Ioannidis, Virgínia and exits: Rui Borges before Sporting v Torreense | OneFootball

Rui Borges, Sporting's coach, held the customary pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Torreense, scheduled for 5:15 p.m. this Sunday, May 24. The manager appeared confident ahead of the Portuguese Cup final.

Would it be fair to end this season with a trophy?

"Fairness is relative. I think the group deserves to be in this final, to fight for the trophy and win it, but we have to do a lot to win it, we have to show it on the pitch. We will be up against an opponent that will give everything. We have to be prepared for the difficulty; sure, it's against a second-division side, but one that only this week caused problems for a top-flight team. Our season has been fantastic in terms of quality and the competitions we were involved in. It's true we didn't become three-time champions, which is what we wanted. But we want to win the second most important trophy on our sporting calendar."

Ioannidis out of the final

"Fotis won't be available for the game. I could say he is maybe 100% recovered, but he still hasn't fully rejoined training with us and, given everything involved in the layoff, I think the best decision was not to use him. I believe, and I am absolutely certain, that he will start the season at 100%, and that will also be important for him and for us. The market? A lot is said; the only one we can talk about is Zalazar. As for the rest, that's your area. The market is every day and it's part of football. We have to be aware of what's going on. Everything here is done rigorously, with a lot of communication, and we know exactly what we want for next season, and the club has been fantastic."

The chances of Trincão and Maxi leaving in the next transfer window...

"I'd like to keep everyone, I'd like Morita not to go, I'd like Quenda not to go. I'm happy to see them linked with big clubs, not just Hjulmand but also Maxi. It's a sign of the value they've built up throughout the season. It's part of football. It doesn't change anything. I like all of them a lot and I wouldn't want to lose any of them, but I'm very pragmatic in that respect: for some to leave, others have to come in. We're at a big club and, without a doubt, players come and go, coaches come and go, and Sporting will always be Sporting. I'm very focused on tomorrow's game. Then, I'll rest, because I need it, and then we'll look at the market. The players have release clauses and it's very much within that framework."

A possible Hjulmand departure and the decision over who will start in goal in the Cup final.

"I could say I've already decided or I haven't decided. They still don't know, so it would be unfair of me to come here and say who would play. As for Morten, he's a player under contract with the club; he was pestering me to report back two days earlier, especially because the national team also has games at this stage. I'll be very happy if he stays, but if he doesn't, that's football. I like him a lot, he's our leader, he has always stood up for the group and that's very important. We need more and more leaders like that."

If you were in Luís Tralhão's position, would you prioritize promotion or the Cup?

"In a way, it also highlights Sporting's work, not just with Rui Borges but over the past few years, in raising the profile of Portuguese football and Portuguese players. We will work to keep that going. I'm happy, but also sad because I would have liked to have more people there. Pote deserved it, Edu is also a player who should be assessed for the future of the national team. Mangas also did very well in the first part of the season. But I'm happy with the recognition for Portuguese football and especially for Sporting's players. As for Torreense, I would play the best players. They have 3-4 days to breathe. I believe that if, at the start of the season, you had shown Torreense's players a sheet of paper and given them the choice between fighting for a playoff spot or playing in the Portuguese Cup final, they would have signed for [the Cup final] straight away. I think they want to play this game at their very best. Regardless of who plays for Torreense tomorrow, I'm sure they will have extraordinary motivation. It's a team that hasn't lost in the last seven games, with five clean sheets. We have to be very concentrated and focused on our individual and collective behavior."

Winning the Portuguese Cup in consecutive seasons, something Sporting has not done since 2007 and 2008

"Honestly, I haven't been focused on that aspect. They are professional players and they know what this is like. All the other players are under contract with Sporting, and none of them should be feeling too nostalgic because they have contracts with Sporting. I feel they are happy and motivated to add another achievement for Sporting. I think their happiness and motivation are at their peak and I don't need to be too worried in that regard, about the nostalgic side of the game. What they really want to know is whether the coach is going to play them, because they are eager to play. I think everything we did this season was very good. We didn't manage to become champions, that's true. I told them that being the same as last season wouldn't be enough to become champions again, especially since we were practically identical to last season and we still weren't champions. But that doesn't erase what they did. The team showed quality throughout the season, consistently, and in every competition as well. We have to show on the pitch that we deserve to end the season with a trophy."

What impressed you most in your analysis of Torreense?

"What we have to control: set pieces; they have two center-backs who are very strong in the air. Counter-attacks and quick attacks: they have very fast players and we have to be very prepared for those transitions. We have to be very balanced, in our defensive and midfield lines. The team has to be very competitive. I just gave the example of them going seven games unbeaten and keeping five clean sheets. We will have difficulties and we will have to be at our best to beat Torreense. We had difficulties with Paços in the first game of the Portuguese Cup and Paços were relegated to Liga 3. Torreense recently caused Casa Pia problems and even finished with more shots on target than Casa Pia. We have to be alert."

Is respecting Torreense a way of removing pressure?

"It's about being serious and not taking anything lightly. Pressure at this club is daily; it's the pressure of wanting to win. It's positive pressure. Favouritism? To be in a final, a team has to earn it on merit. I've been through every level. I know very well what it means to be in a final at Jamor and the difficulties teams create for the so-called favourites. I don't look at Torreense as a team from a lower division, especially because they are fighting for promotion to the top flight. For me, it's maximum respect. And it's simply about not allowing any complacency to creep in, because it's a beautiful occasion and may it remain so for many years. We haven't won anything yet."

João Virgínia could be on his way out, and is that another factor making you uncertain about the goalkeeper position?

"Virgínia is under contract with Sporting. You put more than half the team out of Sporting and the other half staying! Forget that. It's just another decision for me, like many others I had throughout the season. What would be difficult is if I were at home watching it on television. I'm happy to be playing another final and doing so with the utmost seriousness. Very serious in the approach to the game and what it represents. I understand the idea of favouritism from your side. But just look at our league campaign and the first Portuguese Cup game. We dropped points against teams that were relegated. If you go back, the games that stress me the most are the Portuguese Cup ones because I know how difficult it is to face lower-division teams and win those matches."

Does it make sense for the final to be played in the middle of a promotion playoff?

"For me, Torreense are coming into it under the same conditions. When you want to be among the best... it is what it is. It's football. If you asked coach Tralhão and showed him, with the calendar set, that they would be playing in the promotion playoff but also reaching a Portuguese Cup final, I think he would sign up for it immediately. I have no doubt at all. That's not going to make Torreense any less competitive in the Portuguese Cup final or in the second leg of the playoff. Teams that want to be among the best have to know how to deal with that, just as we do when we're in the Champions League."

Knowing at half-time whether there is direct qualification for the Champions League...

"No. I believe that these days, in terms of communication, it's difficult to keep things under wraps or not. But I believe the team won't be worried about direct qualification, but rather focused on the game we're going to play. Their focus is to end the season with a trophy that belongs to us. At the end, yes, the information may come through more clearly."

A 'collective' hug

"I'd like to send a hug to everyone involved in the club's other sports. There have been many achievements. For me, as the coach of the men's first football team, that makes me very happy. Congratulations to all of them. I'd also like to send a hug to two teams that are part of my journey: Académica for winning promotion - it's a club that deserves to be at the highest level of football; and Académico de Viseu, the first club that opened the doors of football to me, for promotion to the top flight. I'm happy for their humble people."

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