Pereira struggles to fit into big boots

THE script was written long in advance. It is one of the sadnesses of modern football that whenever a (relatively) small side does well, all the talk is not of their success but of where their members may go next.

So, after Porto had beaten Braga to win the Europa League in Dublin in May, with one of the most dully emphatic 1-0 wins you’re ever likely to see, the post-match press conference was dominated by speculation.

Could Porto keep together a side that had dropped just four points all season in winning the Portuguese league? Would a side that had the swagger of Champions League challengers ever actually get the chance to challenge for the Champions League? Could Andre Villas-Boas persuade Falcao, Hulk, Moutinho, Alvaro Pereira and Fredy Guarin to stay?