National and Europa League champion in 2010/11, André Villas-Boas returned to FC Porto as president by promising a new era of drastic and structural changes to the club, succeeding the reign of 40 years of his predecessor, the president The most titled in the world. The task was already difficult in theory, but when he promoted the former assistant coach of Sérgio Conceição at the head of the club, the situation became explosive. Meanwhile, Vítor Bruno has been dismissed, the club is dragged in third place and risks missing the next round of the Europa League. To replace it, the bet comes from … from Mexico.
It was over before you start
THE Dragons already knew that the 2024/25 season was going to be very complicated since April, when the reign of Pinto da Costa (PDC), 40 years of title, was replaced by a former coach who has achieved the best season in recent history – and perhaps in history at all – from the FC Portobut whose promise of loyalty, when he said he was in his “dream chair“, only lasted a week before Chelsea Do not knock on the door at the end of the 2010/11 season. It is d’André Villas-Boas (AVB).
Appearing as the Savior and the Face of Change after fifteen years of troubles, strange decisions and clearly harmful to the interests of the club – as revealed by the last audit of the former administration – the mandate of AVB began by promises of Cleaning the mismanagementCups in the advantages granted to members of the largest group of supporters (the noisiest in their protests whatever the results) and a good soap opera: has there been betrayal?
Sérgio Conceição Allied with Pinto da Costa and anchored its future far from Portoleaving AVB the difficult file of the succession. The choice, more surprising for some than for others, fell on the deputy coach, Victor Brunowho a few months ago seemed left for another project, but who ended up accepting the invitation to lead the first team, which earned him insults and accusations from the former team of coaches, who recently accompanied Sérgio Conceição in Milan. It’s a great story and we haven’t talked about the current team yet …
For all these reasons, it can never be said enough, the new coach knew he would have the bridle on the neck. Even before the start of the season, the locker room had already lost some of its great figures, as PEPE ET FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO (which were also anchored in the PDC), as well as Taremi et Evanilsonwhich left the locker room without leaders, the defense with holes to be filled and the attack without teeth.
Despite the lack of money – the new administration would have found only eight thousand euros in the club accounts – the structure endeavored to complete the workforce with strong names, in order to stabilize the boat, to give the confidence and prepare for the future. SAMU, Francisco Moura, Nehuén Pérez, Fábio Vieira et Tiago Djaló arrived with references, while Deniz Gul was a candidate at the start.
However, Victor Bruno wanted to leave its brand inside and outside the locker room and tried to use the ancients excluded from Conceição: Fran Navarro, David Carmo, Toni Martínez, André Franco et Iván Jaime were all present from the start, but today only the last two are still in the team and the last was not even summoned for the last three games.
The worst assessment in 16 years …
Despite a departure in apotheosis with an unlikely victory in Super Cup against the Sportingafter being led 3-0 to win 3-4, the truth is that the coach slowly started to lose the locker room and the team a failed in the most important matches. Defeats against They will/glymth, Benfica, Lazio, Sporting (twice), Moreirense and others have shown a drifting team, unable to act and react and demonstrate the lack of maturity that Victor Bruno had protected himself at the start of the season.
Unconvincing on the ground, the coach was even more confused when he addressed the public, complicating his analyzes to excess and oscillating between the bad and the good cop to pass messages to the team. To which no one expected when, when he was presented, questioned about the break with Sérgio Conceiçãohe said: “I fall asleep every day to the applause of my conscience“. Or when, in response to the criticisms he was the subject of in October, he declared : “I know only one person who took steps back in his life, it is Michael Jackson“.
Sarcasm is useless in front of the public and appeared as a contradiction with what we saw on the field, especially during the important matches above. Even the victories did not make it possible to find common ground, because the team was not convincing, it was not consistent and it constantly made mistakes. In November, the club underwent three consecutive defeats for the first time in 16 years, which gave rise to this article of opinion.
Despite everything, the FC Porto approached 2025 with the possibility of winning the League Cup and climbing at the top of the championship. The defeat in the semi-finals of the competition against the Sporting (1-0), once again halftone, was attenuated by the fact that the club could find the head of the championship for the first time in two and a half years if he beat a National Threatened with relegation, in a match that was interrupted and postponed due to the fog.
On January 12, the match therefore resumed at 2:30 p.m. … However, two minutes after recovery, the Dragons were already losing. Player’s apathy has led Victor Bruno To make a beginner error by replacing a defensive corner kick, which led to 2-0. Until half-time, in a match to win, the FC Porto had not scored a single shot And the result has not changed in the second half.
