Artur Jorge on ‘harsh’ result, defence and team’s progress | OneFootball

“The result, which is what remains, is harsh on us. It doesn’t leave us satisfied. The fans did a great job. We tried to repay them with the result. We did so more with the performance than with the result. It was a game in which we created a lot and made little of what we created. The players tried to be competitive throughout the full 90 minutes, and in the end, when we were pushing for the win, we conceded a goal. That’s football, it has these moments too. We have to lift our heads because in two days we have another game and we have to overcome this collective disappointment.”

“I understand the concern, and it is legitimate. Since the beginning, we have conceded many goals. We remember it more when we concede, because when we don’t, we talk about that too. But it’s a fact, I can’t run from it. It worries me as well. We have to be more competent defensively, because opponents don’t create much against us. We have had the ability to be more dominant than the opponent, and in this game that happened again, but the opponent needs very little to score. As for player A, B or C, everyone has to be ready to respond when called upon. The demands at this stage are high, the overall situation creates discomfort because of the result and alarms us, but we have to have the serenity needed to keep believing in the work we have to do.”

“Having good positional play, being aggressive and quick in moving the ball, and having players constantly attacking depth or making short diagonal runs. It’s a bit of that. We have to be more careful, more effective. We made 27 crosses and had only seven touches on the ball, which is too little for what we produced. Sometimes—and we saw it today from the other side—two or three visits into our box are enough to win the game, from a team that tried not to lose and ended up winning.”

“I can’t be questioned over this idea of chemistry when we change three or four players, and that was the case today. And then we can say we’re tired, or that only some players get opportunities when we don’t make changes. We have a group of players to meet the demands of the three competitions we’re involved in. We will give our best in every match, based on the need and the physical condition of each athlete. As will be the case now against Grêmio, we look ahead and see who is more or less prepared.”

“It leads to greater reflection. When we don’t win, it creates more doubt about the team, the performance, the behavior. From our side, we have to be rational and assess the context, the moment, not just the result. We need a deeper analysis in order to correct things. The responsibility is ours, but it is based on the work we are trying to do, work aimed at improvement. This game halts progress in terms of results, but it does not halt the team’s growth, its commitment. You saw a committed team, running, working, playing, showing performance.”

“I work with the players so that they can be capable of overcoming every moment. The greatest demand has to come from themselves. We will never be good enough for other people’s opinions. Success is a process that requires time, commitment, patience. It’s not about player A, B or C. It’s mine, ours, the team’s. There is no identical plan for everyone; everyone has different personalities and character, and the most important thing is what the team needs.”

“It doesn’t change in terms of planning or strategy. It may change in terms of morale. When you win, everything is easier, the path becomes simpler. When you don’t win, we have to have the ability and the courage to look back and respond immediately. In other words, this can also bring a different point of view so that we can look at what comes next with more ambition. There is no other result than getting back to winning, so that Cruzeiro can have something better in its path.”

“He is a 20-year-old player who needs care and motivation. He had his chance and hit the post. And what I had been saying was motivation for him to keep trying.”

“My renewal is very simple to explain: after a period of working here, understanding the scale of what Cruzeiro is and the opportunity given to me by the president, looking at what the Cruzeiro project is—and that can be explained in a way that shows we will not live based only on wins and losses, but rather on broader work, longer-term but more wide-ranging. That led us to an understanding that seems to me a great option: for the club, a challenge; for the responsibility I have taken on, a project with a vision further ahead.”

Impressum des Publishers ansehen