After the victory over Paços de Ferreira (2-1), for matchday eight, Sérgio Conceição admitted that, at halftime, despite the result, “he was pleased with the team, which wasn’t normal”, but “it means that, from the first second to the end of the match” the team never “slowed down”. The coach congratulated the players “as they were the ones winning the match” and addressed the mobility of the attack, “the secret to creating situations against a closed opponent, which is normal”. The blue and white coach also criticized the press for not wanting to “try to understand what this team would cause to Paços de Ferreira”, adding, on the competitiveness of the team, that “to play for FC Porto, there is a state of mind that is vital to have: you have to challenge yourself every day. Those who don’t think like that, will have a hard time to be in the group. Today I saw commitment, the will to attack the opponent, and this, for me, is a way of living”. Lastly, when asked about the stoppage time for national duty, Sérgio Conceição admitted he would “prefer to have everyone near”, but, at the same time, he wants the players to “represent their country. It’s just that the club is the most important thing for me”.

Pleased with the performance of the team in the first-half, despite of the result
“We were tied at halftime and I was pleased with the team, which was not very normal. This means that, from the first second until the end of the match, we never slowed down, we were a team with quality in possession of the ball, we created many situations, the players showed above average competitive attitude, but I am greatly pleased for what the players did. They understood the preparation of the match perfectly and I want to congratulate them because they were the ones winning this match. We offered a lot of solutions to the man on the ball and we always went out on the attack with a lot of danger.”

The mobility up front to confuse the opponent
“We didn’t want to have a target man and so we did a lot of positional changes, with a lot of mobility, and that was the secret to creating situations against a closed Paços de Ferreira, which is normal. It was up to us to try to break their defence and we did it with great quality.”

The several changes in the starting team
“I was looking at the press before the match and they were talking about matches and not about football, they could have tried to understand what this team was going to do to Paços de Ferreira. They saw the joy we felt on the bench when we scored the goals, and those at home were also celebrating because we are a united group, a strong group and they can count on us. To play for FC Porto, there is a state of mind that is vital to have: you have to challenge yourself every day. Those who don’t think like that, will have a hard time to be in the group. Today I saw commitment, the will to attack the opponent, and this, for me, is a way of living.” 

The absence of players going on national duty
“On the one hand, it’s good because we are a club with several players who represent their national teams. On the other, it gets more complicated in terms of group work, but it is what it is. I’d prefer to have everyone near, but I also want them to go to the national team, but it is what it is. It’s just that the club is the most important thing for me.”