Farioli on Porto-Arouca penalty: Red and green mixed, no debate | OneFootball

Physically speaking, how is the team? Is there room to manage the players' usage in this match? “Physically, we are very well. At the best moment of the season. Two days ago, I shared with the players that in the 37 games we’ve played, we have always run more than our opponents. Against Arouca, it was the biggest game in terms of volume, the previous one in terms of intensity. On that front, I have no fear that we will be ready to challenge them on the field and, if necessary, off it. That alone isn’t enough to win, but it’s a condition to stay close.”

Substitutions usually happen around the 60th minute—about 75% of the time. Is there a tendency to stick to the plan or adapt according to the game? “If you look at the past, I am very analytical in these situations. If you want to reach a point where you have physical availability… I’ve already said that I like to train with 24 or 25 players who are at a good level. And we are where we are now because the players connected with our short- and long-term plan. They know how we think and that everyone will have decisive roles. I am grateful to have players for different positions. For example, Gabri and Rodrigo. Oskar is from 2008, he’s adapting to a different reality. If I take them off at 60 minutes, it doesn’t mean they didn’t have the energy to finish the games. It’s what I believe in, and you saw that William came on and was decisive. But sometimes the game forces you to change—an injury, a problem… But I like to go onto the field with a vision of the different scenarios.”

Do you understand why there was controversy raised by opponents regarding the penalty awarded against Arouca? “About the penalty, there is no doubt it was a foul. The good replay images are clear, Fofana is shooting and there’s contact, the referee is two meters away and saw what he saw, he heard the sound of the contact. There’s no discussion. But we’re in a week where it’s good to prepare for different scenarios. The mix of red and green came together… There’s no controversy, it’s part of the game. We accept it. If we talked about everything that happened this season, it would be an entire press conference.”

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