Pepê loses lustre at FC Porto, but remains key for Farioli | OneFootball

Pepê’s exuberant start to the current season suggested that the Brazilian winger was set to surpass all his previous records, such was the impact he had on FC Porto’s attack during the perfect beginning of the Francesco Farioli era. With a clear mind and after renewing his contract until June 2028, with an option for one more season, the number 11 remained one of the team’s key figures, bringing into the new coaching cycle the consistency and commitment that have always defined him.

Over the last five years wearing the Dragão shirt, Pepê has accustomed fans and coaches — from Sérgio Conceição to Farioli — to a consistent level, tremendous intensity and irreproachable commitment. Even so, as the season progressed, the winger lost some of his spark, without ever ceasing to be a safe bet for the Italian coach. The match in Braga was a case in point: less sharp, he was substituted in the 55th minute for William Gomes, who scored the goal that sparked Porto’s comeback.

The images showed a Pepê unhappy with the substitution, something natural for someone who lives the game intensely and feels the weight of the shirt. Even so, the Brazilian — record holder for most matches in a single season, with 55 games in 2022/23 — has enough room and maturity to return to his best level in the decisive phase of the calendar that lies ahead.

It is worth remembering that Pepê, after already having been used as a right-back by Sérgio Conceição, is now the FC Porto winger who contributes the most defensively whenever the team loses the ball. That ability to recover and help his teammates, so highly valued in modern football, reinforces the Brazilian’s importance in the team’s dynamics and helps keep the side balanced in transition moments.

Farioli’s admiration for Pepê’s technical and tactical qualities is well known, and he sees the player as crucial to FC Porto’s attacking balance. Since 26 January, against Gil Vicente, he has had no direct involvement in goals, and the last goal he scored dates back to last December, against Famalicão — precisely the next opponent.

His place in the starting eleven does not seem to be under threat, but Pepê knows the team expects greater efficiency from him in the final decisions and the irreverence that has so often set him apart. Everything points to it being only a matter of time before the Brazilian winger makes the difference again, as he has done so many times since arriving at the Dragão.

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