FC Porto presented themselves to their fans with a 1-0 win over Atlético de Madrid. After what he described as “a very important match against a great opponent”, Francesco Farioli admitted that friendlies are important “to give players minutes, gain rhythm, and play in front of fantastic fans,” but acknowledged that “there’s still work to be done to reach ideal form”. “Focused on working and preparing the players”, the Italian coach shared that the squad “is working hard and showing great commitment.”

Another challenge overcome
“It was an important match against a great opponent. It was useful to give minutes to the players, get into rhythm, and play in front of these amazing fans. It went very well, nobody got injured, and now we have a week to prepare for the most important match. Now it gets serious and we have to be ready.”

Promising signs
“We must keep in mind that FC Twente is almost ready to start their league matches, and Atlético de Madrid only started training recently, like us. We’re taking it step by step. I’ve already seen very positive things, but we still have work to do to reach our desired physical condition. We still need more intensity.”

Zaidu
“He came in and helped us a lot physically. He’s a player capable of changing the style of play. I’m really happy with all the players and the work they’ve been doing, but we need to make decisions and test some things. We’ll use every moment to find solutions. We don’t have much time, in six days we’ll be playing again.”

Time to work
“Right now, I’m focused on working and getting them ready to play. Some will stay with us, others will have to leave at any moment. These players work hard and are very committed. My job as a coach is to manage this squad and ensure players fit in, whether they stay or not.”

Luuk de Jong
“He’ll bring us experience, a winning desire, and the right mindset. He’s a very complete, very good, and mature player. I believe he’ll help us grow as a team. He’s a leader with a great mentality and many trophies to his name — that’s very important for us too.”

Jan Bednarek
“I already knew him very well. He’s very experienced and extremely important. He’s great with the ball, always alert, a natural leader, and has an excellent mindset. We’re building the squad, and there’s still a lot of work ahead. We’ll keep working on that in the coming days.”

The power of the Blue Sea
“It was a day full of emotion from the player introductions to the tributes, the match itself, and the great energy on the pitch. Since I arrived here, I’ve learned that FC Porto is a very special club because of the fans’ faith and beliefs. When I arrived at the stadium and saw all those people ready to support the team and make us feel welcome, I knew I was living a unique moment. That was the focus of my pre-match speech, we have to repay this privilege with hard work and the right mentality. We have to fight for every ball. Today there was great synergy between the fans and the team.”

Victor Froholdt
“He’s a player the club had been tracking for a long time. He was the first name suggested to me, and I agreed that he could help the team. He has a unique ability to repeat actions at high intensity. He’s very young and can still improve in many areas, but I must say his training performances have been impressive, his dedication is excellent. But the process takes time.”