The coach of the Beira team praised the team’s attitude in Porto and pointed to their continued presence at the top of the table.
In the aftermath of Tondela’s defeat away to FC Porto (2-0) in the 30th round of the Liga , Gonçalo Feio highlighted the attitude of the team from Beira and reinforced his belief in their survival in the league. In a press conference, and questioned by Maisfutebol, the 36-year-old coach clarified the management of the team in the second half, after FC Porto’s goals.
Reaction to the first goal
The management was complex, but ambitious. At a certain point, we were thinking about which players were at risk for the next match. I was happy with Medina’s performance, but I took him off because Christian was unavailable for the next game. With the score at 2-0, I wanted to protect ourselves.
Regarding the effort, this game is very demanding for the wingers; they are the focal points for transitions. We have to defend as a unit. I don’t see a fixed starting eleven; we all work hard. I want the substitutes to feel that they can be important.
We should be more capable in low pressing, carrying the ball directly from one side to the other. Whenever we’ve had that ability, we’ve managed to move it forward. We want to give them the tools to tilt the game, so that Tondela is closer to scoring.
There is life beyond the Dragon.
Congratulations to our players for their courage in taking the lead. These three weeks didn’t allow us to win, but they did allow us to build a team that believes in our behavioral principles. The team has shown that it is prepared to face what lies ahead. Now come the decisive games for us. We go in with a positive attitude.
Tactical system in Porto
We opted for a system with three pure center-backs, it’s not the first time, it also happened against Gil Vicente. Using Rony Lopes behind the midfielders could give us superiority in the middle. In one of those plays we managed to carry the ball deep and could have had a goal opportunity. That play resulted in a yellow card for Kiwior.
The second part was decisive.
FC Porto used Gül and the goals came from that. It hurts because we should have closed down the space inside much better. We could have reacted better.
Four finals
The team gains confidence from our principles with the ball. We have a lot to develop. We are a team that needs to know how to defend. We all feel stronger and calmer when surrounded by people who give us security.
Debut at the home of a big” team
Not even European competitions brought me to Portugal. What I felt was a great desire to compete, to rival a great team. I felt it was a moment to enjoy. Today was a difficult day because we lost, but we are privileged by this opportunity. We represent Tondela in the League, we fight for the region. We have to leave everything on the field. We took a step towards our fans. It will work out for Tondela.