André Villas-Boas's FC Porto is in crisis

A start of crisis in Porto? Before their trip to Anderlecht, Belgium, for the fifth day of the Europa League, the Dragons are going through a complicated period. Eliminated in the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup by Moreirense (1-2), they have just suffered a third consecutive defeat, an unprecedented situation for 16 years. The goalkeeper of the team, Claudio Ramos, recognized: “ losing three times in a row is unacceptable ».

The rest after this ad

Faced with this context, supporters were quick to make their voices heard. Some caused incidents when the team returned to the Estádio do Dragão, forcing the police and the new club president, André Villas-Boas, to intervene. Between vehement songs and throwing projectiles at the bus, the former coach of Olympique de Marseille tried to make it clear that the criticism had not fallen on deaf ears. “ We are devastated by the result and aware that we must give much more “, he said, without really calming the club’s fans.

The angry fans

The frustration of Porto supporters can be explained by several elements. On a sporting level, the club has a third consecutive defeat, after a setback in the Europa League against Lazio (2-1) and a heavy humiliation against rival Benfica (4-1). The elimination in the Portuguese Cup, against an opponent well within their reach, aggravates the situation and raises concerns about the team's ability to bounce back.

The rest after this ad

This crisis also comes in a context of transition for the club. After 42 years under the presidency of Pinto da Costa, André Villas-Boas took the reins, and the team is now led by Vítor Bruno, former deputy of the emeritus Sérgio Conceição. But the latter struggles to impose its influence, and the collective stagnates. His future as head of the team is now very uncertain.

Raising your head in the European Cup

As the crisis brews within the club, its coach Vítor Bruno will have to raise the bar, and quickly, if he does not want to see his ship sink. Its future could thus quickly be called into question. If management still seems to have confidence in him, a new defeat could probably change the situation. The Portuguese sports daily The Game therefore evokes “ a capital Anderlecht operation ». « Thursday's match against Anderlecht will have additional weight in defining Vítor Bruno's future. Not only because of the disastrous moment the team is going through, but also because of the consequences this could have on the team's Europa League aspirations », Explains the newspaper.

The rest after this ad

For his part, To Ball shares a similar opinion: “ What is certain is that the elimination of the Portuguese Cup cannot leave anything as beforeestimates the media. Vítor Bruno must understand what is wrong and change quickly, find direction once and for all, defend and implement his ideas, because only convincing victories will bring him out from the front of criticism “. Currently ranked 22nd in the tournament, Porto will have to quickly assert themselves to validate their ticket for the rest of the competition and not see a sporting crisis really intrude. Faced with an Anderlecht team in good form, 5th ahead of Bucharest, Tottenham and Lyon, the meeting promises to be far from won in advance.