Farioli wants title-winning FC Porto to end season among elite | OneFootball

Starting with one of the great foundations of FC Porto’s campaign in the league: the defense. Simply and objectively, the Dragons stand out as the most efficient team across Europe’s seven major leagues. The 15 goals conceded in 32 matchdays amount to an average of 0.47 per 90 minutes, lower than any other team in those competitions and, interestingly, the podium is completed by their rivals: Benfica with 0.69 and Sporting with 0.71. If we go back to 2014/15, we find an FC Porto side that was even harder to break down, with just 13 goals conceded in the entire competition, but they finished in second place, three points behind the Eagles.

There are, however, other indicators showing that this is not just about defensive solidity, but also a huge ability to make life difficult for the opposition. Francesco Farioli’s team uses pressing as one of its main weapons and is one of the sides that allows the fewest passes per opponent possession, with an average of 7.83, slightly above NEC (7.68) and below Barcelona (8.17), who sit in third. All of this helps the Dragons allow just 2.38 shots on target per 90 minutes, better than Arsenal (2.49) and PSG (3). The fact that FC Porto stands out in all these categories already says a lot, but there is another figure as well, one that also has an influence on the attacking side: the national champions are the strongest in aerial duels, with 54.16%, ahead of Manchester City (53.2%) and Barça (52.4%).

Defensive solidity naturally shows up in Diogo Costa’s numbers, but there is one statistic that does not depend only on that and may even be the most appealing of all: the Portuguese league points record. Two wins would mean 91 points, the same total the club reached in its previous title-winning campaign, in 2021/22, with Sérgio Conceição in charge.

Diogo Costa continues to make history

By helping FC Porto beat Alverca 1-0, Diogo Costa reached his 20th clean sheet in the league and surpassed Iker Casillas’ mark, set in 2016/17. If he keeps another two clean sheets, the Dragons’ captain will break into the competition’s all-time top 10, matching the 84 recorded by Matheus Magalhães and Cássio. Even so, taking into account the number of matches played, Diogo’s efficiency is clearly superior and currently stands at 49.1%. Interestingly, the list is led by two Porto goalkeepers: Helton, with 154 clean sheets and a 51.5% rate, and Vítor Baía, with 227 and 58%.

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