Francesco Farioli: “We’re exactly where we want and deserve to be” | OneFootball

The coach of FC Porto, Francesco Farioli, assures that the Dragons will present themselves as usual in the 21st round when they host Sporting: the Porto fans "can expect the same FC Porto as always, a team with attitude, a strong spirit, and a great desire to start the match on the right foot." "The fans will play an important role" in the classic, and the Italian coach admitted feeling the "responsibility to heat up the Dragon at the right moments."

In the preview of the match, scheduled for 8:45 PM this Monday (Sport TV), Francesco Farioli mentioned that "the players approached the week of work with the right mentality," adding, however, that "the most important thing is to demonstrate it during the game," since so far "all points have been earned with a lot of effort and work." For the coach, "We are exactly where we want to be and where we deserve to be," and he emphasized that within the group, "everyone is in sync and on the same page": "We know where we want to go and who we want to be in the coming months."

A Porto in Porto Style“You can expect the same FC Porto as always, a team with attitude, a strong spirit, and a great desire to start the match on the right foot. That's what we've been doing all season, and that's what we will continue to do tomorrow. A full stadium is proof of the fans' desire to support us and give us extra strength. At the end of the last game, the fans left an important message that helped us turn the page and approach this week with the right mentality. The fans will play an important role in tomorrow's game, to have the right energy and spirit, always feeling their support at all times. We have the responsibility to heat up the Dragon at the right moments.”

Preparation for the Classic“It was a very positive week, after the game against Casa Pia we played a friendly against the B team, and after the break, we had a clean week to prepare for the classic. The attitude was very good and the intensity too, although the weather didn't help, but the players approached the week of work with the right mentality. The most important thing is to demonstrate it during tomorrow's game, but I have no doubt that they will do it.”

Sporting Favorite?“More than reading, it's important to listen to the president's words, because the context is slightly different and more articulated. The president spoke about the reality of the two clubs, a Sporting that won the last two championships and has the experience of playing in the Champions League, and us, a team that is rebuilding and working hard to place FC Porto where the Club deserves. This is where we are. If we rewind to July 15, when we started the season, we would pay whatever it takes to be where we are today. We are in a position to fight for the title, qualified for the Europa League round of 16, and in the race for the Portuguese Cup. We are exactly where we want to be and where we deserve to be, because all the points we have were earned with a lot of effort and work from everyone. I have already expressed gratitude to the Club for the work done in the two transfer markets, which allowed us to strengthen and make the team very solid, compact, and balanced in all positions. We have all the tools to fight for opportunities in three competitions, knowing that we will face difficulties. We are all in sync and on the same page. We know where we want to go and who we want to be in the coming months.”

Martim, Fofana, and Moffi“Seko (Fofana) and Terem (Moffi) are working to reach their best physical shape, of course, it will take some time to reach the level of the other players, but they have been working well with the performance department to maximize all opportunities to speed up this process. They may be part of the game tomorrow, but it depends on how the game unfolds and the last hours, which is when I will decide the lineup and the squad. Martim (Fernandes) trained with the team, he left Rio Maior with a small problem that was well managed at the beginning of the week, and today we had the whole group on the field to train and prepare for tomorrow's game.”

Goals Conceded in the First 15 Minutes“I don't say that the games have started badly, because against Casa Pia we made four or five shots in the first minutes, but the reality is that the opponents have scored goals against us the first times they cross the midfield. Of course, we are alert to this, we worked during the week to try to resolve aspects where we can still improve, but sometimes things happen at different moments in the game, and the reality is that at this level, when you slightly lose focus, you can concede an opportunity and most of the time it results in goals. It's a matter of maintaining attention, energy, and always being connected in offensive and defensive moments.”

The Invisible Work of the Forwards“The numbers tell us that we could have scored more goals, but the reality is that football is a team sport. I've said it several times, but I repeat: when we praise a team's defensive performance, we praise the defenders a lot, but we forget the work of the forwards. The most important thing is to be able to create good goal-scoring chances and not concede opportunities to the opponents. Who puts the ball in the net? In the end, it doesn't matter, the most important thing is to create and not concede opportunities. I am very grateful for the work that Pepê and Borja (Sainz) have done since the beginning of the season, they have carried a lot of weight on their shoulders and have played with physical problems. They have always given everything to help the team, and I only have words of gratitude for them. I will be more than happy to see them score, and I hope to celebrate with them.”

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