Rui Borges confirms Sporting star misses PSG clash, all the manager said | OneFootball

After the 3-0 victory against Casa Pia, Rui Borges analyzed the match in a press conference, where he highlighted the happy returns of Daniel Bragança and Geny Catamo to the green and white team. Among various topics discussed, the coach expressed satisfaction with the victory and confirmed the absence of Pedro Gonçalves from the match against PSG.

"In the first half, we lacked some energy, especially since here at Alvalade we usually start very strong and intense. Casa Pia did well in the first ten minutes, creating discomfort for our line, and then we balanced the game. We needed to be a bit more dynamic on the wings, but the goal gave us that confidence. We started to be more aggressive in challenging Casa Pia's line, which is strong in duels, and we needed to create breakthroughs to find spaces for the players with the ball. In the second half, we controlled from start to finish; after balancing the game, Casa Pia AC sought longer balls, deflections, and depth attacks, but our defensive line did very well. I think it ends up being a fair result given the course of the match".

Debut of Luís Guilherme

"He played a good, competent game, and he will improve over time. He's a young man, 19 years old, very intelligent, eager to learn, and quick to understand, and in the future, he will be very important".

Daniel Bragança

"I'm happy. He's a captain back, after a difficult injury. I always saw him with a huge desire to return, always very optimistic and resilient. He always responded very well, grew on all levels, even athletically, and today was the reward for a week of work, where he showed himself very well. He added a lot of quality to the team, and it doesn't surprise me or anyone, given his quality".

Transfer Market

"No one will leave, I think. Happy with the squad and I'll be even happier when I have everyone available. The team clearly gets stronger; we're always making adjustments, and no matter how much quality we have, dynamics and intensity are lost. There's not much time to acquire behaviors, but the team has given an enormous response, and I'm very happy to be the leader of all these guys. Now, it's about trying to recover everyone as quickly as possible".

Pressure at the start of the second half

"It doesn't complicate anything, due to the team's spirit, sense of ambition... we're focused solely on ourselves. We have to do our job well. We had a good first half, Porto had an extraordinary first half, and we have to do a better second half than the first. If those ahead continue to do what they're doing, it's their merit, but we have to think about what we control, game by game, and then wait. But before waiting, we have to do our part, which is to win our games".

Returns after AFCON

"Very happy to have Geny. He was in very good form before going to AFCON, and thank God he came back from AFCON with the same confidence. He's a very important player. As for Ousmane Diomande, I hope he returns as soon as possible".

No injuries at the end of the match

"The trenches were attacked, but fortunately, there are no injuries. Happy to feel the guys arriving. Zeno needs time, Mangas doesn't anymore. I hope the guys who are out are about to return. I want to have everyone, and the team becomes more capable of overcoming what's ahead".

More returns soon?

"I hope Pedro Gonçalves can return against Arouca, I can't say for sure if Ousmane Diomande will be available against PSG. Fotis Ioannidis' return depends a lot on daily assessments, and we don't have a date for his return."

Playing with two left-footed central defenders

"It's a mentality. Playing with two right-footed central defenders is normal, with two left-footed ones isn't? We're just not used to it happening, but I think it will happen more and more in the future. Yesterday, I joked during training, because we played with two left-footed central defenders and two right-footed full-backs, that in a few years, we'll see full-backs with swapped feet because it brings different perspectives to the game in decision-making. Football is increasingly revolutionary and creates alternatives to overcome more organized teams. But for me, it changes nothing. Inácio's passing quality is there whether he's playing on the left or right, the pass is extraordinary, Geny's reception too, and it mainly has to do with his individual quality".

Geny Catamo's best season and his evolution since Rui Borges' arrival

"He already has importance and always had. It has to do with the confidence we gave him. I'm happy to see them even better, it's a sign they believe in our work. Trincão is having a great season, Pote was also having one, Luís is having a good season, Morten is even better than last year, and that adds value to them. It's what we want: to win but also to add value. They, within the collective, are growing more and more because they have the coach's confidence to make mistakes, to try, and it's normal for them to fail because they take more risks than others. We pass on this daily confidence, and they also give us this confidence to grow and become better and better".

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