Boos, no confidence and 3rd place: Rui Borges after Sporting v Tondela | OneFootball

After Sporting’s draw with Tondela (2-2), in a match valid for the delayed 26th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, Rui Borges spoke to journalists at a press conference, where he analyzed the performance. The coach was asked about the fans’ whistles at the end of the match and the frustration. Check out everything he said.

How can this moment be turned around?

"We weren’t the best in the world 15 days ago, and we’re not the worst now. Frustration exists, it’s part of it. The way back is to never doubt ourselves, because then we can’t improve and overcome this less positive period in terms of results. We could have scored more goals in the last two games and we were unlucky. We have to know how to deal with frustration, always believe in the quality that brought us here, and not let this moment change everything that came before. Pull together, because together we can get through this phase"

Whistles and the worst time to renew

"I’m focused on the next game, not on my future or a contract renewal. I wasn’t the best coach in the world 15 days ago, and I’m not the worst now, just like the players. They’ve done everything, things just aren’t going the way we want. There’s a lack of confidence, and we have to work on that. Whistles are natural, they’re part of football, part of Sporting’s standards. We always want to win, and we’re not managing to do that. I understand their frustration and we have to deal with it. I only ask that during the game they support the team, because they deserve it, and then at the end, if there’s frustration, that’s part of it and we have to deal with it"

What he demands of himself and the players

"I demand that we keep getting better and overcome this less positive phase. It’s not for lack of attitude; if that existed, it would be a serious problem for me, if they had no attitude and didn’t give everything. They want it, but sometimes things don’t come off the way they want, and it’s clear that the confidence isn’t the same as it was some time ago. It’s part of it; in these five years of achievements Sporting has gone through less good moments, so we have to know how to overcome them. It’s true that in these two games we didn’t expect or want to drop points and it moved us away from our objectives, but we have to keep working and believe in the quality of the group. I will never question their character"

Awareness of the consequences of the draw

"The dialogue between us is daily. The scenarios are always there, all of them. I’m aware of what it means to be second or third. We want to be second, but we know the impact and we know in advance what the consequences are; the club knows, we all know"

Explanation for what happened and the pressure

"I’ve been under pressure since I arrived at Sporting. I work at a big club, with maximum demands, and when we’re far from our objectives it’s normal for there to be frustration. The pressure has been there since day one, it’s not something that affects me. Bragança’s statements? I’ve been under pressure since I arrived at Sporting. I work at a big club, with maximum demands, and when we’re far from our objectives it’s normal for there to be frustration. The pressure has been there since day one, it’s not something that affects me. DANI? It’s natural, it’s part of Sporting’s demands. We want to fight for our objectives, we can’t drop these points, and the explanation now is that today we weren’t competent in two set-piece moments and we conceded two goals. We were competent for 90 minutes and not for 5. We’re a team that doesn’t usually concede many goals from set pieces, and today we did. We’ve won games in the 90th minute and now we’re losing them"

Did the team not have the physical condition for so many competitions?

"I don’t think it has to do with that, it has to do with several factors over time. At certain moments we had to overload some players, we lost important players and it ends up being difficult to manage. It’s clear they’re not at their best physically and they’re giving everything. They want to help and that reflects who they are as a group. It’s more about that than biting off more than we can chew. We knew what we were involved in, we want to compete, and we were forced into decisions to overload players. That’s football, we have to deal with it. Ousmane couldn’t play today, but that’s part of it. The key is not to fall into doubt and to believe in the group’s quality. Not everything is wrong, we don’t have the same freshness, no, but we did more than enough to win the last game and this one"

Plans for this week and the use of Bragança

"Limited, but he played a great game. It was my decision, our decision, because he wanted to be there and understood that the moment isn’t the best. He wanted to be with the team as the great captain he is. He did his best, he was very good, we managed him carefully, but then he brings other things too. What am I going to do? Work and believe strongly in the team I have. Whether in training, boosting confidence and making them mentally lighter, because that’s the worst part. I have to be able to help"

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.