During his time at Ajax, Francesco Farioli was known for having his experienced players deliver speeches in the dressing room, something the Italian has continued at FC Porto. The 29-year-old Stephen Eustáquio took his turn around the time of the win against Gil Vicente, and he gave Farioli goosebumps.
FC Porto’s 3-0 win over Gil Vicente was not just another three points for Francesco Farioli. It was a night that reinforced the identity he is trying to build, on the pitch and inside the dressing room, where leadership and emotional connection are clearly becoming central pillars of his approach.
After the match, Farioli singled out a moment that happened before the first whistle, when Stephen Eustáquio stepped forward to address the squad. The Italian coach explained that he intentionally gives responsibility to experienced players at key moments, something he had already made a habit of during his time at Ajax and has now continued in Portugal. Against Gil Vicente, it was Eustáquio’s turn, and the message left a deep impression on the coach.
“I asked him to give a speech before the match, and his talk gave me goosebumps. The message was very powerful,” Farioli said. According to him, Eustáquio didn’t deliver a generic motivational talk. Instead, he spoke personally and with meaning, using his own career as an example for the younger players in the room. He talked about his journey, where he started, the time it took to grow, and the sacrifices that were required to reach the level he is at today. The point was clear: nothing is given, everything is earned, and the young talents at Porto should feel both gratitude and responsibility for being on such a stage so early in their careers.
Farioli underlined that this kind of message is especially valuable in a squad where the spotlight can arrive very quickly. FC Porto’s environment demands immediate performance, and young players can sometimes forget how rare it is to be playing in big stadiums, fighting for trophies, and representing a club with constant expectations. Eustáquio’s speech, in Farioli’s view, was a way of grounding them, while also injecting energy and ambition.
The coach also pointed to the impact it had on individuals, naming striker Samu Aghehowa as an example. Farioli believes the right words, from the right person, at the right moment, can change a player’s mindset completely. “I think he found the right words to reach Samu and give him the right confidence,” he said, suggesting that the attacker’s performance and goal were not only the result of tactics or form, but also an emotional lift created within the group.
That is why Farioli is comfortable handing over control in these moments. He sees it as a strength rather than a risk, because it creates an internal culture where the squad pushes itself forward, instead of relying on one voice from the technical area. In his description, Porto’s dressing room is being shaped by “leaders from within,” not through hierarchy alone, but through relationships and trust. He portrayed the group as tightly connected: friends who genuinely enjoy being together, while still maintaining high professional standards. For a coach, that mix is ideal, because it tends to translate into intensity, accountability, and unity in difficult moments of a season.
On the pitch, the numbers continue to support the story. The 3-0 victory over Gil Vicente came with another clean sheet, strengthening Porto’s reputation under Farioli as an extremely hard team to break down. After nineteen matches, his side have conceded only four goals, an extraordinary defensive record at this stage of a campaign. It is the kind of statistic that immediately puts the team into historic conversations, especially when compared with Porto’s recent benchmark seasons. In 2021/22, for example, FC Porto produced a record-setting league campaign with 91 points, and even then they conceded 22 goals across the season. Farioli’s current defensive output suggests a team that is not just organized, but relentless in focus, concentration, and collective discipline.
Farioli also emphasized that this win carried extra weight because of the context surrounding it. In his view, it was not a routine match at all. He praised the opponent’s season, highlighting that Gil Vicente have been performing strongly and are not an easy team to face. Then he listed the external factors that made preparation harder: harsh weather conditions, strong wind, heavy rain, and a very short turnaround.
The schedule in particular was a major point. Porto had only a few days to prepare, and the team’s rhythm had been disrupted by European commitments, including a match against Viktoria Plzen. Farioli even mentioned a delayed return flight after that European game, an issue that can affect recovery, planning, and training sessions in ways supporters do not always see.
“When you add all that up, this is a result with a lot of extra value,” he said, framing the night as the kind of win that strengthens belief, because it is achieved through inconvenience, fatigue, and imperfect conditions. For a coach trying to build long-term consistency, those are often the matches that matter most, not the ones where everything runs smoothly.
In the end, the 3-0 scoreline delivered a clear message: FC Porto are not only winning, they are doing it with control, defensive security, and a growing internal leadership culture that Farioli seems determined to protect. With a squad that is increasingly described as united, and with defensive numbers that stand out even by Porto standards, the momentum around the project is becoming harder to ignore.
Updated: 12:06, 27 Jan 2026
