Statements by Sérgio Conceição, coach of FC Porto, in the press room, after the 1-0 victory over Estrela da Amadora, in Reboleira, in the opening game of the fifth round of the Bwin League
Midfield players more “touch” than “shock”: “Now our players in the intermediate sector, central corridor, are not very shock, I don’t have. They are possession players, they have other characteristics, which I find interesting. We wanted to control the game, have the ball. We cannot forget that Alan Varela and Iván Jaime arrived and what was the work in the pre-season, which was difficult, they didn’t have. We took advantage of the 15 days (of the international break) to work on some situations, they gave me positive indications, that’s why they played, but clearly who are still not at their best. What I wanted from our midfield, against an extremely aggressive team, was to have the ball, create difficulties, find some situations in which we could accelerate to create ‘more harm’ for Estrela. Sometimes we succeed, other times not so much. It’s part of evolution.”
André Franco: “I was very pleased. The intention of including André Franco was to be more inside the central corridor, to hold (Alan) Varela in what was the direct game that we perceived Estrela was going to play, to be close to the central players and very present in the second ball. I was very satisfied. I think the two best players on the field were David Carmo and Pepe, in my opinion. They did well, I’m very satisfied with them. Wendell stepped in well for a position where he doesn’t usually play, but he also plays well inside, giving Galeno width. I’m satisfied.”
