Farioli: Good form, but tough times in football are close | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli presented this Wednesday the preview of the match between FC Porto and RB Salzburg, regarding the first round of the regular phase of the Europa League.

The Dragons' coach anticipates a demanding opponent and criticized the condition of the pitch where the game will be played.

Farioli acknowledges that FC Porto is going through a good moment, but reminds that the team must remain vigilant in the face of possible less positive phases.

Salzburg: “There are some similarities, no doubt. Before going deeper, Salzburg has depth, likes to press a lot, always looks at the game in a more vertical way, it’s a team with many duels. There will be moments during the game when we’ll have to play their way, and others when we’ll need to bring the game to our own style. We’ll have to be smart in managing this during the match.”

Good moment for the team: “The not-so-positive moments in football are always just around the corner. We can’t relax. On the contrary, we must always pay attention to the details and to everything we can improve. I’m sure we’ll be prepared for that tomorrow. On the other side, we’ll certainly face a team that will also try to start strong to change the course of their recent results.”

Victory in the Europa League?: “For us it’s very simple. We have to work with the same commitment and desire every day. We want to go as far as possible. Being in Porto means we’re at one end of Europe and Istanbul is at the other end of Europe.”

State of the pitch: “For me, it’s not an excuse, it’s a fact. We’re going to play on a pitch that is not, at all, at the level of a European night: for football, but also for the safety of the players. There are so many rules in football, sometimes we even complain about the color of the socks. Of course, these are things that are important, but we definitely cannot accept having to play on this type of pitch, which is one of the main features of the game. We’ll play tomorrow, but I believe going through this shouldn’t be necessary.”

Rotation?: “We’ll always approach it game by game. That’s what we want and it’s the way I usually act. We’ll try to line up with the best eleven possible to maximize our chances of winning the games. European nights are prestigious and must be played. I believe in the power of this group. Some players haven’t played that much, but even so, when they were called upon, they performed well. We have to be prepared for everything. It’s a good opportunity for the whole group. We’re going through a good moment and we need to keep working hard to maintain this momentum.”

Going to Austria means triumph in the Europa League: “It’s a coincidence, but in May we’ll see if it’s more than just a coincidence. There’s information and data that are interesting. This morning, I shared a very interesting one with the players: in the last 16 FC Porto games in the Europa League, we’ve only had two away wins in 13 years. That tells us there’s something that needs to change in the way we approach these types of games. Tomorrow will be the first step in that direction. We’re very focused on this mission ahead of us, against a great opponent.”

Diogo Costa: “It’s a great privilege to have one of the best goalkeepers in the world on the team. It’s a privilege from a technical point of view, of course, but also everything he means to the club and to the group. He wears the armband and is an example in everything he does. It’s not just praise. I hope the management negotiates excellently and extends his contract for a long time.”

1 goal conceded in 6 games: “For us, the important thing is the present. The results and the good moment among the fans and in the city, we have to be the ones to motivate all that. When we give them something, they give us back double. The results have been good, the games have been ‘OK’, but believe me, there’s a lot to improve. I realize our consistency doesn’t last for the full 90 minutes. The level tomorrow has to be very high, as always.”

Return of the injured: “Good news, everyone is about to return, except for Luuk de Jong, who will still take a few more weeks. Alberto returned a few days ago, he’s been doing well but we still have to consider if he can play tomorrow. In the case of Martim and Alan, things are better, but we have to consider the opinion of the Performance Unit. We’ll do everything in our power to achieve the best possible result tomorrow.”

Group’s receptiveness to his ideas: “We’ve always tried to add something new to each game and each match has taken us to different scenarios. The basic principles are always present, but there are new things in every game. I’m very grateful to have a group that is very receptive and accepts all the ideas we propose to them.”

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