Farioli explains why he took out Gabri Veiga and highlights “clean leaves”

Francesco Farioli was pleased by the triumph of FC Porto in the visit to Gil Vicente (1-0), in play of the 9th journey of the I Liga, played on Saturday night. In a press conference, the Italian technician highlighted the reaction of the team and the “clean sheet”, explaining also what motivated him to take Gabri Veiga to the interval.

“ It was an important result in a complicated field against an opponent who is making an excellent run in the championship. It was important to react to defeats in the Champions League with a clean sheet. I am very happy with the result”, started by saying Farioli. 

“Gabri Veiga has suffered some contacts and, since we have a team with alternatives and Inbeom is playing at a good pace, I made that change. It's part of football. Sometimes we need players to come in and change the dynamics of the game. Today Oskar Pietuszewski had a little problem in heating, Borja Sainz took his place and turned out to be the man of the game,” he stressed. 

Farioli has not yet stopped pointing to Gil Vicente’s “merit”, saying that the team led by Luís Pinto managed to cause problems to FC Porto. 

“Gil Vicente defends very well, is very strong in duels and protects the area well. We had some situations where we got to the area in good condition and it was good that we got the goal, which gave us the result. Either way, I give merit to the adversary for the spirit they had and for the effort they put in the field ", vincou. 

“We already knew they wouldn’t stretch a treadmill on arrival. We know that when teams play against us they view the game as a final. You can see the spirit, attention, commitment and desire of our opponents. They want to show that they have quality and get the result. We already expected a complicated game and that is why we value this result so much”, he said. 

Praises to Samu and the absence of William Gomes 

The FC Porto coach also praised Samu's generosity and regretted the absence of William Gomes, a player who is injured.

“The Samu entered with a great spirit and a clear desire to help, press and mark. He always wants to score and today he did everything he could. He was generous at times when he could have finished, but he decided to pass on to his colleagues who were better able to do so. This is what we need,” he said. 

“ We're doing everything we can to get William Gomes back as soon as possible. It has proved the importance it has for the group, in terms of intensity, quality and work ethics. We're doing what we can, but the ankles are very sensitive. He's been in some pain and he's fighting them to get back as soon as possible, so we're going to assess day after day. We want you to return soon”, Farioli assumed. 

It should be noted that FC Porto remains unbeatable in the championship, accumulating the ninth victory in many other days. The dragons score 27 points, eight more than the Benfica and nine against Sporting, and eagles and lions have not yet been the match in this round.