Porto’s head coach, Sergio Conceicao, has responded to Mikel Arteta’s suggestion that his team lacked intent during Arsenal’s Champions League defeat.
Despite Arsenal initially holding off Porto with a goalless draw in the Estadio do Dragao, Porto seized the opportunity when Gabriel Martinelli’s loose pass allowed Galeno to score a brilliant curled effort from outside the box past David Raya.
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Arteta’s team struggled to replicate their Premier League form, failing to register a shot on target in the Champions League for the first time since 2011.
When asked about Porto’s tactics, Arteta said after the defeat defeat: ‘We are very used to playing against these defensive blocks, especially in the first half we lacked certain things.
‘We will learn from it and be better in the return game.
‘The best thing about our team was the attitude. We wanted to play. We didn’t lack aggression. Faced with such a low block and a team with no intention of playing, this is what we have to do.’
When asked about Arteta’s assessment on Porto’s approach to the match, said: ‘It’s an opinion. They wanted to play, we wanted to win.
‘Arteta is from the [Pep] Guardiola school, who is the coach with the most titles in the world.
‘They think that the best way to beat their opponents is to have more possession of the ball, but that depends on the team and the performers they have.
‘We had 40%-60% possession of the ball, which is not a scandal. I didn’t mind having 30%-70% and winning too. It all depends on what you do with the ball within the strategy defined to score goals.’
