Inácio, Ioannidis and Suárez: all Rui Borges said after Sporting v Alverca | OneFootball

Rui Borges, Sporting's coach, spoke at the press conference after the 3-1 win over Alverca. The manager highlighted the team’s consistency, explained his choices in defense, refusing to guarantee Gonçalo Inácio’s stay after the transfer window closes, among other topics.

Analysis

"We played a consistent match, balanced at every moment, from start to finish. It’s clear the team wants to grow in that sense of consistency. In the first half, we started losing individual confidence with some bad passes, but we never let Alverca believe. Even more tired in the second half, we managed to stay switched on, which was the most important thing. In the only moment when we dropped in that regard, we conceded the goal. We made mistakes, but we made mistakes while winning, which is the most important thing, as I said before."

You changed the center-back pairing. Regarding captain Gonçalo Inácio, does that mean he could be on his way out?

"I changed three players in the defensive line, all the changes were technical choices based on the work during the week and what we wanted for the game."

Will Gonçalo Inácio still be at Sporting after the transfer window closes?

"I can’t give guarantees about Inácio or anyone else. All players have release clauses. If someone comes in and triggers the clause and they want to leave, the club has to let them go."

Luis Suárez

"Luis is looking for his best form, he had a good game, helped in defense and attack. It’s always important to score. Foitis [Ioannidis] has been playing and scoring, and even Nel scored goals in pre-season. What matters is the collective."

Ba made his debut and partnered Debast. Do you feel this pairing gives more guarantees than Quaresma with Inácio

"This pairing was important for the strategy of this game. It gave me more guarantees during the week and that’s why I played them. Only because of the response they have given during the week. Ivan [Fresneda] was the same. Vaggianidis had two good games, but because of the attacking and defensive strategy for this match, we opted for Ivan."

You had said it was important to win and play well to calm things down. Was this what you wanted?

"It’s good to be able to combine both things. We want to play well. We were more consistent, but we are still far from what we want. But that growth will take time. Right now, I’m sure we’re going to play great matches in the future; in this game we were balanced, but we want to play much better, especially in our attacking patterns."

Ioannidis

"He wasn’t 100 percent and we chose not to put him into the game. As I said, he had pain in the rib area, which prevents him from making certain movements. We decided not to take the risk, especially since Luis [Suárez] and Nel are ready to step in."

After Suárez’s goal, he didn’t go celebrate with the fans and at the end he also didn’t take part in the salute. What is missing for relations to return to normal?

"You’ll see the footage, he was with the team. And the relationship between the fans and Suárez during the game was clear."

I’m asking why there has been a change in the profiles of the players brought in for the team, from players who slowed the game down more, like Trincão or Pote, to these players who have clearly different characteristics?

"There are no identical players. We know what we signed, and growth does not happen overnight. We’ll be better in some things, less good in others. That’s part of it. It was impossible to keep the same players. Within the profiles we could sign, we thought these players fit. But we never looked at it as a change in the players’ characteristics. We couldn’t go out and get a Morten [Hjulmand] or a Pote."

During the week there was a lot of talk about Premier League interest in Geny Catamo, who was involved in two goals. Can the affection he received from the fans also help keep him?

"Geny is happy at Sporting, he has been playing well, which shows his commitment and happiness. He knows very well the confidence he has from the coach. I’m very happy with his daily response and in matches. The interest is natural. He’s a great player. It’s always important for players to feel the fans’ affection. But he knows how important he is to the group and to the club."

What did you make of Irankunda’s performance?

"We know his characteristics. Alverca were more exposed, and Irankunda is strong when attacking depth. After two or three bursts of acceleration he ran out of steam, which is natural, but he has characteristics we really like and he will be important for the team."

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