In match 300 in the League, his 450th as coach - a milestone that left the coach “pleased”, even if it means “nothing” to him -, Sérgio Conceição led FC Porto to a good result. The Dragons got the three points in a “pitch in which the coach and the team know each other well” and in which the lesser “commitment and determination” at the start of the match made the rest difficult. There was “merit from Vizela”, but “it we deserved to win”. The blue and white coach also explained that “the championship is a marathon with matches like this, sometimes won in the last minute and others by many goals”. In the end, what remains is “the victory with mixed feelings” due to the unfortunate events that happened in the week that now ends.

Analysis to a difficult match with a happy ending
“The championship is always difficult, every match has a different story. We knew we were playing on a pitch where the coach and the team know each other well, but their play style is familiar to us, so we should have done more in the first-half in line with what we usually do. As we have a style, with and without the ball, which we want to be pressing in a higher area of the pitch and in which we don’t want to allow the opponent to play at will, if we are less committed and less determined than usual, then it becomes difficult because we are not doing either. In terms of width, the wingers weren’t giving the necessary depth, from the inside it was difficult because Vizela sent a lot of players to the centre, we read the match and we tried to open the attack in the final phase, we changed many players to different positions in order to create problems for Vizela. Credit to Vizela, even though they only had one shot on goal. We deserved to win, as the players went for it, but sometimes not as they should have.”

The rough start to the match
“The players were warned, I looked at them, they give me these little signs, and I am always on my toes. We didn’t start the match well and I had warned them. Before we went on the pitch, I told them to go in strong because Vizela is an aggressive team that knows what they are doing at various times of the match and we weren’t that good. My players give everything they have, but there were players who didn’t perform defensively and that made it difficult. The championship is a marathon with matches like this, sometimes won in the last minute and sometimes with many goals.”

The different solutions for each position in the squad
“Marcano did his job, he defended well, focused, and then, up front, he’s always a very valid player in aerial plays in attacking tactical plays. He had a difficult time last year and we’re happy that he’s another solution. Our workgroup has to be competitive, with several players for different positions and those who have been playing are the ones that have been giving me the most guarantees.”

300 League matches, 450 career matches
“I think it’s 450 in total, I think I’m getting older. This victory has mixed feelings, because we have Eduardo who lost his father, this victory has a little bit of Telmo, our fitness coach, who is celebrating his birthday today. Either way, someone in the club is going through a difficult moment and I just had the news that a former colleague of mine is in the hospital. I’m pleased for the milestone, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. All my coaching staff deserves praising, as, apart from the technical quality they have as coaches, they are incredible human beings.”