Jorge Amaral: “Farioli’s no fool, he knows FC Porto will be targeted” | OneFootball

Although he has only arrived in Portuguese football a few months ago, Francesco Farioli has repeatedly used the motto “everyone against us,” so closely associated with FC Porto’s journey.

The Italian coach left no doubts when he stated that “there is a narrative to bring FC Porto down,” while the Invicta club sits alone at the top of the Primeira Liga (31 points), ahead of the two-time champion Sporting (28) and Benfica (25).

Jorge Amaral showed his alignment with Francesco Farioli and commented bluntly on the issue of refereeing and reactions. “He’s no fool. Our rivals have been favored by refereeing. After 11 rounds, FC Porto has already been harmed more often than benefited. This discourse is part of an ADN implemented by the late Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa: ‘Better to break than to bend.’ We have to defend our rights, and Farioli is anticipating that FC Porto will be targeted for being in first place. Look at what happened with the complaint against referee Fábio Veríssimo. I disagree with the situation regarding the television in the locker room, but look at the spectacle our rivals and others made out of it. They talked about relegation, tried to destabilize the team, but without success,” said the former Dragons’ goalkeeper.

Benfica’s draw (2-2) at home against Casa Pia also drew attention off the pitch: referee Gustavo Correia’s report recorded an alleged verbal assault by Mário Branco, the general director of the Reds. “I’ll smash you to pieces,” said the official. In response, Jorge Amaral laughed.

In Amaral’s analysis, there are repeated patterns in national football: “It’s déjà vu in Portuguese football. The practices are the same. In some people’s view, the Veríssimo case is more serious than this situation, which involves face-to-face verbal threats. It’s pure hypocrisy. Benfica issues countless statements about refereeing, but I know the reasons. They want to hide what’s happening in the Champions League, with four defeats in four games. The team can’t win at home against Santa Clara, Rio Ave, and Casa Pia. The smokescreen they try to create with the referees serves to hide the lack of progress since José Mourinho took over as coach. The team has gotten worse!” he emphasized.

Jorge Amaral pointed to Sporting as FC Porto’s main rival in the title race. “Sporting presents a very interesting offensive tactical diversity. The win (2-1) over Santa Clara is not controversial. These are mistakes that can happen to anyone. Let’s not dramatize; Santa Clara lost the game on a corner. That’s football. However, I reiterate that they have already been favored. I haven’t forgotten the uncalled penalty for Estoril, after Maxi Araújo hit an opponent with his elbow, and the red cards that were forgiven for Gonçalo Inácio and Diomande,” he recalled.

Regarding FC Porto, the now commentator highlighted areas to improve and suggested reinforcements: “FC Porto has been exciting since the start of the season, but they have squeezed the lemon too much. Farioli has promoted little rotation, and this style of play requires a lot of physical capacity. Since the league is the main priority, I believe there should be two signings in January: a striker and a winger who can play on both flanks,” Jorge Amaral concluded.

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