Football Isn't a Fad

Watching the Sporting-Celtic and France-Spain matches on Tuesday, I found myself contemplating the risks of following trends. While good examples should be emulated, it must be done with conviction.

This brings me to FC Porto, the reigning champions, and specifically how Francesco Farioli swiftly transformed a struggling team into a winning unit. The Italian coach's game philosophy is rooted in athletic prowess, where physical conditioning plays a decisive role.

Under Farioli, players like Alberto, Bednarek, Kiwior, Froholdt, Pablo Rosario, Luuk de Jong, and Borja Sainz arrived, joining other physically imposing athletes such as Samu, Alan Varela, Pepê, and Deniz Gul. In no time, the Dragons became a formidable machine, with the coach, handpicked by André Villas-Boas, introducing a new term to Portuguese football's lexicon: physicality.

And physicality became a trend, even promising to set a new standard. Interestingly, Bruno Lage initially tried to lead the charge, stating his desire for a different player profile at Benfica. Manu Silva, Richard Ríos, Barrenechea, Lukebakio, and Ivanovic arrived, but the coach didn't have enough time to build a team in his image, ultimately being dismissed very early in the season.

Now, Sporting is adopting a strategy different from recent years, with numerous reinforcements sharing a common trait: physicality. Altimira, Doumbia, Silas Andersen, and even Zalazar are all exceptionally strong and athletic players.

It's clear that Rui Borges, having moved past Ruben Amorim's legacy, intends to reshape the team. He wants a stronger, more aggressive, and hungrier Lion. From this perspective, I view the announced departures of Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves, and Daniel Bragança, which join the inevitable exits of Morita and Hjulmand. I wouldn't even be surprised if another heavyweight joined the list, particularly one of the central defenders.

What's certain is that Sporting will be different, and the signs shown in the friendly against the Scottish champions were encouraging. We can expect a bolder, faster, and more combative Lion, a result of the new blood injected into the squad.

Naturally, there's no objection to this, as I believe all reinforcements bear Rui Borges's stamp. He's orchestrating this transformation based on conviction, not merely following a trend, even if that trend yielded excellent results at the Estádio do Dragão.

It's evident that I consider conviction fundamental, as it's the sole creator of identity. This was clear in the World Cup semi-final, where Spain delivered a footballing masterclass to favorites France. The Spanish federation's project is solid, well-supported, built on a clear game philosophy, and consistently applied. Barcelona established the model, and the national team adopted it, achieving excellent results across both youth categories and the senior squad. Luis de la Fuente's promotion from the U21s to La Roja is simply the logical culmination of this approach.

France boasts superior individual players — their attack is truly extraordinary — but it was the team, the idea, and the conviction that ultimately prevailed.