Sporting weigh changing Gonçalo Inácio, but warning: “It would ruin him” | OneFootball

Paulo Alemão argues that Gonçalo Inácio should remain in Sporting’s starting eleven, despite the centre-back’s less positive spell. The coaching staff are considering protecting him against Arouca, with Eduardo Quaresma gaining ground, but the pundit believes that dropping the captain now could have the opposite effect.

On BOLA TV, the goalkeeping coach began by downplaying the defender’s current run. “He’s not going through a good moment, but that is perfectly normal, it happens to every player. I see no reason to rest him."

For Paulo Alemão, leaving Gonçalo Inácio on the bench after his recent mistakes, including the stoppage-time own goal that gave Famalicão the equaliser, could have a negative impact on his confidence. “Resting Gonçalo Inácio right now could emotionally destroy him, and that matters. When a player makes a mistake, all he wants is to play again straight away and do well. Besides, he didn’t even have any more time to do anything because the match ended a few minutes later."

Ibrahima Ba’s setback is another argument used by the pundit to defend the 'number 25' staying in Rui Borges’s plans. “I think there is room for Gonçalo Inácio to remain in the team, especially with this setback for Ibrahima Ba. I see no reason why Gonçalo, given that there is no other left-footed centre-back in the squad, should not be in the match."

Paulo Alemão also believes that the nature of the match against Arouca could favour the Sporting captain. “On top of that, it’s a match at Alvalade, with the club’s members, where Sporting will naturally have the upper hand and spend more time on the front foot. In this type of game, Inácio is actually very important because of his ability to build play, and I think he will stay in the team."

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