David Carmo is the most expensive reinforcement ever for FC Porto – comparable to Imbula and Oliver Torres -, but he has not played for 101 days. The central defender, who was hired from Sp. Braga for 20 million euros was last used by coach Sérgio Conceição on October 29, in the Azores, with Santa Clara. He was in the starting line-up alongside Fábio Cardoso, but he was involved in the draw that gave the Azores a draw (1-1) in the 10th round of the I Liga.
Since then, the Dragons have played 17 games in four competitions and the defender has not been called up in seven games. On Sunday he went back to the stands with Vizela (triumph, 2-0), just like the previous day, with Marítimo. He was one of 24 players called up by Sérgio Conceição for the trip to Madeira, but ultimately did not even appear on the scoresheet of the 18th round of the I Liga, which FC Porto won (2-0).
Protagonist of the highest transfer between Portuguese clubs, which can reach 22.5 million euros if certain objectives are met, David Carmo is looking for a second chance to show the potential that led FC Porto to invest 20 million to support him from Braga , last summer , at the request of Sérgio Conceição.
The start of the season was not easy and he reached February with a dragon on his chest in 14 out of a possible 35 games, and when he played he was always in the starting line-up and added a game for the B team in the II Liga ( against SP Covilhã). The little use is due to two factors: own mistakes and the good moment of the Spanish veteran Iván Marcano, who works with captain Pepe.
Let’s start with the mistakes. More than three months later, David Carmo is still trying to fix the mistakes he made in October. First, a child penalty was committed in the Champions League match with Club Brugge – the penalty was eventually saved by Diogo Costa. As DN learned, David Carmo was aware of the mistake he made and understood the reason why he left the team, as well as the coach’s criticism right after that game on October 26, which the Dragons won 4-0. “The key moment could be David Carmo and, frankly, for me it is not normal at this level, in the championship or in national competitions, for a player to make such a mistake. I apologize for everything, technical errors, sometimes situations where the player wants to do his best and has to go red because he wants to defend the working group, but I accept that with more difficulty,” said Sérgio Conceição, who gave the 23-year-old footballer another chance.
Three days later he started against Santa Clara and bet again. The mistake this time cost two points in the I Liga 10th round match, David Carmo played alongside Fábio Cardoso, who advanced white and blue after three minutes, who would concede the tie in the 83rd minute, in a move with the blame for the ex-bracarense.
If Sérgio Conceição criticized him in the first case, but forgave the mistake, he punished him in the second case. After his departure to the Azores, David Carmo was no longer an option, neither in the League Cup nor in the Portuguese Cup. And also because of the good timing of Iván Marcano. The two left-handers, the Portuguese and the Spaniard, were in contention for a place in the eleven in the early stages of the season, with the Spaniard taking the title while David Carmo served two penalty games for red, which can still be seen on the serve of Braga, in the final round of last season’s championship.
Nevertheless, the young central understands that he has to wait for another chance, so he did not even think about loaning him at the winter market, nor did the club think about it, according to DN. This is despite the coach still seeing him as a fourth option, after Pepe, Marcano and Fábio Cardoso. After all, in the last 17 games, the defender only went on the bench in the seven games in which FC Porto could not count on Pepe due to an injury. And in this, the duo used by the blue and white coach was Fábio Cardoso and Marcano.
Back with Ac. Did you see?
With the derby against Sporting in sight, scheduled for next Sunday, Sérgio Conceição can bet again on David Carmo tomorrow in tomorrow’s match against Académico de Viseu, at Estádio do Fontelo, for the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, even to see veterans Pepe and Marcano some rest.
The dragons resumed training yesterday, after beating Vizela (2-0), and according to the clinical bulletin, there were five players under the care of the medical department: Meixedo, Wendell, Eustáquio, Otávio and Gabriel Veron. None of them will recover for the cup tie, so Vasco Sousa, the B-squad youngster who made his first-team debut on Sunday, remains under the command of Sérgio Conceição.
Source: DN