During the next day, in Gil Vicente, the Dragons were led to the score, equalized just after the break thanks to the newcomer GONÇALO BORGES And, while they seemed to go towards a return, they made a new defensive error and conceded 2-1. Towards the end of the match, Nico was expelled, Borges thought he had equalized, but the movement was reversed to give a penalty to Gil and the score was 3-1, with Find expelled after the final whistle. Three consecutive defeats, the second series in the same season, which had not been seen for 52 years.
-The team wins the rope match
As he had done previously with Otávio, Alan Varela, Iván Jaime et Fábio Vieirathe coach wanted to show the group that no one is irreplaceable and left Peepê Apart from the team after poor services. After the match, Victor Bruno said that Peepê was “self-excluded” because of his lack of commitment. The Brazilian striker responded on social networks saying that he had trained all week on the sidelines because he had pulled too hard to mark a mini-piece.
Other quotes deserve to be noted, such as that which consists in justifying defeat by a simple “We just had to score more goals“And to say that the team”is too punished for his mistakes“But a few hours later, during a meeting between the leaders and the team on arrival at the Estádio Do Dragão, the club announced the coach’s dismissal at 02:00.
Monday January 20, Victor Bruno a left his duties as a coach of FC Portoafter winning the Portugal Super Cup 19 times, made three draws and lost eight times.
Murphy’s law
José Ferreirinha Tavares was chosen to ensure the interim and prepare last Thursday against Thursday against l’olympiakos. Despite a good start, the Dragons underwent a general breakdown of electricity after 15 minutes and ended up bowing 0-1, the result of a new defensive error, in a match where they only had two good opportunities to score, one nearby half-time and the other at the end of the match.
In addition to jeopardizing the future of the club in the competition, This fourth consecutive defeat constitutes the worst record in the history of the club (the first and only time it happened, it was 60 years ago) and brought the president to the press conference at the end of match. In addition to assuming the responsibility of this bad time and confirming the name of the next coach (we will come back in a moment), AVB revealed that Peepêalthough holder, would be the subject of a disciplinary procedure for the message he published on social networks.
The intervention did not calm the spirits and the decision concerning the Brazilian striker only confirmed one thing: If there is smoke and it smells of smoke, it is because there is the fire at home. The pre-season and planning made on the fly, with late arrivals of key reinforcements and a style of play which was still looking for its true identity, did not help a smooth transition and the lack of options on the market For a clear candidate left AVB and the sports director Andoni Zubizarreta In a worse position than at the start of the season.
THE Blue and white Need a coach capable of federating the locker room and captivating supporters, who knows how to draw the maximum potential for young people, who can work with a limited budget and, above all, which is able to create a defensive fortress again. Sarri, Xavi, Abel Ferreira, Luís Castro et Paulo Fonseca were all mentioned in the Portuguese press as possible successors. But the choice is still associated with controversies.
Head, heart and balls
“Who will fill this month of January with springs?“Asked Alejandro Sainz in a song that rocked the Millennials and the generation Z at the end of the last century. To repair the broken hearts of Portistas After the worst month of January in their history, the Balm comes from Argentina, with foolproof courage and intelligence, it is said, at the height of El Loco.
The Argentin Martín Anselmi has never been a professional footballer. He was a journalist until he lost interest in the profession and decided to become a coach. He sold his motorcycle to have the chance to travel to Europe and meet his idol and mentor Marcelo Bielsa. He returned in Argentine To start his career at the bottom of the scale, working with children, without salary and with the help of his wife.
A few years and experiences later, he Wins the Ecuadorian championship and the South America Cup with Independiente del Valle. His last two seasons at Blue cross made it an idol, now fell into the handling of the Mexican club, which accuses him of betrayal and made his departure difficult. The truth is that the coach said very early on his intention to join Invictawhere he wants to develop his 3-4-3 (read the tactical analysis below).
At 39, the Beielsista embarks on his first experience in Europe to try to rebuild another fallen giant. To take over the motto of Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, The last two will not be too much, as his record suggests. You have to hope that Martín Anselmi At the head of employment, not only for European Football, but especially for the melodrama and the background affairs of Portuguese football.
The coach will probably not arrive in time to do his debut on the bench during the match against the surprise team of the Portuguese championship, Santa Clarafifth, scheduled for this Sunday. Worse still, instead of appearing in front of the supporters, he will make his baptism of fire during the trip to Maccabi Tel-Aviv Next Thursday, in a cleaner match for Dragons In Europa League.
