I had loser stamped on my head': how Porto's Francesco Farioli bounced back

A nine-point lead collapse at Ajax left a coach feeling marked as a loser and caused interest to cool, halting his momentum. After a strong run at Porto, he won the league with two games remaining, reversing a prior period without titles and following Ajax’s earlier collapse that had helped PSV win. He had been linked with Chelsea before Xabi Alonso’s appointment, prompting Porto supporters to worry about losing him, recalling Andre Villas-Boas’s move to Stamford Bridge. He insists he will push again with higher expectations. Porto’s president backed him, and he aimed to change the team’s emotional atmosphere after inheriting a chaotic squad that had missed Champions League football.

"After Francesco Farioli surrendered a nine-point lead in his final five matches at Ajax, he felt the word loser had been stamped across his forehead. Clubs that had pursued him quietly stepped back and his rise abruptly stalled. Now, after an impressive campaign at Porto, the 37-year-old is again one of Europe's most sought-after coaches."

"Porto's title triumph, wrapped up with two games to spare, came 12 months after Ajax's collapse enabled PSV to become Dutch champions. It is a sign of Farioli's status that he was linked with Chelsea before they appointed Xabi Alonso, raising fears among Porto supporters of an early departure. They remember what happened 15 years ago when Andre Villas-Boas was prised away to Stamford Bridge after winning the league."

"Farioli, though, insists the club and fans have nothing to worry about. I feel I need to go again and push again now the expectations are even higher, he says. Three weeks ago, from the outside, I had big question marks on my head. Now there is an exclamation mark that needs to be confirmed and proved."

"The Italian inherited a Porto squad that had experienced a chaotic season marked by two managerial changes, a third-placed finish and the loss of Champions League football. But Farioli saw an opportunity to restore dignity to the club and his career. I was really looking for a club with people who had the same motivation I had a spirit of overturning a failure or something that went wrong after the very heavy season I had at Ajax, Farioli says."

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