Villas-Boas keeps faith in Brandão, gamble pays off for B team | OneFootball

There were few supporters of the blue and whites (and those who follow Liga 2) who predicted that, after 24 rounds, FC Porto B would be in fourth place with 37 points, just one less than Sporting B, who are third in the standings.

The season started off on the wrong foot: the first victory only came in the eighth match, against Marítimo, and the team hovered around the relegation spots between the 2nd and 12th rounds. After a disappointing 2024/25 season—finishing 14th, just two points above the relegation line—João Brandão’s future seemed uncertain, but the persistence and belief of the Porto structure eventually paid off.

Despite external criticism, the board led by André Villas-Boas maintained the project started in 2024/25. At 43, with experience in the club’s youth system and some international exposure, Brandão continued to be seen as the right person to take Olival’s talents to the next level—and patience proved rewarding. Signs of recovery began to appear in November and December, intensifying since the start of 2026: Porto have lost just one of the nine matches played this calendar year and, in the last six games, have recorded only one draw—in Leiria (2-2).

The numbers confirm the progress: in February, no team had a better record than FC Porto B (three wins and a draw), not even Marítimo or Académico de Viseu, who occupy the automatic promotion spots. In the last 10 rounds, João Brandão’s team collected 20 points, second only to the Madeirans (21).

This remarkable comeback catapulted the B team to fourth place—after being bottom of the table at the 12th round. Credit goes to the coach, the stability of the structure, and above all, the players. The young academy talents have overcome growing pains and there is plenty of raw material for the future: from the goal (Gonçalo Ribeiro) to the attack—where Gonçalo Sousa and André Miranda are going through outstanding spells—passing through the defense (Gabriel Brás, Dinis Rodrigues) and midfield (keep an eye on João Teixeira and André Oliveira). Francesco Farioli is certainly following these developments.

Only three players over 21 years old

Not counting names like João Costa and Yann Karamoh—who, despite having played for FC Porto B this season, officially belong to the main squad—the enormous youthfulness of João Brandão’s group stands out. The average age is 19.5 years, a remarkable figure even for a B team. Among the most used players in the squad, only three are over 21: center-back Felipe Silva—also the most used—midfielder Domingos Andrade, and forward Leonardo Vonic, a fact that helps explain the usual growing pains.

World Champions emerge

Five products from the Olival factory were crowned U-17 World Champions in November, in Qatar, and have already been used by João Brandão in FC Porto B: Bernardo Lima, Mateus Mide, Duarte Cunha, Yoan Pereira, and Martim Chelmik. The quintet alternates between the B team and the juniors, but is starting to make an impact in the professional context. Bernardo, Mide, and Cunha have already scored for the B team and were decisive in building the third goal in the win over Torreense. There is even more talent from the 2008 generation on the rise: forward Eduardo Ferreira made his debut the day before yesterday.

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