FUTEBOL CLUBE DO PORTO - FUTEBOL, SAD
FC Porto returns from Braga without points and with reasons to complain about Hugo Miguel. For the first time since October 30 2020, the Dragons conceded a defeat for the championship and postponed the decision of the national title. In the aftermath of matchday 31 of the League, against SC Braga (1-0), Sérgio Conceição stated that his players created "enough opportunities to win the match" and that "a tie would have been short" for a team that is "not used to losing".
However, and because those who wear the blue and white must always be "stronger", capable of overcoming "one or two traps" and the "propaganda" against FC Porto, the coach made a warning: "There are no early celebrations. We don't have to raise our heads, we have to lower them and think about what we didn't do today. This is my feeling and it has to be the players' feeling as well. This is not over yet and we have three finals ahead of us."
Lack of focus in the attack and the defence
"We didn't control the opponent's strategy. We knew their behaviour when they have and don't have the ball, the individual characteristics of the players, but we can't control if they defend in a lower block, go out in counter-attacks and aim only at our mistakes. We have to find a way around those situations to win. We created enough situations to win the match and I felt that a tie would have been short. We always attacked with danger, but we lacked some variations close to the area, pace and speed in the match. Even with little space, we should have exploited some of SC Braga's defensive weaknesses. We couldn't do that as we did on other occasions. In the second-half, they scored, but, before that, we had another situation and we had shots that we should have finished differently. We weren't effective in terms of attack and we conceded this defeat. The players know what we didn't do, what we weren't allowed to do, and this is the result. We are here for the fight, we have three more finals ahead of us and we will play them to the maximum."
Hugo Miguel's bad work
"It's hard to find words. Last year, also with four matches to go, oddly enough, we had this same referee and he had a lot of difficulty in that match. In the so-called big matches, and today was a big match that could have decided the title, a referee was appointed who doesn't have the quality to referee matches with some pressure and who has been unfortunate with us, because he always fails against us. Against that, there's nothing we can do."
The changes at halftime
"We lacked a little bit of pace, with and without the ball. Every time we pressed and were more aggressive, in that area and at the moment of the pressure, SC Braga showed difficulties to create plays and would clear the ball. When we started creating with the ball, our players were too much on top of the opponent's line and, without solutions, we would stretch our plays and lose the second ball. That's when the opponent's counter-attacks started, and we suffered more, due to the quality of SC Braga's players. Pepê was a bit insecure on the defensive line, he was tiring himself too much and wasting his quality with the ball, and, as Evanilson seemed uninspired, I chose to bring Pepê forward to have some safety with a player that is more used to being a fullback."
Anti-FC Porto propaganda conditions the weak
"There are no early celebrations. We are not used to losing, this has to affect us. We don't have to raise our heads, we have to lower them and think about what we didn't do today. This is my feeling and it has to be the players' feeling as well. This is not over yet and we have three finals ahead of us. We know that, in these final stages of the championship, there are always one or two traps that are difficult to control. So we have to be stronger, to be able to rise above that. It was like that last year and in many matches. There is a big propaganda against some of FC Porto's behaviour and, when there is no quality or personality, people let themselves go with that."
Clear penalties not called
"I'm not going to be hypocritical. FC Porto players are constantly labelled. There's a lot of talking during the week that conditions those who don't have personality and quality. Then we see situations in the area that are clearly fouls that are not called. To start a match in Braga in the lead is different from playing like we did today, with 0-0 and with the opponent playing on our mistakes. And that's what happened, they managed to score in a counterattack, but then, we how much we ran after the tie, with some clear situations to score, the match could and should have another outcome."
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Futebol Clube do Porto - Futebol SAD published this content on 25 April 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 April 2022 09:59:10 UTC.
