Rui Borges found Sporting's 'secret' to stop leaking goals, his name is... | OneFootball

Sporting found greater defensive stability after the changes introduced by Rui Borges, and Iván Fresneda has emerged as one of the standout figures in that process. The Spanish right-back was named in the starting XI against Alverca and, in his first two starts of the season, helped the Lions improve their defensive numbers after conceding four goals in the opening matchdays against Estrela da Amadora and V. Guimarães.

The arrival of the number 22 coincided with a significant improvement. Against Alverca, Sporting won 3-1 and, in the following round, thrashed Rio Ave 4-0, securing their first clean sheet of the season. In addition to replacing Vagiannidis with Fresneda, Rui Borges also reshuffled the heart of the defence, with Debast and Ba taking the places of Gonçalo Inácio and Quaresma against Alverca, before the captain returned in the next match.

According to Opta data, Fresneda has the edge over Vagiannidis in several metrics. The Spaniard has contested 13 duels, compared to the Greek’s eight, as well as recording nine recoveries to five and four headed clearances to two. He has also committed more fouls, four to three, while both have a pass completion rate of 88%.

The difference between the two full-backs becomes even more relevant when taking their playing time into account. Fresneda has logged 199 minutes this season, compared to Vagiannidis’ 161, and both have started twice. The Spaniard began the season hampered by pubalgia, which ruled him out for the final stretch of last season and, for that reason, he started pre-season behind the Greek international, only regaining his place in the starting XI after picking up minutes against Estrela da Amadora and V. Guimarães.

One of the aspects that has contributed to Fresneda’s performances is his already established understanding with Geny Catamo. The Spaniard often drifts into central areas and operates almost as a third centre-back, allowing Sporting to gain numerical superiority in the defensive zone and launch quick transitions. Geny’s and Luis Suárez’s goals against Rio Ave came precisely from moves of this kind, at a time when Rui Borges is looking to consolidate the team after the many changes to the squad.

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