Rodrigo Mora impresses in the derby: “Just needs fitness to be a starter” | OneFootball

On Saturday, FC Porto emerged victorious from Alvalade (1-2) against the two-time champion Sporting, in a match marked by Rodrigo Mora's first start of the current season, taking advantage of the absence of Gabri Veiga, who was prevented from playing at the last minute due to back pain.

At the José de Alvalade Stadium, on the fourth round of the I League, the 18-year-old Portuguese was on the field for 58 minutes with a good level performance, before giving way to debutant Pablo Rosario. Interestingly, the two goals from the dragons, scored by Luuk de Jong (61′) and Wiliam Gomes (64′), came after the number 86 had left.

In statements to the Desporto ao Minuto portal, Jorge Amaral highlighted that Rodrigo Mora only needs "physical condition" to deserve a starting position.

"Farioli's game proposal requires man-to-man marking across the whole field and with a lot of pressure. I am someone who valued the signing of Gabri Veiga, but he has not yet shown all his attributes. I believe his starting position is explained by the fact that it cost 15 million euros [90 percent of the pass, plus a maximum variable remuneration of 4 million euros depending on the achievement of certain objectives] and also because he started pre-season training with FC Porto, while Rodrigo Mora had a holiday period, after serving the national team [in the Nations League]," began the former dragons' goalkeeper.

"Against Sporting, Rodrigo Mora created much more danger in almost an hour of play than Gabri Veiga in the games he played. The quality in one-on-one, the ability to do something that few are expecting make the difference in this type of games. Honestly, Gabri Veiga's absence was not felt, he is still looking for his best version," he added.

FC Porto has been lining up in a 4x3x3 system and Jorge Amaral pointed out what he considers to be the best placement for the creative midfielder.

"Of the midfield trio, he could be the element with the most positional freedom, although he has to respect collective behaviors. Victor Froholdt's lung is inexhaustible and could be a good cover for Rodrigo Mora to do his best for the team. It was no coincidence that when he left against Sporting, the team lost quality in ball possession, because it was left with three very similar players [Alan Varela, Victor Froholdt and Pablo Rosario]," stressed the former player.

With the transfer window almost closing, Rodrigo Mora's future is among the priorities of the blue and white SAD, chaired by André Villas-Boas, who reportedly received a proposal of 63 million euros from Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia. FC Porto, however, referred to the termination clause set at 70 million.

". The pace of the Saudi league is not the same as in Europe and Gabri Veiga (ex-Al Ahli) is an example of this. There, the game is played at a leisurely pace. João Félix scored a hattrick [in Al Nassr's 5-0 victory over Al-Taawon] almost without breaking a sweat. Financially, the proposal would be attractive to Rodrigo Mora, who would secure his independence at 18 years old," Jorge Amaral concluded.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.