Palmeiras boss Abel Ferreira ahead of Club World Cup opener against Porto: “It we had to walk or swim here, we would” | OneFootball

FC Porto begin their Club World Cup venture with a clash against Brazilian giants Palmeiras in New Jersey on Sunday evening, where they will meet a familiar face in the opposition dugout.

Abel Ferreira, former player of Sporting and former manager of Braga, is in his 5th year at Palmeiras, where he has won a vast array of trophies. Ahead of the Group A meeting at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Abel says his team are hugely motivated to perform in the inaugural expanded tournament.

“Our desire and ambition to be here was so great that if we had to come on foot or by swimming, we would have come, it would have been no problem,” Abel said on the eve of the match. “This is an opportunity that we have and we want to seize it with all our strength, to show what we are capable of doing. What I want most is for my players to have a light mind, a relaxed body and a warm heart – he declared.

“This is not just any competition, it is a world championship, where the 32 best teams in the world are. Palmeiras is here because it has won titles, a Libertadores, which is like the Champions League for those who come from Europe. We came with a lot of ambition, a lot of desire to compete and challenge the best of the best.”

Palmeiras is special – Abel

Abel was asked by a Brazilian journalist if, despite turning out for Sporting and managing teams such as Braga and PAOK in Greece, his current home is the most important club of his career. Since arriving in Brazil, Abel has won a total of ten trophies, making him the most successful coach in the São Paulo club’s history.

“Yes [the most special thing in my career]. Because it was the big club that gave me the opportunity to show everything that I had prepared as a coach, and when I crossed the Atlantic for a project, I knew Palmeiras, but I didn't know the structure of Palmeiras. There are only good coaches if we have good structures, good players and good presidents. The others won't be upset, but I have the best president in the world, an extraordinary relationship, and the three pillars of president, football director and coach are the magic triangle.

“Our president demands what she has to demand, but with respect. She knows how much we dedicate ourselves, the admiration and affection she has for me. I brought my family with me; they have been with me in Brazil for three years. Quite honestly, I say with great pride, this is my greatest achievement; to have the profession I have in Brazil and to be able to have my family with me. Few coaches have the happiness of this, in such an unstable profession. In Brazil, a coach is fired in 20 days.”

“I’m different on the pitch”

Abel has developed a reputation as somewhat of a hothead, in press conference but especially on the touchline. Often a charming family-orientated man away from the pressures of management, the 46-year-old admits the intensity of competition brings out a different side to his character.

“I said at Braga that between being a great coach and a great man, I prefer to be a great man. I’m not perfect, when the game starts, I change. I’m a bit bipolar (laughs). I’m one before the game and another during the game. Portuguese football helped me a lot as a coach. Greece was the biggest turning point and Brazil came, and Palmeiras came to consecrate me with titles. I was lucky to get Palmeiras, which offers me all the conditions to succeed. And it’s an honour and pride to be at the service of Palmeiras in the Club World Cup.”

Tomorrow, the Penafiel native comes up against the major powerhouse of the district in which he was raised: FC Porto. With host representatives Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly drawing 0-0 in the opening match of the group, victory on Sunday offers the chance to top the standings after the first round.

“The impressions are good, let's see what the stadium will be like tomorrow, the pitch was something that worried me a little,” Abel said. “It seems like it's fate, the pitches always seem to be following me. I hope it's a great event, a spectacle. It's a pleasure to enjoy the competition.

“I've already told the players that butterflies, nerves, anxiety, it's going to be a world championship, the atmosphere, a ground that we've never played on, I hope the grass is up to par. But we have to remember that we came to play football. I can assure you that we'll be prepared and we believe in our way of playing. No matter who we're against, no matter where we play, it's possible to win.”

Team news

Palmeiras are expected to line up in a system with three centre-backs, as Abel has favoured so far this campaign, likely in a 3-4-2-1 formation. The major talking point this week in the local press has been the fitness of star forward Paulinho, who is struggling with a shin injury but has taken part in all five training sessions since Verdão began preparations in the United States on Tuesday. The general consensus is Paulinho will likely begin on the bench.