Quaresma charisma lifts Porto

Maverick position
The former Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Barcelona forward partly ascribes that to his increased understanding of how to combine the role of maverick winger with a team plan, yet he is adamant he will never abandon the element of surprise, improvisation and risk from his game. "These days, I never forget that football is a team game but Porto is a place where I feel people support me in my efforts to produce some elements of what we call 'fantasy' football," he said. "Life is all about risk and how you confront it, and football is just the same.

Ambitious option
"Like all attacking players, I'm happiest with the ball at my feet so I demand it all the time," the 23-year-old added. "But when I find myself in a situation with three choices, I will always choose a dribble or a trick over a square pass or a pass 20 metres back to our defenders." During Porto's 0-0 Group G draw with Arsenal FC on Wednesday, Quaresma hit the same post with shots with his right and left feet, but it was his outrageous attempt to chip Jens Lehmann from 35 metres that caught the crowd's imagination. "When you try things like that or hit the post with shots, what it does - at least to me - is encourage me that the next attempt will come off," Quaresma explained.

'Better reflection'
"There was no stage of the Arsenal game when I thought we might lose and it was a much better reflection of our ability than when we played in London," said the Portuguese international. "That night [a 2-0 defeat on Matchday 2], we were physically tired and our coach [Jesualdo Ferreira] was still new to the club. But losing to Arsenal at the Arsenal Stadium was the turning point. We decided it would be the rallying point for our season. Achieving our aim of reaching the last 16 after a weak start means we don't need to fear any opponents when the draw is made."