More than just minutes: Rodrigo Mora shows his commitment to the Dragons | OneFootball

The arrival of Francesco Farioli at FC Porto changed the trajectory of Rodrigo Mora. Until now, he had been an almost certain presence in the starting eleven, but this season’s tactical shift has resulted in fewer minutes for him, as he often finds himself on the bench as a substitute for Gabri Veiga whenever the latter is available.

Both players have featured in five matches, but the way the Portuguese midfielder has been used tends to favor coming off the bench to give the Spaniard a rest when his performance drops—resulting in almost double the minutes: less than 200 for Mora and more than 300 for the former Al Ahli player.

In this Friday’s sixth-round match, in which FC Porto defeated Rio Ave 3-0, the scenario did not favor the 18-year-old: Gabri Veiga returned to the starting eleven after two games and delivered his best performance since joining the Invicta club, scoring one goal and providing two assists before making way for Rodrigo Mora.

The main challenge for both lies in their similar profiles and positioning on the field, which limits Farioli’s options within his intense 4-3-3 system—only one of the two can be chosen at a time, making it difficult for them to coexist on the pitch.

Renewal gives positive indicators for the future

The investment in renewing the young player’s contract right after he turned 18, a decision made by the board led by André Villas-Boas, gives clues about the club’s project for this gem from Olival.

The €70 million release clause reflects the confidence in Rodrigo Mora’s potential, who extended his contract until June 2030 with the ambition of winning more titles for the blue and whites.

“This renewal means a lot to me, I’m very happy. I just turned 18 and I think it was the best gift I could have received. It’s a huge honor to be able to continue at this club, and it’s a source of pride for me and my family. I have to thank the Board, who believed in me, all my teammates, and my whole family for helping me get here,” he said at the signing of the new contract.

“This won’t end here. I hope to bring much more joy to the club and the fans. I will continue to be the same person and the same player and always give my all for this club. I joined FC Porto very early, at nine years old, and I wanted to keep progressing in my career to reach the first team, where I am now. I’m very happy to continue here for many more years,” he added.

For the blue and whites, Rodrigo Mora has already played 40 matches, leaving his mark with 11 goals and four assists in all competitions over the last two seasons.

Mora has already changed his attitude towards the challenge

With the transfer window closed, there seems to have been a change in attitude from the Dragons’ number 86 regarding the fight for more minutes.

Previously, he would react dejectedly when not called up, but now there is a greater hunger for the game and a more team-oriented attitude, shown by his awareness that he needs to improve defensively for the benefit of the team.

“[Central midfielder] is a new position, it requires more defensive commitment, something I’m working on. For the team to be better, I have to give more defensively and I will always give my best. Offensively, I’ll continue to be the same. Defensively, a bit more withdrawn,” the young player told Canal 11 in a reflective tone.

The U21 international has been getting more minutes from the blue and whites’ coach, even though he is not a starter in most matches, with the occasions when he is starting due to Gabri Veiga’s physical problems, as happened in the match against Sporting at Alvalade.

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