Lopetegui on Porto's Basel visit
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Article summary
As FC Porto visit FC Basel 1893, boss Julen Lopetegui reviews their group effort, denies they are favourites, says what winning would mean and states his football philosophy.
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On FC Porto's group stage performance ...
The team did well, performing bravely in every match. We were lucky enough to score plenty of goals. I think we were very solid in various match situations, which is what we have to aim to continue. Every game was different, every opponent played differently.
[Coming from two down to draw at FC Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday two] gave us a confidence boost. It earned us a point and took points off a rival team. I think it was a decisive match. All the games were important, though. Against Athletic Bilbao, for example, the team showed great strength. We've been very solid at home.
On FC Basel 1893 ...
They deservedly reached the second stage after coming through a really tough group in which they finished above Liverpool. They gave Real Madrid a very difficult game in Switzerland, so they're a talented side. They're experienced, they had a very good campaign last season too, beating Chelsea. They're a very good side who will force us to play at the very top of our game in terms of intensity and concentration if we are going to have a chance of progress. That's exactly what we want to do. Perform well in the two legs and get through the tie.
On whether Porto are favourites in the tie ...
Journalists like the word 'favourites' more than we do. It's not a real concept. I think the match starts at 0-0. They have their strengths, we have ours. They enjoyed a promising group stage, so did we. What we want to do is get through, but I don't think it helps anyone to answer the question of whether we are favourites.
On Basel, unlike Porto, having a long winter break ...
They've had the chance to focus on specific things in training that other teams don't get to do. They've also been playing friendlies against top sides. They recently played Freiburg and they have rhythm. The other positive is that they've been able to boost the squad with players returning from injury. They've had plenty of time to work on team principles, so there are always two sides to these types of situations. Normally, teams that are used to such a long break compensate by organising friendlies against strong opposition.
On the chance to make Porto's second quarter-final since the 2004 triumph ...
It would generate huge excitement. Everyone at the club really wants us to reach the quarter-finals. Remember that we had to get through a very tough and demanding qualifying round to make it to the group stage. The team started out on this path in August, and we want it to last for as long as possible. What would it mean? It would be fantastic. Everyone at the club and all the supporters would be so happy. Me, the players, everybody. We have a very young side, without doubt the youngest in the Champions League, and it would be vindication for many players and the whole club.
On playing possession football ...
We think that while we have the ball, we have the chance to attack and the opposition cannot attack us. If you have it, the problem is how you use it, where you have it and why you have it. These are the questions that we always try to answer. Evidently in football, the more possession you have, the more chances you have to win the game and cause the opposition damage – and the less chance they have to do it to you. There's no mathematics in football. Of course you have to be aggressive in possession and mix up your attacking style, with different options against different opposition. That's a consideration when facing teams that sit back. If teams don't sit back and there isn't much space in front of them, you look at alternatives. Our main priority is being able to attack and defend well.
On guarding against becoming predictable ...
By having varying attacking options – if you have different options up front, you can change the team's style of attack. The team have to try to seize the moment and attack well at key moments by reading the game correctly and making right decisions. At the end of the day, what matters in football is making the most of what you do well and what the opposition don't do well. Having the ball doesn't necessarily mean you have space, and the opposition can still hit you on the counterattack. If you don't have the ball, you have to wait to take advantage.
On adapting to the opposition ...
What you have to try to do is look to answer the questions that the opposition ask, by attacking and taking the initiative. That isn't the same as adapting your game to the opposition. Neutralising the threat posed by the opposition isn't adapting your game to theirs, it's about trying to gain an advantage from your own team's ability and quality, and knowing how to reduce the threat caused by the opposition. I repeat, it isn't the same as adapting your game according to the opposition. Thwarting the opposition's attacking threat is different.