André Villas-Boas and Francesco Farioli on fire at FC Porto | OneFootball

How the fortunes have changed for André Villas-Boas and Francesco Farioli.

Villas-Boas’ worst fears became a reality at the Club World Cup when he finally realised he had no other option than to terminate Martín Anselmi’s contract.

Farioli was still wondering how his Ajax side blew a nine point lead in the Eredivisie with seven games to go. His side conceded a 99th-minute equaliser at 10-man Groningen on the penultimate matchday to fall one point behind PSV which is where there they stayed, a collapse of epic proportions.

The 2-1 win against Primeira Liga champions Sporting CP in Lisbon was a statement victory in more ways than one, starting with the radical kick-off that resulted in Borja Sainz hitting the post in the opening seconds.

Villas-Boas didn’t have much time to prepare for his first season as Porto president, but after burning through two managers and building a scouting team capable of assembling a squad that can challenge for the title, he is back in the good books with a fanbase that had hit rock bottom.

The Dragons have cut some of the dead weight and spent wisely in key positions, doing most of their work early in the transfer window which has afforded Farioli important time to work on the training pitch.

Jan Bednarek may not be a world beater but he is capable of containing most forwards in Portugal. Alberto Costa is showing his class with Victor Froholdt well worth the €20m paid to FC Copenhagen.

Acquiring Pablo Rosario and Luuk de Jong for less than €4m was smart business and there is plenty of time for Dominik Prpić, Gabri Veiga and Borja Sainz to improve. Pepê and William Gomes appear rejuvenated.

It looks like Samu will be staying at Estádio do Dragão and if he remains fit, the Spaniard striker should be top scorer in the Liga.

Farioli is clearly an intelligent man and assuming he learns from his time at Fatih Karagümrük, Alanyaspor, Nice and the capitulation at Ajax, the 36-year-old has more than enough talent at his disposal to take Porto back to the summit of Portuguese football.

What I like most about what his tactics is the simplicity. While many managers unnecessarily overcomplicate things in an attempt to reinvent the game, Farioli is using a straight forward 4-3-3 and allowing his players to flourish.

Jakub Kiwior won’t be cheap but could be the final piece in the defensive puzzle with Otávio, Zé Pedro, Fábio Cardoso and Zaidu Sanusi cut loose. Alan Varela is doing what he does best and allowing the creative midfielders to shine.

The players know their roles and there is no confusion, injuries and suspensions won’t affect them too much and the hunger is back, that’s largely down to Farioli.

The club have the added motivation to honour the legacy of Jorge Costa, a role model on and off the pitch. Farioli dedicated the victory in Lisbon to Jorge Costa’s legacy, saying “This is for him and his family.”

Roger Schmidt was in the right place at the right time at Benfica and it’s conceivable that Farioli has fallen into a similar situation. Managers moving to a new country have the advantage of carrying no baggage.

The bookmakers got this one all wrong before a ball was kicked in the Primeira Liga, placing Benfica and Sporting CP way too far ahead of the Dragons in the betting market. Porto’s victory in Lisbon should be more than enough evidence for everyone to believe it’s a three way race.

As a neutral who spent many cold, wet and windy nights at the Dragão as the reign of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa came to an inevitable conclusion, it’s fantastic to see Porto on the way back to their best on and off the pitch.

The only downside to the evening was the obnoxious and dangerous behaviour by some of the Porto supporters. Their goal celebrations resulted in glass breaking and falling onto Sporting supporters, resulting in 17 injuries and a hospitalisation.