Samu’s got strength, but where’s the skill? It’s with Mora and Gabri | OneFootball

“If FC Porto loses the ball in the offensive midfield, Sporting has very fast players up front and can create a lot of danger. As for Sporting, when pressured in their midfield, they often lose many balls near the area, and FC Porto can take advantage. It will be a game of errors, and we'll see if Sporting's superior technique outweighs FC Porto's greater collective strength,” he said in statements to the Lusa agency.

FC Porto, the leader of the Primeira Liga with 55 points, will host the second-placed team, Sporting, which has 51 points, on Monday at 20:45, in the 21st round match. This is the second encounter between the teams this season, following Porto's 2-1 victory in the first round at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.

The unexpected defeat of the 'blues and whites' in the previous round, their first in the championship, against Casa Pia (2-1), allowed the 'lions' to reduce the gap from seven to four points, a factor that, according to Inácio, could influence Rui Borges' approach to the game.

“Until Monday's game, FC Porto had enormous confidence. It's no coincidence that they had, in 19 games, 18 wins and one draw. Sporting lost at home to Porto and was seven points behind. Things have changed, and now Sporting knows they have a great opportunity,” he explained.

Augusto Inácio, who represented the 'lions' as a player between 1974/75 and 1981/82 and the 'dragons' between 1982/83 and 1988/89, having also coached both teams, highlights that despite the improvement compared to last season, FC Porto still suffers from a lack of creativity.

“At the start of the season, FC Porto had some games with impeccable dynamics, intensity, and attitude. Then, they stopped winning so clearly. The performances took a back seat, and they started winning more through determination, grit, and will. Everything that made FC Porto victorious was not enough against a well-organized team like Casa Pia,” he analyzed.

Regarding the limitations against more compact teams, Inácio considers that the Primeira Liga leader has flaws: “Borja Sainz is a gritty player, Pepê is the only one with more technique in FC Porto's attack. Samu has strength, but where is the technique? It's in Rodrigo Mora and Gabri Veiga, but that's it. Varela, Pablo Rosario, and Froholdt are natural workers, and FC Porto is valued for its defensive capability, but sometimes more is needed.”

On the other hand, the national champion, considered more technically gifted, may find it more challenging to regain possession and “maintain consistency” throughout the 90 minutes.

“I know it's a paradox, but Sporting has it all. Trincão is creative, Geny [Catamo] disrupts, Suárez is a scorer, and there's also Pote. And FC Porto is the one in first place. (…) Because they haven't managed to perform consistently. Even recently, against Nacional and even Arouca, they faced many difficulties and were much better before than they are now,” he reflected.

Regarding the title race, Inácio argues that a victory for FC Porto or even a draw clearly favors the Porto team, but a win for Sporting could profoundly change the landscape, recalling the case of Farioli at Ajax, when they lost the Dutch championship last season.

“If FC Porto wins, they practically have the title in their hands, and if they draw, they still depend on themselves, although they can't afford any slip-ups. (…) If Sporting wins, that doubt, those jitters, enter the Porto team. There will be much talk about Farioli's period at Ajax when they had a nine-point lead with five rounds to go and lost the championship. It's already being whispered,” he concluded.

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