Farioli confident for the season run-in: “We’re going for it all” | OneFootball

FC Porto travel to Nottingham Forest’s ground, the City Ground, this Thursday for the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. After a 1-1 draw in the Invicta, the Dragons are now looking to seal qualification for the semi-finals. Francesco Farioli, coach of the blue and whites, previewed the match.

Francesco Farioli speaking directly:

The team’s current moment: “We are at the best possible level in physical and psychological terms. The work over the last few days has been very positive. We know the level of the opponent we are going to face, we know the difficulties ahead of us. We will have to show a lot of respect, but, on the other hand, we clearly want to play all our cards.”

Returning to the City Ground: “Playing here gave us a good idea of what the atmosphere will be like. The fact that we have already played two matches gives us a good understanding of the players’ individual qualities and helps with the work we have been doing. As for the tactical scenario, I believe there could still be changes tomorrow. When we played here the first time, Sean Dyche was in charge. Since then, Vítor [Pereira] has arrived, and tomorrow we expect some changes and we have to be prepared.”

Right-back position: “One solution could be Pablo [Rosario]. He has helped us in several positions and also as a right-back. It is one of the most logical solutions, but of course there are other possibilities.”

Incidents involving Moffi and Francisco Moura: “You mentioned an incident that made me very happy. First, because Francisco and Terem are two lads who give everything they have. Terem [Moffi] was coming off a match where he made some mistakes, Francisco went through a period that was not easy. It is important to have everyone on board in this final stretch.

What made me even happier was the initiative of having the players go over to the fans. And that says a lot about the environment we are in. All the people who play an essential role sometimes do so invisibly. As Thiago says, it is everyone’s work. That does not guarantee trophies, but it helps us get closer to success. And that says a lot about the Porto famiglia.”

Decisive stage of the season: “I think a good performance [vs Estoril] always helps build confidence levels, but we have had that level of demand since the start of the season. Game after game. Different competitions, different opponents, different tactics. The players’ ability to readjust depending on the type of match they are going to play is very positive.

The game against Famalicão did not go as we wanted, but it was one less positive point in a season that has been very positive. We intend to fight for everything, because we are working at a level that allows us to have that ambition.”

Poor record in England: “We do not want to break records, we want to write an important page in FC Porto’s history. We want to make our fans happy. The support we are receiving from them is not normal. In the last match, there were 2,000 people by the bus, tomorrow the stadium will be full again. Against Famalicão, the stadium was completely blue.”

Managing Bednarek: “He is a player who is used to dealing with certain workloads and that is an important factor. We take individual approaches with all the players. It is no secret, but I believe that even more important than being a footballer is being an athlete, having the conditions needed to perform well on the pitch. Physically and mentally, this is very demanding.

We approach every game to win, we try to control every game, we try to be the protagonists and have a lot of the ball. We have been playing like this for 7 or 8 months and of course that forces us to make some decisions, to give some rest to the players. And I think it has gone well so far. We will see whether we continue like this or whether it will be necessary to change something.”

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