Rui Borges may have secured a new starter for Sporting | OneFootball

Ibrahima Ba made the most of his first opportunity in a Sporting shirt. The Senegalese centre-back made his debut against Alverca and left Rui Borges satisfied, immediately putting himself in contention for a place in the starting XI for the trip to Rio Ave.

According to newspaper A Bola, the coach’s praise after the match reflected exactly the internal assessment of the new signing’s performance. “It was only natural that he came on a bit nervous, he missed the first two games, but he didn’t hide, he stayed true to who he is, to what we ask, true to the game idea. And he played a terrific match, very balanced, with and without the ball,” said Rui Borges.

Ba gave the defence the traits the coaching staff were looking for, namely greater physicality, aggression in duels, speed in anticipation and strength in the air. The defender had been following a muscle-strengthening plan after the surgery he underwent at the end of last season.

Sporting invested €21.25 million in signing the former Famalicão player, in a deal that was fast-tracked as soon as Ousmane Diomande’s move to Nottingham Forest gathered pace. Rui Borges had already been impressed by the centre-back in clashes with the Minho side during last season.

With Ba, Debast, Gonçalo Inácio and Eduardo Quaresma available, Rui Borges has four options for two spots in central defence. After conceding four goals in the first two matchdays, Sporting are still looking for their first clean sheet in the league, and the display against Alverca has left Ba well placed to get more minutes against Rio Ave.

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