Francesco Farioli is off to a strong start with FC Porto. It feels familiar, almost too familiar, to his previous season at Ajax. Last year in the Netherlands, the Italian coach held a significant nine-point lead over PSV. Yet, he watched the championship slip away. He is determined to avoid a repeat of that bitter ending at the Dragão stadium.
Farioli recently spoke with the ‘Corriere della Sera’ about that painful memory. “By early April, my Ajax team led the Eredivisie by nine points,” he recalled. “Victory seemed certain. My phone rang constantly with offers from the Premier League, Serie A, even Saudi Arabia.” He continued, “A month later, after the league collapse, my number vanished from everyone’s contact lists. Only a few small clubs in Italy showed any interest, but nothing concrete came from it.”
Even now, Farioli cannot forget the sequence of events that cost him the Dutch title. “It was unbelievable,” he described. “We hit the post eight times in just two games. We conceded goals in the final minutes of matches. So many incredible things happened.” He added, “At this level, you can’t just call it bad luck. I think it was a mix of fatigue and the typical arrogance of a dominant club like Ajax. I’m not superstitious at all, but during those days, I really should have carried horns, clovers, and ladybugs.”
His start at FC Porto mirrors his past “Farioli-style” beginnings. The coach explained how he ended up in Portugal. “FC Porto had been gathering information about me since January,” he said. “The Club World Cup seemed to influence their decision to make a change.” He pointed to the crucial role of President André Villas-Boas, himself a former coach. “He didn’t ask me anything about how my last season ended,” Farioli noted. “I brought it up because I wanted to be completely open. Before signing, he didn’t even watch any videos. He simply told me he had already seen enough.”
So, will this promising start lead to a grand finish? “This time, I want to change the ending,” Farioli declared. “But yes, we’ve started well, just like at Nice and Amsterdam.” He finds it easy to integrate into new environments and create enthusiasm. “I study the club’s culture, present a clear plan, and remain flexible enough to adapt it,” he explained. “I also quickly build relationships with the more experienced players.” He contrasted the club cultures: “Ajax’s culture is all about cold, organized positional football, almost like a religion. I added team spirit and a love for the fight.” For FC Porto, he observed, “The culture is almost raw and passionate: sacrifice, aggressive tackles, a fiery crowd. I’m adding some coded plays to bring a more fluid spectacle to their game.”