“There’s a new story to tell and we’re motivated” | OneFootball

FC Porto’s Under-19 team began pre-season training this Monday at the CTFD Jorge Costa. José João did not hide his satisfaction at being back and is excited about the new challenge of leading a team that is getting ever closer to professional football. “Our main objective is to place more and more players in the B team and the first team,” explains the coach, who stresses the need for the players to always work at their maximum.

“Pre-season is very important, and it is even more important to know, from the very first day, what identity we are going to create as a team and what our principles for the season will be,” says the coach, for whom “the achievements of the past will have no impact on the present,” since “there is a new story to tell” in 2026/27.

Excitement about returning“It feels very good. Even though the holidays are short, we always feel a great eagerness to get back on the pitch with the players. We are ambitious. This season we will have a different challenge, but an interesting one, given the aspirations for this team. That is why we are very excited and happy to be back.”

The challenge of managing the Under-19s“It is a good challenge. This is a team that is already very close to the professional football environment, and our main objective is to place more and more players in the B team and the first team. We want our players to be prepared for the challenge and the demands of coach João Brandão and coach Francesco Farioli. That is why our players always have to be at the limit and always give their maximum, because the passion and intensity with which this Club is lived must always be at the limit. We have to instil that in our players every day. More important than thinking about titles is thinking about how we can place our players in professional football.”

Greater responsibility“It is an interesting challenge for me, because we are getting closer and closer to professionalism, and that also increases our responsibility every day. I feel good about that, about that professionalism, that daily pressure and that passion. We spend more time at our home base, which is very important, and we are surrounded by FC Porto’s DNA.”

The transition from Under-17s to Under-19s“The Under-19 championship is different from the Under-17 championship, because there is greater investment in the teams. Anyone who wants to be at this Club and at this level has to know how to live with this constant adrenaline.”

The challenges of preparation“Pre-season is very important, and it is even more important to know, from the very first day, what identity we are going to create as a team and what our principles for the season will be. We are hugely hungry to better ourselves and to push beyond our limits every day. What we did in the past will not have any impact on the present. There is a new story to tell, we have new things to do, and we are highly motivated, with passion and intensity very much alive and our blood boiling as we aim to have a season full of quality and competence.”

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