Maniche picks Froholdt as Porto’s standout, Pablo Rosario the big surprise | OneFootball

Maniche looked at FC Porto’s season and handed out praise and criticism with the clarity of someone who reads the game without beating around the bush. The former international highlighted Froholdt as the main figure behind the triumph, pointed to Pablo Rosario as the biggest surprise, and identified structural aspects the team can still improve for the future. At its core, he sketched a picture of usefulness, balance, and room for growth, and assured: “Pablo Rosario.”

In his assessment of the season, Maniche went straight to the point and chose the faces that, in his eyes, best sum up FC Porto’s performances. Between individual distinctions and collective adjustments, the message running through his answers is simple: there were clear protagonists, but also details in the team’s play that still need fine-tuning.

When asked who was the main figure in FC Porto’s title win, the answer came without hesitation and focused on the qualities that carry the most weight within the team.

“Froholdt, young but with above-average maturity. For his willingness, for the intensity he brings to the game, the ability he has to get into finishing areas,” he said. “Ease in the defensive process. For the way he balances the team.”

The choice reveals the value Maniche places on the player who fills spaces, raises the tempo and, at the same time, brings order to the collective. More than just an isolated standout, Froholdt appears here as a connecting piece, one of those players who helps explain why a team holds together.

As for the biggest surprise of the season, the former midfielder once again emphasized usefulness and the ability to respond in different game scenarios.

“Pablo Rosario. A very useful player in difficult moments, with his experience and easy adaptation to all dynamics and processes, as he played at full-back, centre-back and in midfield,” he stressed. “A player always willing to help the team and give it consistency.”

It is a reading that points less to brilliance and more to reliability, a kind of coach’s praise from someone who knows the weight of invisible balances. Rosario thus appears as a solution to various problems and as a trusted presence in demanding contexts.

In his final answer, Maniche shifted the focus away from individual names and moved into the territory of collective build-up, identifying what FC Porto can still improve in the next stage.

“Above all, the first phase of build-up. The circulation of the ball has to be quicker. A centre-back cannot or should not have the ball at his feet for more than four seconds,” he explained. “Then they can improve in terms of creativity in the final 30 metres. The ability the forwards need to have in the collective game. But I think one of the things FC Porto has to improve is when they have to defend in a low block and give up pressing high. When they defend high and man-to-man, they defend very well; when they drop deeper and move into more zonal marking, they lose references and become more exposed.”

In Maniche’s diagnosis, there is an idea of identity: the team responds better when it compresses the field, presses high and keeps clear references. What is missing, in his view, is to speed up the base of the build-up, gain imagination near the box and not lose solidity when the game forces them to drop back.

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