Farioli praises Mora: “He shone defensively against Sporting” | OneFootball

Due to Gabri Veiga's injury, Rodrigo Mora was a starter in Alvalade and Francesco Farioli was pleased with his performance. The FC Porto coach praised the young midfielder's defensive commitment and emphasized that this attitude is one of the demands made of offensive players.

Challenge of maintaining the same pace and intensity as the first games

"It's a challenge for everyone, but it's definitely what we want. Raising the intensity is something that requires physical and mental effort. But it's what we and the players want and feel that in the short and long term it will be more advantageous. In difficult times, how we react and how the entire squad is ready to take a step forward and cover some needs is important. Rodrigo Mora is a fantastic example. He wasn't a starter in three games, Gabri Veiga wasn't at a hundred percent, I gave him the opportunity and he played a great game against Sporting. That's what all players have to do."

Mora admitted that he needs to work more defensively

"I believe that one of the key areas for improvement for attacking players is defensive attitude, the desire to help even when we don't have the ball. If you look at recent games, I've already highlighted what Luuk de Jong and William did, Borja [Sainz] made three fantastic recoveries in the last games, Rodrigo had two sprints of over 80 meters starting in the opponent's area and ending in our area. If you want to achieve something, there's no other way, for me. The sacrifice and spirit of putting the team first is a priority. The forwards, who have the privilege of having a team that gives them the ball often, what they have to do is return some of that sacrifice. The effort that the defenders make to build must be rewarded with defensive work."

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