Everything Rui Borges said ahead of Sporting v Moreirense (25/26) | OneFootball

Rui Borges, the green and white coach, spoke to journalists at a press conference previewing the Sporting - Moreirense match, this Sunday, September 20th. The match is scheduled for next Monday at 8:15 PM, at Estádio José Alvalade. Read here everything the Lions' coach said.

Praise for the opponent

"A Moreirense at the level it has been. I know the club well, I know what it's like to work in that structure, a team with players who have been at the club for three years, a well-organized, motivated team, in the top 5 for creating opportunities, which speaks well of their quality. But we have to focus on what we can bring to the game at home and we want to be strong".

Three injured and Quenda's starting position

"Quenda has been a starter, he has been working well. He wasn't an option in the first matches, he is now, maybe people see it as Geny's absence, but maybe it has nothing to do with that. I'm happy to count on Quenda and that makes me happy. Rui Silva, Diomande, and Geny Catamo are out of the game".

Relationship with Quenda

"I don't need to do it, he is very mature. He shows his maturity, rigor, and what he wants to achieve for his future. He is 18 years old, but has a different and well-defined personality. My concern is that he gets better every day, with more actions, creating more imbalances. My focus is for him to be stronger every day, more than working on the psychological part, because he doesn't need that".

Simões, Kochorashvili, and Debast

"Zeno came into the midfield and can provide that solution. Happy to have that capability in a new player, who is growing well and can become stronger. Simões is as prepared to be a starter as the others. He has been part of the main team for a long time, has a great ability to stay focused, I don't need to be a psychologist with him, he loves Sporting unconditionally, you can see it in how he celebrates, how he is on the bench, he is passionate. I think he will have a future... He will be a natural leader over time and will have his opportunities. Regarding Kochorashvili, he likes to listen, to learn, he will adapt and contribute his qualities to the team. I'm happy with what he has achieved and he will improve little by little for sure"

Mourinho's call to Varandas

"I'm not going to talk about that, I didn't hear it, it doesn't concern me if he called our President. He is someone we identify with, who marked world football. He has always been someone we, as coaches, looked up to in the early stages"

Schedule and management

"We look and try to understand. Sometimes those on the outside question the choices, but everything involves a combination of many factors. With Kairat, we took out Pote, Morten... It's a management to have the team ready to give their best, because they are not machines and we always act in favor of what we can, trying not to expose the player to injuries. Everything has its reason and we are all connected for the best in each game. We try to manage as much as possible what we can control to not expose the players to injuries".

Suárez and Ioannidis

"He is a complete forward, I have no doubt he will score goals. And Ioannidis the same. There has been talk about Luís' associative play, but he is more than that, he makes good diagonals, good timings, provides greater depth. He is a player who gives viability to the team, which I like, and Ioannidis will provide the same. He also likes connection, to start, which also provokes depth".

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