“We’re hungry and eager to win again” | OneFootball

In 2026/27, “all teams will start from scratch” and FC Porto are no exception. In his first public remarks since the start of pre-season, Francesco Farioli stressed that “what’s done is done” and made it clear that the Dragons carry “extra responsibility”: “We have to be aware that we are not the favourites and that we will face many challenges. That will be our strength, it is part of our DNA and of what it has historically meant to be Porto.”

Convinced that “the records broken and the titles won are now part of the past,” the Italian coach also said that “the Super Cup will be the final chapter of last season” and that the squad has “an empty stomach and a great desire to win again,” especially because, right now, “the focus is on trying to win the Super Cup against an opponent that has already shown it can beat strong opponents in finals.”

The second year in Invicta

“Being here for a year is, in a way, an advantage. We all know each other very well, I know the players well, and we have been able to speed up the pre-season processes, which have to be very quick because the demands are high and we already have matches ahead of us in the coming days. It’s a little different, but there is always the challenge of keeping the bar high and raising the level. When we all know each other so well, there is a risk of going onto autopilot, something we have to avoid. We have to start from scratch, with a new concept, because the players have been away for several weeks. In this first phase we are going back to the beginning, to the start of the process, and then we will work on important aspects for the season ahead.”

There are no favourites

“We are going to start from scratch again. What’s done is done. The lesson we take from last season has to serve as a warning for us, because when I arrived here nobody expected us to achieve what we achieved so quickly. This proves that in football, if we work very hard, we can make up for any disadvantage. All teams will start from scratch. What we achieved is part of our history. The trophies are in the Museum and now we have extra responsibility for being Champions. On the other hand, we have to be aware that we are not the favourites and that we will face many challenges. That will be our strength, it is part of our DNA and of what it has historically meant to be Porto.”

Portugal’s number 1

“I don’t know what matches you watched, but Diogo Costa’s performances were not that good for you to build a narrative that raises his market value. I’m joking, obviously. We know Diogo is very good, he will be our captain, I spoke to him a few days ago and of course he was focused on the national team and the World Cup. Now he will have a few days to rest and then he will be back to work with us and help us next season.”

High expectations

“What we did, the records we broke and the trophies we won are now part of the past. If we start making comparisons, we will see that last season we got 49 out of 51 points in the first half of the campaign. This season it will be difficult to do better, the margin is slim and it makes no sense to make comparisons. We have to forget what we achieved, that has to be our mantra. But, on the other hand, we also have to remember the way we achieved what we achieved. That is what we have been doing since day one, the players all came back in excellent shape and you can believe what I’m telling you, because the bar was very high. They all came back in great shape. This is only a small part of what we do, but it shows that the players had a good holiday to recover and worked well so they could approach pre-season in the best way and fight for titles, starting with the Super Cup, which is just around the corner.”

First few days of work

“These days there has been a mix between the players who were not called up by their national teams, others who have since returned and who will not train on the pitch this afternoon because they already trained this morning to try to catch up with the rest of the group. Everyone came back in excellent shape. This is not the time to reveal numbers or details, but I can guarantee they returned in excellent shape and, as you can imagine, we are very demanding. In addition, we have also been working with academy players, who help us maintain the pace and intensity at a certain level and who are ready to cooperate and respond to our demands, as a result of the work they developed with the B team and the work they did with André Castro and the performance department over the last week, so that they are ready to play some minutes in the upcoming friendlies.”

The first week of the new signings

“André Silva is very motivated to be back home. He arrived in excellent physical condition, as you could see in the video in which he scored with a bicycle kick. His attitude, quality and connection to the reality of FC Porto are very strong. He really wanted to return, it was one of the fastest negotiations ever. He is very motivated and will show it soon.”

2025/26 is already behind us

“It is true that we are Champions, but the Super Cup will be the final chapter of last season. To reach the final you have to win something, but after that the 2025/26 season will be behind us. That is the focus, trying to win the trophy against an opponent that has already shown it can beat strong opponents in finals. We have to be prepared, but after that we will enter a race against highly motivated rivals and, at that moment, FC Porto must have an empty stomach and a great desire to eat again, because what we won no longer matters.”

“I don’t want to attract interest from other clubs with my words. I hope he comes back quickly and after that we will close the airport and the roads (laughs). FC Porto is his home and I wish him all the best, but hopefully he stays with us.”

Samu and Vasco Sousa

“They are doing well. Vasco Sousa is already at an advanced stage of recovery. Samu has been doing a lot of physical recovery work, but Vasco is already involved in some drills with the ball. He is working very hard to return and be ready for the next challenges. I am very surprised by Samu’s progress, but we have to be realistic and the scientific evidence is very clear about recovery time. Both the player and the medical department are doing everything they can to make the recovery quick. Whenever I see him running I get excited at the thought of having him back, but we have to stay level-headed because there is a risk associated with the player’s workload in the short and long term. We know Samu’s value, so we have to be sensible and there is absolutely no pressure from me to force him to be ready ahead of time. This has to be just a small pause in his career.”

The transfer market

“Just like in January, we are aware of our needs. Our strategy is clear in a market that is about to begin. Apart from a few clubs that have been more active than the rest, and I’m also talking internationally, the market was practically at a standstill during the World Cup. As the president said, it is not easy to invest a lot of money, but we know which positions we need to strengthen in a market that works both ways. I would say 90% of our players want to stay here, but there are some who are considering moving if a good opportunity comes up, but that opportunity has to be good for everyone: for the Club and for the player. We have a plan A and a plan B, depending on movements, but at this stage we are calm and we know the president has been very active behind the scenes. We do not see many rumours, but we know there is a Dragon in the market looking to do the best for the Club, to help me and to build the best team to face the five competitions we will be involved in.”

Eirik Granaas

“We are talking about a very young player, the youngest I have ever worked with as a coach. Of course a comparison may come up with another Scandinavian, blonde player in our squad, but it is far too early for that. He is working very hard and demanding a lot from himself, but he will need time. He will have his opportunity to shine in the B team or the first team squad, when or if the chance arises for him to make his debut. In the B team he will be able to work with several young players who already made their debuts last season. I will not be surprised if we see other youngsters get the same opportunity this season and Eirik is one of those who could make his debut.”

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