when he receives the ball in the final third, he is prepared to do what he is good at, but he is also a player who needs to work defensively, in this case, for the team's benefit,” he continued.

Israel Dionísio admits that Francesco Farioli's game philosophy may, in part, overshadow Mora's characteristics, but assures that the player has the ability to adapt and repeat standout performances.

“When the opponent is, let's say, easier, a more creative player like Rodrigo Mora can appear much better. Why? Because we are in an offensive process, the team is positioned further forward and doesn't need to have as many defensive skills. Mora is a player who plays very well between the lines, he is that roaming player who needs to be fresh for when the ball comes to him. When the opponent is more demanding, as is the case with Sporting de Braga, Mora can't stand out as much. In this case, he has to adjust and the coach also has to adjust according to Mora, because the coach's idea is a very strategic one,” Dionísio highlighted.

“We are talking about an Italian coach who, in this case, plans. I'm not saying he has a different game idea for every match, but he plans well for the opponent he will face. This is, let's say, a double-edged sword, because, in this case, you can only get the true performance from Mora at certain moments and not others. If you ask me if this idea is favorable for Mora, clearly it is not. Clearly, he might stand out much more in another context, with another idea. But the player also has to understand that he needs to adjust. In this case, it's an adjustment on both sides,” he emphasized.

The coach rejects that the reduction in Mora's prominence jeopardizes a transfer of the player, after reports linking him to Real Madrid and PSG in recent weeks.

“It's true that he lost some prominence compared to last season, but we are talking about an 18-year-old kid. Sometimes we forget that Mora is only 18 years old and, as he emerged last season with quite a bit of prominence, he might have skipped some stages he shouldn't have. Under normal conditions, for example, if FC Porto were having a good campaign last season, he might have been used half the minutes he was. But that didn't happen. He is still in a growth process. I imagine that if Mora were at PSG or Manchester City, which are teams with a different style of play, he could appear more prominently. A future sale will not be affected by this drop in his performance. He will never fall off the radar of the big teams, because when he appears, he appears well and contributes very well,” said Israel Dionísio, giving advice to the young player.

“Mora needs to acquire another type of behavior, because for him as a player, it will also be good. But the coach also has to follow the individualities and cannot discard an individuality like Mora at any moment. There has to be a huge balance, and he must have that same capacity,” he concluded.

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