The best start ever from Arouca in I League soccer “is a reflection of the continuity of two and a half years of work,” recognized today the coach Armando Evangelista, on the sidelines of the conference Thinking Football, taking place in Porto.
“Now it’s easy to say that I believed in that [at the beginning of the season]. We have the ambition to always do the best, but I also recognize that to add 19 points to the 13th round seems fantastic for what Arouca represents at this point in the competition. I don’t believe that anyone who is paying attention or has responsibility in the I Liga would believe that Arouca could be in the eighth position now”, expressed the 49 year old coach to journalists.
The Serra da Freita emblem reached the unprecedented interruption of the I League for the World2022 with the most fruitful start in six participations, being led for three seasons by Armando Evangelista, who was even responsible for the rise of the division in 2020/21.
“This is also the result of the continuity we are having in Arouca, because we have two and a half years of work, well identified problems and the ability to improve competitiveness in terms of squad. I think these 19 points are a reflection of that. I am happy, maybe a little against all expectations”, evaluated.
Arouca will mark the return to the I League with a visit to national champion FC Porto, on December 28, after having played four games in Group G of the League Cup, which began on Friday with an equaliser in the reception of Feirense (1-1), II League.
“It’s going to be a challenge for all the coaches, not least because it’s the first time such a stoppage happens at this time. There is a planning around the performance, physical capacity and competitiveness that we want to keep for when we restart the I League, knowing that, in between, we have the League Cup, which we want to value and we will have to look at it as a preparation for the rest of the season”, Armando Evangelista concluded.
The Thinking Football summit takes place between Friday and Sunday, at the Pavilhão Rosa Mota, in Porto, under the unprecedented organization of the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP).