Inácio: Can Sporting’s skill outshine Porto’s team strength? | OneFootball

The classic match between FC Porto and Sporting, scheduled for Monday at 8:45 PM in the 21st round of the Liga Betclic, could be decided by the ability to capitalize on the opponent's mistakes, says former player, coach, and director Augusto Inácio, who highlights the importance of scoring first.

“If FC Porto loses the ball in the attacking midfield, Sporting has very fast players up front and can create a lot of danger. On the other hand, when Sporting is pressed in their own half, they often lose the ball near the box and FC Porto can take advantage. It will be a game of mistakes, and we’ll see if Sporting’s superior technique prevails over FC Porto’s greater collective strength,” he told Lusa news agency.

The league leader, FC Porto, with 55 points, hosts second-placed Sporting, with 51, in what is the second meeting between the teams this season, after Porto’s win in the first round (2-1) at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.

The defeat of the “azuis e brancos” in the previous round, their first in the league, away at Casa Pia (2-1), allowed Sporting to cut the gap from seven to four points—a factor that, according to Inácio, could change Rui Borges and his players’ approach.

“Up until Monday’s match, FC Porto was extremely confident. It’s no coincidence that they had 18 wins and a draw in 19 games. Sporting lost at home to Porto and was seven points behind. Things have changed, and now Sporting knows they have a great opportunity,” he explained.

Inácio, who played for Sporting from 1974/75 to 1981/82 and for Porto from 1982/83 to 1988/89, and who also coached both clubs, believes that FC Porto lacks some creativity, although he acknowledges the “radical change” in quality compared to last season.

“At the start of the season, FC Porto had some games with impeccable dynamics, intensity, and attitude. Then, they stopped winning so convincingly. Performances took a back seat, and they started winning more through determination, grit, and willpower. All that made FC Porto a winner, but it wasn’t enough against a well-organized team like Casa Pia,” he analyzed.

In his view, the league leader is a team with limitations against more defensive opponents: “Borja Sainz is a player with grit, Pepê is the only one with more technique in Porto’s attack. Samu has strength, but where is the technique? It’s in Rodrigo Mora and Gabri Veiga, but that’s about it. Varela, Pablo Rosario, and Froholdt are born workers, and FC Porto’s value lies in its defensive ability, but sometimes, more is needed.”

As for the reigning national champion, whom he considers more technically gifted, Inácio points to difficulties in winning the ball back and in “maintaining consistency” throughout the 90 minutes.

“I know it’s a paradox, but Sporting has everything. Trincão is creative, Geny [Catamo] is unpredictable, Suárez is a goal scorer, and there’s also Pote. And FC Porto is the one in first place. (…) Because they haven’t managed to perform at their best for the entire match. Even recently, against Nacional and even Arouca, they had many difficulties and were much better before than they are now,” he reflected.

Regarding the title race, Inácio believes that a win for FC Porto or a draw are very favorable results for Porto, but warns that a Sporting victory could raise major doubts, recalling Farioli’s loss of the Dutch championship last season while at Ajax.

“If FC Porto wins, they’ll practically have one hand on the title, and if they draw, they still depend on themselves, although they can’t afford any slip-ups. (…) If Sporting wins, that doubt creeps into Porto, the jitters. There will be a lot of talk about Farioli’s time at Ajax, when he had a nine-point lead with five games to go and lost the championship. People are already whispering about it,” he concluded.

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