“Villas-Boas was living with Mourinho’s ghost. He was afraid he would not have the same success as in his first season. I think that was the crucial aspect in his departure,” said Porto president, Pinto da Costa.“In a conversation between the two of us I said ‘Are you worried about shipping three or four goals against FC Barcelona (in the European Super Cup)? Mourinho shipped five but that does not mean he is no longer the best coach in the world.’
“On the day he officially left I slept well because everything had been planned for. Villas-Boas rescinded his contract at 4pm and at 5pm I was presenting his replacement. I already had Vitor Pereira as back-up. Even before Villas-Boas knew himself he was going to leave, I suspected that he would be leaving.
“If I was his father I would have told him what I told him as his president and his friend: that he should have stayed at FC Porto. In football, when you talk about European giants, the measure is not Chelsea. It’s Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United. I told him that this would be Guardiola’s last season at Barcelona and that was the ideal club for him, but he was scared of the comparisons with Mourinho and left.”
“If 10 players leave I have replacements for each one of them. There is only one who I don’t have a replacement for, who is Hulk. If a player such as Alvaro Pereira or Falcao left, FC Porto would continue to play in the same style. But as there is no player with the same characteristics as Hulk, our game would have to change.”
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