Sérgio Conceição made this Thursday’s preview to Estrela da Amadora-FC Porto, of the fifth round of the I Liga. The game is scheduled for 7:15 pm on Friday.
The longer duration of I Liga matches has not always brought improvements in useful time, warned this Thursday the coach of FC Porto, Sérgio Conceição, applauding the recent extension of the compensation periods.
“I think it’s fair and it’s what everyone was asking for, because the useful playing time in our championship was one of the lowest in Europe. Now, there’s a funny thing: FC Porto has had a hundred and so minutes as an average of playing time, but it is the team with less useful time. That is synonymous with something”, he analyzed, in a press conference.
According to data from the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP), the “blue and whites” have the second highest average total playing time among the 18 teams in the championship (107.46 minutes), behind Arouca, but the third worst in useful time (53.30), in addition to the worst percentage of time the ball is actually in play (49.64%).
“I’m not saying that teams play against us, but if we want to have high pace, intensity and speed in our games, it’s difficult. If there are 10 or 15 minutes of compensation, we need to understand how many are played. It’s something that It’s already part of our culture and wanting to win, but it’s up to the referee to decide whether we will have to play more minutes of “reductions” or not”, said Sérgio Conceição, after 37 days without speaking to journalists.
During that period, FC Porto secured six of the current 10 points after 90 minutes, having achieved a turnaround in their visit to Rio Ave (2-1), between a victory and a draw recorded in their receptions to promoted Farense (2-1 ) and Arouca (1-1), respectively.
“It’s important that everyone contributes. It’s more difficult to understand the mistakes that have been made in the video referee (VAR), because then there is no longer the pressure from the game itself and the players. It’s an environment where you are calm to make good decisions, that have not existed. It is a phase that I hope will pass, but it is not good for national football and for us”, he added, on the eve of the visit to Estrela da Amadora, in the fifth round of the I League.
Sérgio Conceição also took advantage of his return to contact with the media to respond to the criticism he received last week from Rui Moreira, president of the Porto City Council and member of the Superior Council of the national runner-up.
After being described as a “failed coach”, the former Portuguese international footballer chose to address the mayor through his status as an FC Porto fan to argue that “the form and content” of this repair have a “bad and deceitful.”
“My past is indelible and cannot be erased. There are 10 titles and, of the last seven (in national terms), we have won five. Between income and expenses, there is a positive balance of more than 600 million euros. We are always subject to criticism, which is absolutely normal, but true fans, and not pseudo-fans of FC Porto, have to be intelligent and understand that we are in a difficult year for the club and there are a lot of people wanting to take a stand in an election year. We have to be together. If we’re not, it will be more difficult for us. When I see a fan criticizing in this way and with this content, he probably won’t like this great institution that is FC Porto”, he replied.
FC Porto, one of the leaders of the I League, with 10 points, visits Estrela da Amadora, 13th, with four, on Friday, at 7:15 pm, at Estádio José Gomes, in Amadora, in the opening game of the fifth season journey, under the arbitration of João Pinheiro, from the Braga association.
