Porto head coach Sergio Conceição has reacted to reproaches regarding the team's recent loss to the Portuguese league outsider.
"We at Porto often forget that we play against opponents and they have qualities too. We don't play against ourselves. We play against coaches who have a clear strategy against us. We cannot take away this merit from the opponents.
I will give the example of Shakhtar in the Champions League, who beat Barcelona. When we beat Shakhtar, it looked like Shakhtar were a neighbourhood team, but now they are looked at differently.
Or Antwerp. I am familiar with the Belgian league, and it is competitive. Are they one of the best teams in Europe? No, but the proof of their proficiency is the fact that they were Belgian champions.
Let's not undervalue everything we do well and emphasise everything we do badly. It's unfair and it's been happening constantly over the years," Conceição said.