After the ninth victory in derbies at Porto in ten played as the coach of FC Porto, Sérgio Conceição talked of “a very competent match” from the blue and whites, who went through “a bit of everything” since the European match during the week. Still, the blue and white “warriors” went in “with a fantastic spirit” and the coach regretted only the missed opportunities that “should have been finished in a different way”. On the 55 consecutive matches without losing for the championship, the coach pointed out that the milestone “only has meaning if we win the title in May”, before admitting that he is “happy with those numbers”.

The saga before the derby at Porto and the wasted opportunities
“It was a very competent match from us. After our match in Lyon, the team went through a bit of everything, from being on the plane at 03h00, with the players only going to bed at 05h00, to having only one day to prepare the strategy for this match, with the players standing on the pitch. We played in a difficult stadium, a derby in the city of Porto, always very combative, with a lot of passion. We went in with a fantastic spirit, considering the planning and the setback that was Taremi not being able to play. We were warriors, we didn’t let them get to our area, we created opportunities that we should have finished better.”

The team’s competitiveness and overcoming difficulties
“The competitive attitude was always there, we had the penalty situation, there was another questionable situation where the VAR didn’t call the referee. Boavista only reached our area 87 or 88 minutes in, when they had nothing to lose, shooting once or twice. We have been through a lot in the last three days and we overcame the difficulties.”

The tactical novelties introduced at Estádio do Bessa
“Although the players know what we want for the match, as we work in a way where the central defender knows what the forward needs to do, today we went in slightly different, creating a diamond in the midfield to not offer a target man to the opponent, due to the strong pressure Boavista does. Fábio Vieira played as a false striker, Pepê and Evanilson were on the wings, not offering a target to the central defenders and playing between the centre and fullback. We managed to condition their organisation, but I’m sorry we didn’t achieve more.”

55 consecutive matches without losing in the championship and the stoppage for national teams
“For now it doesn’t mean anything to me, it only means something if we win the title in May. This stoppage is beneficial because the team comes from a hard cycle of matches, a brutal competitive rotation and it’s important to rest and to prepare the team for the next cycle because, apart from the championship, we still have the Portuguese Cup to try to win. I’m happy with those numbers, it’s my work, the work of the coaching team and of the squad. It has meaning at the end of the year if we can win titles.”