O Jogo chief slams Sporting and Varandas: Rui Borges is scapegoat | OneFootball

The draw against Arouca once again put Rui Borges at the center of criticism, but Nuno Vieira believes the coach is taking on an excessive share of the spotlight in the debate over Sporting’s current situation. The director of the newspaper ‘O Jogo’ acknowledges the coach’s mistakes, but argues that there are other factors and people responsible, namely Frederico Varandas, that cannot be ignored.

The analyst began by admitting that Rui Borges made some poor decisions during the match and throughout his time at Alvalade. In the 2-2 draw with Arouca, he pointed to Zeno Debast’s red card, the penalty conceded by Eduardo Quaresma, and the limited effectiveness of the substitutions as factors that contributed to letting a two-goal lead slip. Even so, he argued that Sporting should have been able to control the match even after being reduced to 10 men.

"Rui Borges, the perfect culprit. Rui Borges made mistakes in charge of Sporting and is now the victim of a revolution he did not bring about. One of those mistakes was thinking Sporting fans liked him very much...", he wrote in the sports daily.

For the director of ‘O Jogo’, however, there is one issue for which Rui Borges cannot be held responsible: the profound transformation of the squad. Nuno Vieira believes the changes made to the group have affected the team’s performance and that, when results do not come, it is the coach who inevitably ends up on the front line of criticism. "The squad overhaul took its toll and when the ball does not go in, the finger is pointed at the coach," he argued.

Nuno Vieira also reflected on the relationship between Rui Borges and the fans, arguing that the coach never truly won over the support from the stands. Even so, he recalled the coach’s career path and the results achieved, arguing that he has already shown "humility, seriousness and competence." He ended with a criticism of the way responsibility is being distributed within Sporting: "He has already given more than enough lessons in humility, seriousness and competence, but it is always the results that bring judgment. Even though others should be in the dock…", it reads.

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