Farioli: “Our rivals want to bring FC Porto down” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli, coach of FC Porto, explained his decision not to play with two forwards at the same time during the draw against Utrecht in the UEFA Europa League, despite the team having a numerical advantage.

“Deniz was quite tired when he came off, the game was very demanding. It was a physical and tactical reason. Gabri was the best player on the pitch during several phases of the game. I felt we needed him until the end to appear more in the penalty area. Deniz was even used as a winger against Moreirense. There can be many scenarios,” he commented at the press conference, previewing the match against Famalicão.

The coach was also asked about the difficulties in the team’s last two victories.

“A game lasts 90 minutes, scoring in the first or the 90th minute counts the same. We have to manage, expectations are high because of the way we started, people feel that winning 2-0 or 3-0 is normal… But it’s not like that. In the league, in Europe, in the Cup, the games are very tough. Sometimes we unlock them early, but in others we have to fight and compete until the end,” he said.

“I’ve talked about this a few times, I think a narrative has been built that isn’t healthy, but it’s normal. Our rivals and the media want to put FC Porto down. But we want to see the team united. We will face difficulties as a family, the Porto family. This is the time for us to be united, when we need our fans, to keep fighting just as we have since the start of the season,” he added, calling for the fans to unite around the team.

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