Farioli closes March with 20 “starters” and FC Porto strong on all fronts | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli's team ended March on a high, with two wins over Stuttgart that secured qualification for the Europa League quarter-finals, as well as two more league victories, against Moreirense and Sp. Braga, which allowed them to remain comfortably at the top of the table. Along the way, the Italian coach’s resource management throughout the month proved decisive, a strategy that is expected to continue in April, as the schedule will remain demanding, now at an even more decisive stage of the season. Farioli is not lying when he says everyone gets opportunities in the starting eleven. The proof is that, among the 21 players used during this period, 20 were starters.

By repeatedly thanking president André Villas-Boas and the rest of the SAD board for the squad made available to him and for the ‘upgrade’ carried out in January, Francesco Farioli highlighted the depth of the group, which has allowed him to rotate the team without any loss of quality, both in performances and results. The arrivals of Pietuszewski, Thiago Silva, Fofana and Moffi, as well as Zaidu’s resurgence, helped freshen up the team at a stage when there were already signs of some fatigue.

In the seven-match run between the home game against Arouca and the trip to Braga, a period in which the team began playing twice a week, it is clear that Farioli was careful not to overburden the players too much.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa and centre-back Jan Bednarek, in positions less exposed to physical wear and tear, were the players most used by the coach, with Froholdt, Kiwior, Pepê and Alberto Costa close behind. From there, there was notable balance in the distribution of minutes, which helped keep team rotation high at a decisive stage. Another relevant point is that only 11 players exceeded half of the total minutes played.

April full of challenges

If March already represented a demanding test of squad management, due to the six matches played, what can be said about the schedule awaiting the Dragons in April, a month in which seven matches are already guaranteed and which could rise to eight if the team progresses to the Europa League semi-finals.

The side managed by Francesco Farioli will have to maintain a consistently high tempo, since in both the Europa League and the Portuguese Cup, knockout competitions, there is no room for mistakes. In the league, FC Porto hold a comfortable seven-point lead over Sporting and Benfica, although the Lions have a game in hand, but upcoming fixtures such as those against Famalicão and Estoril do not allow for any lapses in concentration.

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