What sets André Villas-Boas and Farioli apart in FC Porto’s flying start | OneFootball

FC Porto remains undefeated at the start of the new season, already tallying seven consecutive victories. The debut of Francesco Farioli has been remarkable, particularly the triumph in stoppage time against RB Salzburg in Austria, which placed him alongside president André Villas-Boas in a nearly exclusive record.

According to the specialized platform Playmaker, only two coaches in FC Porto's history have managed to win their first seven games. They are Farioli and Villas-Boas.

Villas-Boas additionally maintained a unique performance by extending this winning streak for four more matches in 2010/11. Farioli's new goal is now to achieve 11 consecutive victories and match the feat of the current president of the blue and white club. Thus, Farioli's challenge has arrived: to reach the mark of 11 games and 'imitate' the accomplishment of the club's top leader.

This FC Porto team, led by Francesco Farioli, has only victories in 2025/26, a contrast to the difficulties shown in the previous season.

The victories over Vitória SC (3-0), Gil Vicente (0-2), Casa Pia (4-0), Sporting (2-1), Nacional (1-0), Rio Ave (3-0) and RB Salzburg (1-0) have boosted the fans' optimism, especially since FC Porto already leads the league alone, with a three-point advantage over Sporting and four over Benfica.

In goal, Diogo Costa – who appears to have regained his performance – has only conceded one goal, an own goal by Nehuén Pérez against Sporting, so the goalkeeper's record is not entirely immaculate.

Offensively, FC Porto has already scored 16 goals, approaching Villas-Boas' start in 2010. That season, the Portistas recorded, after seven games, 18 goals scored and four conceded. In terms of the balance, the FC Porto of 2025/26 has a positive balance of 15, while that of 2010/11 had 14.

What separates Villas-Boas and Farioli?

With Villas-Boas, the winning streak ended on October 4, with a draw at Vitória SC (1-1), in the 12th game of the season. Before that match, the dragons had defeated Benfica (2-0) in the Supercup, Naval (1-0), Genk (0-3 and 4-2), Beira-Mar (3-0), Rio Ave (2-0), Sp. Braga (3-2), Rapid Vienna (2-0), Nacional (2-0), Olhanense (2-0) and CSKA Sofia (0-1).

It is worth remembering that Farioli took over with a revolution in the squad underway, while Villas-Boas at that time had players capable of deciding matches instantly, like Hulk, James Rodríguez or Radamel Falcao. It is noteworthy that Farioli found a team in renewal, while Villas-Boas had big impact names.

To match the record of 11 consecutive victories at the start of the season, Francesco Farioli will have to overcome Arouca, Red Star, Benfica and Celoricense.

The most demanding test will likely be the derby with Benfica, scheduled for October 5 at the Dragon Stadium, directed by José Mourinho. If he wins the game against the rival, the FC Porto coach will be very close to matching Villas-Boas' record, especially since the next opponent is Celoricense, who competes in the Portuguese Championship, in a match of the 3rd round of the Portuguese Cup.

Europa League in sight

Parallel to the fight for the national title, Francesco Farioli also has ambitions in the Europa League, where he could follow in the footsteps of Villas-Boas and award a new European trophy to FC Porto, 15 years later.

The Portista emblem is pointed out as one of the candidates for the competition, occupying the seventh position in the predictions of Opta before the start of the competition. The model indicates a 42.8% chance of reaching the quarter-finals and a 5.3% probability of winning the title.

The English team Aston Villa appears as the main favorites, with a 23.3% probability of final victory in the Europa League.

Only time will tell if Farioli's explosive start will have the same outcome as the FC Porto led by Villas-Boas in 2010/2011.

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