Beto says FC Porto can reach the Europa League final | OneFootball

The decisive phase of the season has already arrived, and FC Porto remain involved in every competition they are taking part in, with a real chance of going for the treble, something that has not happened since 2010/11, when they won the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League.

By coincidence, or perhaps not, the coach from that memorable era in the Porto universe is now the club’s president, since André Villas-Boas was responsible for that historic and rare feat in Portuguese football.

The man who experienced that period up close within the blue-and-white club was Beto Pimparel, who was part of the 2010/11 squad and knows well the taste of winning the Europa League, a competition he won four times, three of them with Sevilla, in 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16.

In exclusive comments to Desporto ao Minuto, the former Portuguese goalkeeper gave his take on Francesco Farioli's management of the Dragons, as well as on the possibility of FC Porto reaching a Europa League final.

The Dragons’ season has been marked by great intensity on the pitch, which has demanded a lot from the physical side of the team coached by the Porto manager. Even so, in recent matches, the Italian coach’s effective management has become noticeable, as he has rotated more than half the team in consecutive games, leading Beto to highlight the quality of the reinforcements signed by the blue-and-white club in the transfer windows.

“FC Porto’s investment, both at the start of this season and in the winter market, was very spot-on. André Villas-Boas gave Francesco Farioli solid options, and they have had a major impact on the team, giving depth and giving the coach the chance to manage things in all the competitions they are involved in,” Beto began by explaining.

“We’ve seen six, seven or even eight changes from one game to the next, something that André Villas-Boas also used to do in our season. From one match to another, five would change, seven would change, but the dynamics were there, the players were motivated, the players felt they were part of a project, they felt their real importance within the squad. So when that’s the case, it becomes much easier for a coach to change six and bring in six, knowing that the six coming in are just as motivated, if not more so, than the six going out,” he continued.

“Then there is also the issue of quality here. I think FC Porto managed to build a very balanced squad in every position. They are able to get that return, so to speak, even by making major changes from game to game,” assessed the former Portugal international.

The connection between president and coach in a football team is always decisive, and that has been clear. Villas-Boas and Farioli seem to be fully in sync and, for Beto, FC Porto can only benefit from that.

“I think this partnership between André Villas-Boas and Farioli started well and was built well. And once it starts well, there may be disagreements, there may be different opinions at certain moments, but I think there is a very good, very positive understanding between the president and the coach. So much so that in the winter market Farioli saw, and everyone could clearly see, an FC Porto side declining physically, having some physical issues,” said Beto, who sees this relationship as almost perfect.

The Europa League title can be won again

As a goalkeeper, few names are as closely linked to the Europa League honours list as Beto Pimparel. The Portugal international won the competition four times, once with FC Porto and three times in a row wearing the Sevilla shirt.

Beto admits that the Dragons have what it takes to reach, at the very least, the final of the European competition, although he acknowledges that, from now on, every game of the season will carry the weight of a final.

“I believe so, especially because of the determination FC Porto show on every pitch. FC Porto have come through difficult challenges, namely the last game in Braga. So I believe that in the Europa League FC Porto have the ability, the desire and the hunger to reach, at the very least, the final,” he said.

“Hopefully it would be possible to see those two teams in the final. If that’s not possible, it’s true that FC Porto now have an extremely difficult challenge against Nottingham Forest, and I think it’s a good challenge for FC Porto. But as I always say, for teams to become champions, for teams to win trophies, they have to beat the best. To reach the finals, they have to beat the best,” reflected the former goalkeeper.

“From the moment teams look at these knockout ties as finals, the difference between the two teams narrows. Because motivation grows, desire grows, hunger grows. And so, once teams reach these moments, they are true finals,” he concluded.

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