Francesco Farioli assumed that André-Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, is the person with whom he “talks the least” about tactics.
«I think it’s a very strange situation because, certainly, he has been, by far, the director or president with the greatest knowledge of football. I think what he has done in his career as a coach speaks for itself. So… and to be honest, he’s the person I’ve spoken to the least about tactics. Because the reality… in my first meeting, as always, I prepared some things to show… he already knew everything. So, it was more about the situation, the environment, how to manage things. So, I think the first time I opened a computer to show you something was when I was already here in Porto. So, that says a lot about his preparation and, especially, I think the respect he has for the work. And for a job he did and did very well. Our communication is very open, very direct. Of course, there’s… we see things clearly from two different angles and I think that makes the conversation richer. He is very present, coming to Olival at least once or twice a week. Before, in each Matchdayhe is there, he appears, he shakes hands, always with… with an important energy. So, to be honest, I couldn’t ask for a better… a better president or a person who is more present than him. And above all, more than the role and what it represents, I think we are… we are having a very good human connection. Normally, we text each other, of course to talk about… about football, quite late at night. Sometimes at 6 am, when I wake up, there is already a message from him to talk about a player, to talk about a situation or how we can do things better. You know, I came here with the… with the… with the label of being a coach who works hard and, somehow, here I feel that… yes, there are people who are the same or even more so. So this is unbelievable and I speak for the President, but I also speak for Tiago, Henrique, the people who are closest to him. I think it’s very clear who they are, who we are, where we want to go. And I think, you know, there is no better way to lead than to lead by example, to return to your previous question.”, he pointed out, in an interview with Sport TV.
«We talk about the team’s performance, how we see the games, the feeling, what moment we are in… sometimes if there are things we feel we have to improve or be better. I am a person who likes to listen, likes to receive feedback. I’ll give you an example: in the first… in one of our first meetings, the President said that, for him, Samu cannot… cannot defend on the wing, in the corner, in the zonal marking, you know, at the front post. And to be honest, I went over some things, got the advice and, as you know, Samu was never there. So, sometimes there are feelings and especially when you arrive, if you… if you believe in people and if you have faith in what people are telling you, it can help to speed up, in some way, the process. Afterwards, I think it’s always important to be… arriving with a fresh mind, also having our own assessment, but also, you know, receiving some tips from somewhere… I think it’s really important. As I told you, I am a person who likes to listen, likes… to create and generate a collaborative way of working. I really believe in that, because if not, it also doesn’t make sense to have such a large technical staff and every day it’s getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and everyone needs to add something. Of course, with respect for their role, but I believe that everyone can contribute to the big puzzle to add the right piece in the right position», he stated.
FC Porto finished the first round of the League in the lead and Farioli confessed that he attaches great importance to physical issues, being a concern for the second half of the season.
«It’s fundamental. I’m a bit paranoid about the physicality of the game and the trajectory of where football is going. In every game we always run more than the opponent. Sometimes we surpassed the opponent by 3, 4, 5 or even 8 and 9 kilometres. It’s almost like playing with one more player. We had a good laugh about the fact that when you play as Froholdt, you have a output incredible. The defenders often run more than 11km to squeeze the team and be high on the ground. The forwards press a lot and when they need to retreat they work without the ball. I believe in rotating the squad to keep everyone fresh and competitive», he said.
