Pepê loses lustre at FC Porto, but remains key for Farioli | OneFootball

Pepê’s exuberant start to the current season suggested that the Brazilian winger would surpass all his previous records, such was the impact he had on FC Porto’s attack during the perfect beginning of the Francesco Farioli era. With peace of mind after renewing his contract until June 2028, with an option for another season, the number 11 remained one of the team’s key players, carrying into the new managerial cycle the consistency and commitment that have always defined him.

Over the last five years wearing the Dragão shirt, Pepê has accustomed fans and coaches alike – from Sérgio Conceição to Farioli – to a consistent level, tremendous intensity and irreproachable commitment. Even so, as the season progressed, the winger lost some of his sharpness, without ever ceasing to be a reliable option for the Italian coach. The match in Braga was a good example: less decisive than usual, he ended up being replaced in the 55th minute by William Gomes, who scored the goal that reignited Porto’s comeback.

The images showed a Pepê unhappy with the substitution, something natural in a player who lives the game intensely and feels the weight of the shirt. Even so, the Brazilian – record holder for most appearances in a single season, with 55 matches in 2022/23 – has enough room and maturity to return to his best level in the decisive stage of the calendar that lies ahead.

It is worth remembering that Pepê, after already having been used as a right-back by Sérgio Conceição, is now the FC Porto winger who contributes the most defensively whenever the team loses the ball. That ability to recover possession and help his teammates, so highly valued in modern football, reinforces the Brazilian’s importance in the team’s dynamics and helps keep the side balanced in transition moments.

Farioli’s appreciation for Pepê’s technical and tactical qualities is well known, and he sees the player as crucial to FC Porto’s attacking balance. Since January 26, against Gil Vicente, he has had no direct involvement in goals, and the last one he scored dates back to last December, against Famalicão – precisely the next opponent.

His place in the starting eleven does not seem to be under threat, but Pepê knows the team expects greater efficiency from him in the final decisions and the flair that has so often set him apart. Everything points to it being only a matter of time before the Brazilian winger makes the difference again, as he has done so many times since arriving at the Dragão.

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