Francesco Farioli: “We can win all three competitions” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli is calling for a reaction from the team after the draw with Famalicão in the league, wants his players to pay closer attention to details so they do not concede goals, and believes a glorious end to the season awaits FC Porto:

Still on the performance against Famalicão

“It was clear that, in the last game, we were not at our usual level. Some players spoke about it at half-time. Seko’s (Fofana) goal could have given us a different result, but it would not have changed our performance. We have already discussed that issue, as well as the difficulty of matches after international breaks, especially the last one, also because of the emotional aspect. What we saw last weekend was that the big teams also struggled, because when your level drops, even by just five percent, everything becomes more complicated. Even more so when you are facing an opponent like Famalicão. We are in a different competition now and we are going to face an opponent who will force us to make some adjustments, because they have changed quite a bit. In some games they have lined up with a back four, in others with a back three. We have prepared for every scenario so that we can respond.”

How did you feel the group was this week?

“You already know the way I think. When we finished that run of games with Sp. Braga, I came here to calm many of your colleagues because everyone was very excited about what we had achieved in that period: qualification against Stuttgart, victories in the league, etc. Now there cannot be any drama. Obviously we wanted to beat Famalicão, and conceding a goal in the last minute in those circumstances is even more painful, but we have to move on quickly. I do not want to downplay anything, only to give things their proper importance. We are at the beginning of April in a position that everyone would have accepted a few months ago: first place in the league, in the Europa League quarter-finals, and in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup. We have the chance to win all three competitions.”

Possible penalty by Zaidu in the game against Famalicão

“I have already seen the footage and, for me, it was not a penalty. And if it was not a penalty, it was not a yellow card either.”

Eight goals conceded in the last eight matches

“We have not changed many things in our preparation for the game. To maintain the defensive record we had over several weeks, when it was almost impossible to concede a goal and very rare to allow shots on our goal, you need a level of concentration that requires a lot of energy. Even in the last game, we did not give away that much, and in some of those situations we unfortunately ended up playing an important part because of a lack of attention to detail. The most important thing now is to come back with the same attitude and the same determination not to concede goals, because that is fundamental at this stage of the season.”

Do you feel more nervous at this stage of the season?

“For Froholdt’s goal against Stuttgart, it was a fun celebration. He deserved that strange expression from me because it was a great goal. If we talk about the work of art Seko (Fofana) produced in the last game, the stadium ‘exploded’ with joy and I let myself be carried away by the emotions. It was a great goal. The emotional side will play an important role until the end of the season. I have always been someone emotionally connected to the game, it is part of my personality, but that should not take our focus away from the match. And that is absolutely not the case here.”

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