Tomás da Cunha unimpressed with 2 Sporting players: they must give more | OneFootball

Tomás da Cunha made a clear point about Nestory Irankunda and Luís Guilherme after Sporting’s win over Nacional (2-0), arguing that both players “will have to give more.” The analyst also highlighted the impact of Luis Suárez, who, in his view, once again showed his best version, as well as the quick rise of Sergi Altimira.

“When Nacional tried to be aggressive, Debast picked out Suárez. The Colombian’s best version returned (use of space + impact). Altimira quickly became a reference point. Doumbia did not stand out offensively, but was important in winning the ball back. Irankunda and Luís Guilherme will have to give more,” he wrote on social media.

In his analysis of Sporting’s performance, Tomás da Cunha highlighted the way Nacional tried to contain the Lions, especially through a deeper and more compact defensive setup. The commentator recalled that “Sporting has been pressed at Alvalade, but Nacional preferred to keep a 5-4-1 to limit play through the middle.”

The strategy had direct consequences on the way Rui Borges’ players were able to create dangerous situations, as the central channel was particularly crowded. Tomás da Cunha explained that Nacional’s system “not only forced Suárez to drift wide to combine, but also made things harder for Doumbia, Zalazar and Flávio Gonçalves.”

With less space to exploit through the center of the pitch, Sporting looked to create imbalances through other areas of the field, forcing the more advanced players to find alternative solutions to break through the opposition’s organization. In that sense, the expert pointed to two key references in Sporting’s attacking strategy:

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