Francesco Farioli will take charge of his first Champions League match as a manager when Porto host Manchester City at the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old has quickly become one of football’s most highly regarded young coaches. He led Porto to the Portuguese league title last season and has guided the club to five wins from five league matches this campaign, with Porto conceding just one goal.

Farioli said he was certain he made the right decision by staying at Porto after being linked with vacancies at Chelsea, Liverpool and Rangers last season.

> “I don't feel I could be in a better place,” he told BBC Sport.

A key relationship at Porto has been with club president Andre Villas-Boas, the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager. Farioli said the club’s vision became clear when the pair met in Como, Italy, before he accepted the job.

From non-league goalkeeper to Porto manager

Farioli began his managerial career in Turkey with Fatih Karagumruk in 2021, followed by a spell at Alanyaspor. Before that, he had been a non-league goalkeeper in Italy and wrote about coaching on the Wyscout platform.

His route into management was helped by Roberto de Zerbi, who brought him onto his backroom staff at Benevento in 2017 before taking him to Sassuolo. Farioli initially worked as a goalkeeping coach before moving into management.

He subsequently had successful spells at Nice and Ajax. His time at Ajax ended with the club missing out on the Eredivisie title on the final day, after a difficult January transfer window in which Farioli felt the squad had not been strengthened enough.

He said Porto appealed to him because the club had experienced a similar sense of disappointment after finishing third before his arrival.

> “I was looking for a club with a similar spirit, not for revenge, but one that wanted to put things right,” Farioli said.

Porto have since won the Portuguese Super Cup and will now look to produce an upset against Manchester City. The club also has a strong Champions League history, having won the competition under Jose Mourinho in 2004.

Possession, structure and pressing

Farioli’s teams at Nice, Ajax and Porto have developed a style based on possession, structure and aggressive pressing. Although his teams have produced some of the best domestic defensive records at those clubs, Farioli rejects the idea that he is simply a defensive coach.

> “It's probably not one way or another but it is just about balancing the team,” he said.

His approach links attacking and defensive phases. Porto seek to keep the ball for long periods while maintaining enough players behind it to guard against counter-attacks. Players also stay close to the ball so they can apply immediate pressure when possession is lost.

The team presses high when opponents attempt to build from the back, using timing, specific triggers and coordinated movement to restrict passing options. Farioli said the squad’s work includes extensive video analysis, correction and explanation.

He also described football as a balance between chaos and order, saying a coach can help players develop a shared understanding of the game.

The match with Manchester City will provide Farioli with his first Champions League test as a manager and an opportunity to measure Porto’s developing identity against one of Europe’s leading teams.