Farioli ends 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, and two more league victories, against Moreirense and Sp. Braga, which allowed them to remain comfortably at the top. Along the way, the Italian coach’s resource management throughout the month proved decisive, a strategy that should 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 started matches.

By expressing his gratitude on several occasions to 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 in 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 run of seven matches between the home game against Arouca and the away trip to Braga, a period in which the team started playing twice a week, it is clear that Farioli took care not to overload 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 is remarkable balance in the distribution of minutes, which helped keep squad rotation high at a decisive stage. Another relevant fact 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 of 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 high tempo at all times, since in both the Europa League and the Portuguese Cup, knockout competitions, there is no room for error. 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 allow for no distractions.

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