Is Jesualdo Ferreira in the Firing Line?
Is Jesualdo Ferreira in the Firing Line?
Is it the end of the line for the FC Porto Manager?
By Dominic Vieira
It’s been a tough season for the FC Porto, they are currently in unknown territory, 3rd place; it’s been a long time since they found themselves sitting in that position. Their season has not been highly successful and the big question is: will Jesualdo Ferreira continue as the manager?
The hopes of FC Porto winning their fifth consecutive league title are distant and minimal. There are seven games remaining in the Liga Sagres and they are trailing league leaders Benfica by 11 points. Porto are unlikely to clinch 1st place, the battle for 2nd is not an easy challenge either. Braga are 8points ahead of Os Dragões and if they don’t finish in the top 2, then next year there will be no Champions League football; this will certainly be a huge financial blow for the club.
Despite qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League, Porto was humiliated 5-0 by Arsenal. This result was a huge blow and hard to take; especially because they won the first leg 2-1. It was a match when everything went wrong.
On Sunday night, Porto were beaten 3-0 by Benfica and their rivals won the Carlsberg Cup. The only silverware which could be taken to the Porto museum this year is the Taça de Portugal. The cup holders are favourites to win the competition, Benfica, Braga and Sproting have all been knocked out. Tomorrow they play the first leg of the semi final against Rio Ave. But, will winning the Taça de Portugal save Jesualdo Ferreira?
It seems as if the Jesualdo cycle is coming to an end, Porto has underachieved this season and many fans have been left angered and frustrated with the results. The players don’t appear to be a united group and there have been several changing room problems. It seems that change is imminent. Nonetheless, Jesualdo is an extremely experienced manager and has won the league title three times in a row; should they throw a champion away?
Paulo Bento, André Vilas Boas and Domingos Paciência are the Portuguese manager who have been rumoured of becoming the next Porto manager. But is it a wise decision to appoint a fairly young manager in charge of a powerful team with a strong personality?
