Francesco Farioli and the big games: “I’m a bit paranoid there…” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli, FC Porto head coach, spoke at the press conference ahead of the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final against Sporting this Wednesday (8:45pm) at the Estádio do Dragão. Farioli discussed the strategy for the match, recalled Pepê’s play at Alvalade and reinforced his confidence in Varela to keep taking penalties.

Will FC Porto, trailing, be more attacking?

“It’s always a matter of preference. The key is to approach the game play by play and put in a great performance. It’s true that we go into it 1-0 down, but we can’t fall into the trap of losing our heads in the very first minute. We have to start strongly, of course, but that’s something we do in every game. Against them, we’ve always had different approaches. Sometimes it seems that having more possession makes us more attacking, but I’ve already spoken about the number of balls we recover in the opposition half to show our aggressiveness, especially without the ball. With the ball, in my opinion, the most important thing is to have a structure that can be more conservative, with more passes and more patience. If you attack quickly at the wrong moment, you leave yourself exposed to counter-attacks, and that’s something we want to avoid. Tomorrow will be a game that has to be well prepared for all possible scenarios. If we score early, if everything stays level… We have to be ready, and we are, even though we haven’t had much time to prepare for the game.

Mentally, we’re in the right place; tactically, we’ll do our best; and physically, after the game against Tondela — the third match with the most sprint distance covered — and against Nottingham — with 10 players — that shows where the team is physically. It’s not enough, but they are signs that make me believe we’re on the right path to put in a great performance tomorrow. But we’re not playing alone; we’ll be up against a top team, and the combination of several factors will decide the outcome of the game.”

Two matches so far apart in time

“That’s true. Comparing the matches against Nottingham, which are a week apart, with this one, it’s a different story. The image we should start from is Pepê’s sprint in the 90+6th minute, when he stopped a Sporting player who was through on goal. I believe that challenge could be the tackle that secures qualification, the one that left us in a better position to qualify. And it represents very well who we are, the way this team behaves, the sacrifice each player puts in on the pitch every day. And Pepê, more than anyone else, is the image of this group. He’s been heavily criticised for not scoring in the league, but he has an invisible contribution — very visible, in my opinion. Whenever he hasn’t been able to help with a goal, he has helped with something else, an assist or work that created better conditions for a teammate. And what he did at Alvalade with that sprint in the final minute of the game is the starting point for us to reconnect with this match. And I fully believe that may have been the action we will remember tomorrow, after the game, as one of the decisive ones.”

FC Porto more confident in big games

“I don’t know about a difference in mentality. I know it may be hard to believe for those on the outside, but if you ask the players, the preparation is exactly the same, whether it’s against one of the league’s top teams, a Europa League side, or another team from the lower end of the table. Or even against a lower-division side in the Cup. In that respect, I’m a bit paranoid, because I like to look at every game through the same lens, with the same approach. I try to keep the routines as much as possible. Of course, you have to understand that in some games there are different moments, but my job and one of my main rules is to respect every opponent in the same way. As for our performances against the big teams, so far we’ve done a great job. But the past is the past. Tomorrow’s game is a different one, a different moment in the season, a game with a lot at stake. And our focus has to be on everything that happens. If it takes 90 minutes, if it takes 120, and if it takes penalties, we have to be ready. What we want is clear: to reach the final. And you can be sure we’ll do everything we can to get there.”

The team practised penalties

“We practised penalties, just as we did before Nottingham Forest. Then it’s hard to reproduce the pressure and emotions of a match, although we try a few tricks to create a little extra pressure. Alan has already taken a penalty against Vitória and we have total confidence in him. If needed, there’s no doubt he will take responsibility and have the personality to step up and score.”

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