João Brandão warns: Looking at the table now is risky and distracting | OneFootball

In a seemingly calm scenario, FC Porto B hosts Paços de Ferreira this Monday, the current bottom team in Liga Portugal Meu Super, but coach João Brandão downplays the importance of their position in the standings.

“It’s dangerous and a distraction to look at the table at this point. There are still many games left, the point differences are small, and there are other priorities in our daily routine. We have a lot to work on both individually and collectively, and there’s still a long way to go, even in terms of the development we want to see in them. We don’t feel the need to look at the standings,” the coach began, speaking to the blue and white media, highlighting what needs improvement.

Brandão emphasized the need for improvement in various aspects of the game and the importance of set pieces, which are decisive in this competition.

“I don’t want to reveal secrets or give weapons to the opponent, but there are clearly many things in the game we need to improve, whether in defensive or offensive moments. Set-piece situations are also absolutely decisive, as we have seen in this Second League and in football in general. There’s a lot of room for growth, and the players are aware of that—they know what they’ve already improved and what they still need to work on,” he explained.

The coach also highlighted the team’s response against U. Leiria, praising their resilience and offensive attitude until the end of the match.

“One of the positives from the last game is the way the team was resilient and always believed until the end. They kept looking for a result even when behind. After U. Leiria’s second goal, they managed to withstand that setback and never gave up on their offensive intentions. What we did wasn’t enough, we feel we left something undone in the last game, and we want to take that into the match against Paços de Ferreira,” he analyzed, before looking ahead to the next challenge.

Regarding the opponent, Brandão warned about Paços de Ferreira’s experience and players with a past at FC Porto, highlighting the visiting team’s ability to pick up points away from home.

“It’s a competent team, full of Primeira Liga players with a lot of experience and a history at FC Porto, such as Tiago Ferreira and Francisco Ramos. It’s a very experienced team that knows how to manage the game and has recently shown the ability to get points away from home. They also managed to earn points against two promotion contenders, so it’s clearly a warning for us about this Paços de Ferreira side. We are prepared and understand their intentions, but it’s up to us to show our ability on the field and counter their strengths,” he stressed.

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