Fernando Mendes highlights Rui Borges’ main problem: Sporting have to... | OneFootball

Fernando Mendes believes that the key for Sporting to keep dreaming of titles in 2025/26 lies, above all, in the recovery of the many injured players and a possible slip-up by Porto, who are the clear leaders of the Liga Betclic after the first half of the season. The former Sporting player is more concerned about the physical condition of the squad than about emotional issues, following the elimination from the Allianz Cup against Vitória SC (2-1).

"The main alarm bell should be the successive injuries to players. New injuries are cropping up game after game. In every match, there are players who join the list of absentees. Yesterday [Tuesday, against V. Guimarães], there were two more. It’s already up to ten or eleven," points out the former Portuguese international, distancing himself from direct responsibility.

For Fernando Mendes, the explanation lies in the competitive overload and the structural limitations of Portuguese football. "It’s not possible to have as many alternatives as teams abroad have. There are clubs where you can replace six, seven, eight, nine players and the team doesn’t falter. Here, that’s not the case. Here, you notice the difference. That’s our reality. If we want to be in all competitions, we have to adapt. That’s life."

Even so, the former full-back believes that Rui Borges’ team is still fighting for the season’s main objectives. "Sporting is still in three competitions [Liga Portugal Betclic, Taça de Portugal, and Champions League]. In the main one, the league, it’s tough, because Porto are having an excellent season and are seven points ahead, but Sporting is still in the fight. They’ve had a lot of injuries, important players, which affects the team’s performance. But there’s still a long way to go. It’s difficult, but there are still many games left."

Fernando Mendes praises the campaign of the Dragons, but maintains hope for a Sporting comeback. "They’re in first place on merit, all we can do is hope they slip up a bit, that Sporting recovers what they need to recover and manages to improve their level." And he makes his appeal clear: "The players need to be recovered as quickly as possible so the team can be strong again."

Regarding the elimination from the Allianz Cup, the commentator feels the result was harsh on Sporting. "Sporting had five, six, seven goal opportunities. They could easily have won the game. Vitória did well, fought, worked hard, and won, although I consider the result unfair. Sporting had the chances and didn’t take them, Vitória did," he emphasized, also highlighting "the great performance of the Vitória goalkeeper."

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