Carlos Vicens: “FC Porto? We’ve nothing to fear”

Sp. Braga has accumulated four consecutive victories, with 12 goals scored and none conceded. Carlos Vicens claims this is the “best phase” for the Minho team this season and assures that they will not change their style of play when they visit Dragão this Sunday to face FC Porto.

FC Porto leads, but comes with three less convincing performances; Sp. Braga arrives in good form. What kind of match can we expect on Sunday?

“They say FC Porto didn’t win their last three games with ease. First of all, I think we have to consider the context of the recent games, midweek matches, away from home, against a tough opponent, then returning to play against Moreirense, which is a team competing very well. It’s not easy to play midweek, win games, it’s the current context we have, playing high-level matches every three days and winning them is not easy. We know they are a rival with a very high level, that’s why they are the undefeated leader of the league, having only conceded a draw. They have a coach who, from early on, built a very recognized team that knows how to play, they are working, competing, and winning games with many guarantees, which shows a team with a lot of confidence. That’s what we expect, a difficult, very difficult team. As for us, we still have a training session this afternoon, we’ll see how the players recover from the effort of having played three games in six days. We go into tomorrow’s game with the ambition to play well, make life very difficult for our rival, and try to win.”

Sp. Braga’s strategy at Dragão: can we expect a different approach compared to recent games?

“No, we will try to continue being competitive, seeking to achieve a higher level of consistency than we have already managed. The team clearly knows how to play, and we will try to be that team. A team that makes life difficult for the rival, that plays with confidence, that plays as a team. Make an effort to take control of the game and try to win.”

Are we witnessing the best phase of Sp. Braga?

“Yes, probably yes, because, within the team’s building process, we are closer, we are accumulating more experiences. We have already played twenty official games, and the process makes you grow. We are seeing the team grow, compete better and overcome the different challenges posed by opponents, with confidence and faith in what we do. This reassures us that we are working in the right direction. As for tomorrow’s game, we want to present that face that we want to continue on the same path.”

Farioli said after the game with Moreirense that teams retreat more against FC Porto. Will Sp. Braga do the same?

“We know the difficulties we will face tomorrow, but we have to continue being ourselves. It wouldn’t make sense tomorrow, just because we are facing the undefeated league leader, to play differently. We will draw, we will lose, and we will win games. We are working in a clear direction, we have a way of playing, and we are being competitive. That’s what we will try to do tomorrow, in football, you shouldn’t be afraid of anything, you have to play knowing that opponents always present different challenges. We will not ignore the quality of the opponent, but we wouldn’t be doing our team any favors by boosting the rival team’s morale. Respect? Absolutely. Is it a great team? Yes, certainly. Is it a deserved leader? Yes. But we have to be Sp. Braga, and tomorrow we will be Sp. Braga.”

Two teams with a preference for ball possession. Can we expect a great spectacle, with direct confrontation?

“Yes, I enjoyed analyzing FC Porto’s games, I like to see the idea proposed by their coach. Even when he was at Ajax, I liked watching his teams. In that sense, we’ll see what kind of game we’ll have tomorrow, it could be in line with what you were saying, after all, they are two teams that want to achieve things, we will have a game between two teams that will try to impose themselves. The players are confident because they know they have a clear work line, we have a way of playing, and we will continue to reinforce that way of playing. A few weeks ago, I said we lacked competitive consistency, and now that we are starting to achieve it, we will continue to do things the same way. Are there things to improve? There are many, but the most important thing is for the players to have a very clear collective idea. The players go into the game with all the confidence they have been accumulating.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.

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