Jaime Magalhães: “Luck is always with champions” | OneFootball

Jaime Magalhães, former FC Porto captain, analyzed the decisive stage of the Primeira Liga at a time when the dragons are getting ever closer to winning the much-coveted national title. Speaking exclusively to Desporto ao Minuto, the former midfielder stressed that, although everything points in that direction, nothing is guaranteed yet.

FC Porto are seven points clear at the top of the table, although Sporting have a game in hand. The blue-and-white side’s advantage is comfortable and, theoretically, the matches coming up in the final seven rounds seem more manageable.

Even so, Jaime Magalhães prefers to stay calm and remind everyone that nothing is settled, keeping full focus on the matches ahead.

“It’s not guaranteed, but we’re halfway there. Sunday’s win was very important so we could keep that points gap over both the second- and third-placed teams. In any case, we have to think about the next game, which also won’t be easy, and of course anything is possible. As the players usually say, game by game, trying to win every match until the end,” he began, before explaining what Francesco Farioli’s team still need to do to stay top of the league.

“We need to keep winning points until the end, right? And maintain this winning attitude, with great humility, strong determination, and togetherness among all the players and beyond. The staff, the coaching team, everyone, so that we can then celebrate at the end of the season,” he continued.

Looking back on the season, the former player noted that it has been a “very long campaign” and did not forget the injuries that have affected Porto’s squad. For that reason, he says the “coach has to improvise” and that Francesco Farioli has “improvised a lot and it has worked.”

“Normally, when you change three or four players, it all falls apart. FC Porto’s coach has also had that luck with the players coming in, since seven or eight players have managed to ensure there haven’t been major differences,” he said.

“On top of that, the performances haven’t been spectacular, but we’ve been winning. That’s also part of the league. Not playing very well, but winning. And if we get to the end like that, we’ll be champions,” he reflected.

“Luck is always with the champions”

Asked whether FC Porto have benefited from some luck in their results, given that they have not always produced eye-catching performances, Jaime Magalhães admitted that it takes a mix of factors and that the dragons went looking for that luck.

“We had difficulty finding a solid defence. Our centre-backs suffered injuries, the club managed to adapt and sign players, even some of a certain age, who were also able to help FC Porto achieve defensive stability. They also signed two strong midfield players. Then our striker got injured as well, and we had to go into the market and buy one too,” he explained.

For that reason, he stressed that the blue-and-white club tried to strengthen itself in the best possible way so that those obstacles would not affect performances over the course of the season.

“It’s a lot all at once, but FC Porto end up going after their luck. And luck is always with the champions,” he argued.

Finally, he rejected the idea that FC Porto have been superior to their rivals, not least because Portugal’s big three “are on the same level.” Even so, Jaime Magalhães noted that Sporting, Benfica and the dragons all dropped points against other teams, and that this is part of the league.

“When one of them slips up, normally the others take advantage. FC Porto also ended up losing to teams they would not usually drop points against. The league has those things and, in the end, there is always one that gets there first. And in this case, I hope it’s FC Porto,” he concluded.

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