Sporting old boy Tello fired up for Porto
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Article summary
Rodrigo Tello hopes to carry on where he left off in his last game against FC Porto as Beşiktaş JK welcome the Portuguese champions to Istanbul in Group A.
Article body
Rodrigo Tello hopes to resume where he left off in his last game against FC Porto when Beşiktaş JK welcome the Portuguese champions to Istanbul on Wednesday.
Fond memory
The Chilean international winger spent seven years in the Liga with Sporting Clube de Portugal and has good reason to remember the last time he played against Porto. "I scored a free-kick against them in the second half of the 2006/07 campaign and I hope I can score again," he said. "But it doesn't matter who scores as long as we win.
Local knowledge
"When I think about that match, it reminds me of the old days," added the 27-year-old. "There is no doubt that I know Porto very well, as I played in Portugal for six full seasons. You could say that, after [Beşiktaş coach] Ertuğrul Sağlam, I know much more about Porto than any of my team-mates. Pepe and Anderson have left the club but they still have a strong squad."
'Danger men'
Indeed, Tello concedes that Porto could cause Beşiktaş problems as the Turkish team chase their first Group A points following the 2-0 Matchday 1 defeat at Olympique de Marseille. "They have quality names in their attack like Ricardo Quaresma, Lucho González and Lisandro López," he said. "These are very dangerous players for any defence, but we have the ability to stop them."
Slump in form
Having scored three domestic goals in the last fortnight, Tello too can pack quite a punch, and he is eager for his side to put on a show against Porto to make up for a recent slump. He said: "We produced some good performances in the Süper Lig three or four weeks ago and now is the time to prove our quality again, against Porto."
Universal truth
For Tello, who has Sporting and Beşiktaş on his CV, there is "no real difference between Turkish and Portuguese football". "Maybe the atmosphere in Turkey is different, but all over the world all players just want to win their next game. Footballers start every match with desire and ambition – nobody thinks 'I have to play the game and get back home as soon as possible'," he said.