Suárez, call-ups and exits: Rui Borges before Estrela v Sporting | OneFootball

Rui Borges appeared at the press conference previewing Sporting's game next Saturday against Estrela da Amadora, at Reboleira, in the opening round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. The Lions' coach addressed the Luis Suárez case, the absences and also the transfer market, assuring that Ousmane Diomande has been called up, unlike Daniel Bragança and Pedro Gonçalves.

"Above all, the team gave a very good response in this pre-season, given the changes we have had over time, some of which we managed to anticipate. We are growing. No matter how well things have gone this month, there is continuous growth. They are switched on, with a huge desire to compete. Now it is about understanding how we can handle the pressure and anxiety of competitive matches, where there is no margin for error and we want to win. Where that margin does not exist. And this month there was no such pressure: they can make mistakes, do things less well. And that is something that will also happen tomorrow. But there is the pressure of having to win. It is about understanding how each one will feel that, given that this is a very young team, with kids who have just arrived. They have to understand the reality of Sporting and difficult atmospheres, like Estrela's. It is the start of the season, where the opponent will be super motivated to take points off Sporting. Our demands have to be at the maximum within what they have been, but now for real. It is about understanding how we will feel that anxiety and positive pressure"

Case involving Luis Suárez

"It does not worry me. I even think some things are ridiculous at times. There was no case at all; if there had been, you would know because it would have become a disciplinary matter. No one will be above Sporting or above respect for teammates, the coaching staff... Absolutely nothing happened. Training ended and he was frustrated with what had happened, also because he is looking for his best form. We had just finished a 10-v-10 game. He knows that afterwards he can go straight to the dressing room, he only had to do a supplementary drill for one or two minutes. I called him and he came back. There is no case at all"

"There is no disciplinary aspect because he did not disrespect anyone. I saw that it was said he had kicked a ball and hit a coach... That is why I said some things are ridiculous. It happened last year too. The lads know that when I blow the whistle in the last exercise they can go inside. Some are more competitive, like Luis, Maxi... Gyökeres was very much like that. As long as they do not cross the line... That is what happened, simple as that"

Absentees at Reboleira

"The unavailable players are Maxi, through suspension, Zeno and Ba, who are starting to train at 100%... I believe they will already be available in the next round to contribute. And [João] Simões, Nuno Santos and Blopa, all three are out. The two youngsters have slightly longer-term injuries, and Nuno is progressing, doing very specific work so that he does not come back and break down again. He is on a path that requires some patience and we hope he returns in his best form. Everyone else is available"

Diomande called up

"Zero concern. It is natural, at Sporting, until the market closes, for there to be a lot of noise around arrivals and departures. Sporting have great players and Ousmane is one of them. He has been called up for tomorrow"

Expectations for Issa Doumbia

"He is a kid with enormous potential, one we went after well in advance. We knew that by the end of the season we would have no chance of having him with us. He has enormous potential, but he also gives us solutions. At Venezia he played on the left in a 5-3-2 as well... He adapts very well, has very specific characteristics and, in general, good ones. He has a very good future ahead of him. But he has to stay true to what he has been. He likes listening, learning, training, and he is happy. And he knows Sporting's demands and stature, just like the others who arrived. And that is something you can feel every day"

More departures in the market

"Ba will possibly be available for the next game, just like Zeno. If everything goes with the normality that we want and expect. Investment? If we sign a 17-year-old kid, that does not mean he is coming to play 50 games... We have signed players to help them grow and sell them in the future. And Sporting have done that very well. Regardless of who is signed and their value, the market is there. Fortunately Sporting are a balanced club and can operate in the market, also because they sell well. But regardless of the fee, that does not mean they will come in as undisputed starters. They have to be ready and do what the coach asks"

Record investment

"I look at that with satisfaction because the club is doing an exceptional job financially. It was not only the purchases. We sold a lot, we have to buy or else we would not have players... And in that sense the club is doing an extraordinary job. Other than that, the pressure is the same. Since the first day I arrived here and since I came out of my mother's womb (laughs). The pressure is to win and do the best for Sporting, to win titles. We did not manage it last season and we want to win again. Sporting, in recent years, have been the team that has won the most titles. New signings? We are trying to understand, with Mangas leaving, the situation on the left. We have Maxi and [Rodrigo] Dias, who has also responded well. It is about understanding what the market can offer in that regard"

Sporting "100% Rui Borges"

"The stamp was already there last season, regardless of the players. The idea is the same, it does not change. They also shape some things in relation to our way of being and playing. Within what they are, we keep adapting to what they give us. Last season's Sporting was in Rui Borges's image. This year there are new players, but the identity remains. We will have better characteristics, others not as good, but that is football. It is the ability to keep a strong Sporting side capable of fighting for all titles"

Starter in attack

"Pote and Dani are not in the squad. Regarding the attack... Luis had a very draining season. He played every minute, had the World Cup and the body pays the price. It is natural that he needed another month of holidays, but football is like that. Sometimes we gain some things, lose others. He earned the privilege of being at the World Cup, but he loses holidays. It is natural that his body is not at its best, because the season was draining and he did a lot for us. He has been called up and is available for the game. We decided that Nel would be part of the first team. He is growing, similar to what we did with Rodrigo [Ribeiro]. That is the growth we want for Nel, that he grows alongside Suárez and Fotis. And that in the future he also becomes a Luis Suárez, a Fotis or even better. He has shown that ability to learn and grow, he understands that at times he may contribute to the B team to get minutes and be ready, but that does not mean he drops out of the team or not. He is a first-team player, he is growing and very focused on that. Happy to see him grow so well and so quickly, but he must stay humble and keep working"

Sporting help players grow

"That happens at every club. It is not the end of a cycle, but they are changes that have to happen, even because of mutual desire, let's say. Pote and Dani have been here for many years and want a new challenge. They have not lost the desire to win, but sometimes comfort sets in. And what we had as a coaching staff and club, with a lot of dialogue over time, we came to understand what we were going to lose and anticipated some things. We did a very good job in that regard and the club has done an excellent job between buying and selling. Sporting help players grow and we know that better than anyone. It is always with that perspective that we know who may leave or whether we will have to go to the market. Ba was an opportunity, given what he could become in the future and what we believe he can be. We managed to anticipate it and secure him. Last year they asked whether we could not have one more centre-back... So five is not many, it is few".

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