Miguel Coelho buoyant after Braga win: “Game 4 must match this mentality” | OneFootball

Miguel Coelho left Dragão Arena satisfied with the return to the venue after the 3-0 win over Braga that left FC Porto just one step away from the national women’s volleyball title. Rather than analyzing the match in detail, the coach preferred to highlight the team’s response, the atmosphere in the arena and, above all, the need to repeat the same attitude in the next game. At the heart of his message was an unequivocal demand — and the coach assured: “Game 4 cannot be any different.”

As the series moves closer to a decision, Miguel Coelho spoke with the urgency of someone who knows that a lead only has value if it is confirmed in the next match. The FC Porto coach said less about tactical aspects and more about identity, as if he wanted to establish right away the idea that must withstand the euphoria of a clear victory.

When asked what stood out most from the home win, the coach answered objectively and chose to emphasize the way the team and the crowd experienced this third match, already with their eyes on what comes next.

“We play again in three days, so I’m not going to say much about the game. If we didn’t like the way we approached Game 2 as much, I really liked the way the team and the arena approached this Game 3, seeing the players’ typical aggression and the good aggression from the arena, which helped us win this third set. Those are the positive things I take from it,” he said. “Now we’re already going to prepare for Game 4 and we don’t want to be one team from Game 1 to Game 2 and another from the third to the fourth. This is one step at a time, but in every step we have to have the mentality we had today. The team works very hard and fully deserves every victory we’ve had throughout the season. We have good people in this team. Game 4 cannot be any different from this one in terms of mentality. We can make mistakes — the game is made of mistakes — but this way of approaching competition is ours and it has to be ours.”

In Miguel Coelho’s words, it was clear that he refused to let the result speak for itself. Above all, the coach valued continuity: the right aggression, the right atmosphere, the right mentality. And that, more than the 3-0 scoreline, is what he wants to carry into the next chapter of the series.

The coach also underlined the emotional dimension of the moment, openly acknowledging the team’s ambition, while reminding everyone that the desire to win the title only makes sense if it is properly managed.

“We saw a team that really wanted to win Game 3 to win the championship. That has been the number one goal since we started working. The players share this feeling. We really want to win the championship,” he stressed. “That was the mentality I saw. We deserve for it to be ours and we have to make it happen. Just wanting it is not enough if anxiety takes over. We have to turn this desire into something positive and into a few smiles on the court that help us play better. That’s what we want for Game 4.”

Between ambition and control, Miguel Coelho thus painted a picture of what he wants to see when the decision returns to the court. Want it badly, yes, but without rushing; go after the goal, but with the clarity of someone who knows that, in these moments, the mind matters just as much as technique.

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