League is our Champions League, rivals slip, absences: R. Borges | OneFootball

Rui Borges previewed the clash between Sporting and Estrela da Amadora, valid for the 29th round of Liga Portugal Betclic. In response to journalists, the coach assured that the main objective is the league title, but he is not ruling out the Champions League. Besides that, Porto and Benfica’s slip-ups were discussed, as well as the injuries to Fotis Ioannidis and Luís Guilherme, in addition to Geovany Quenda’s return to the squad list and the doubt surrounding João Simões. Check out everything he said.

"The expectation is that both will return this season. I still don’t know the timeframe, but yes, we believe they will be back before the end of the season. We expect a difficult match, especially given the demands of the game we just had, and historically it’s a tough ground. It’s a team facing a difficult end to the season and fighting for points. Everything about the circumstances suggests it will be a difficult game for us, but we also have a lot to gain. It will be a very competitive match"

Changing mentality and what to expect from Estrela

"We need to keep everyone alert and fully focused within the way we are and work every day, so that we can switch to a different kind of game. But the difficulty is huge, even if they are completely different opponents. We stay on our path, our main objective is the league, and that is our focus. That has to be our path as a coaching staff: to keep them switched on to the demands of training, to make them understand that this will be a game with a very high level of difficulty. It’s a strong team on the counterattack, with quick and technically gifted players in the final third. Since coach João arrived, they have tried to be a team with possession and good movement. They are the second or third team that plays the most long passes to look for their men up front. Very strong athletically, very tall players, a high average height"

"The Champions is the league", but which would you choose?

"It’s very subjective, but I want to be champion. That is the main objective. In the Champions League, we know the stature of the teams that are there and that the difficulty is even greater. We are not saying that we are giving up on the Champions, far from it, but our main objective is the league. It’s natural that because of the difference in the names of the teams, there can be a bit of a mental switch-off and the players’ mental intensity might drop slightly, and we do not want that to happen, because when it comes to consistency... that’s what we work for, it’s in the league"

Quenda?

"He’s been called up"

Is Hjulmand’s departure inevitable?

"It’s inevitable that people talk about him. He’s having a good season, he already had a great season last year, and with everything Sporting are showing at European level, it’s natural that people talk about Morten and other players. That makes us happy, it’s a sign that the collective work is being done well. I see it naturally, football is an industry. Whether he leaves or not, I’m very practical: I’ll be happy if he stays, and if he doesn’t, someone else with quality will come to Sporting, and it’s part of our job to develop and help players grow"

Porto and Benfica’s slip-ups

"The team in first place is Porto, so for now they are the best. From my perspective as the team’s coach, we are doing well, with a very good quality of play. It won’t be difficult only for Benfica and Porto, it will be difficult for us too. Tomorrow we already have a tough away match. Estrela have a difficult schedule, they really need points and they will give everything to get them, no matter who they are playing. It will be difficult for everyone, because of the demands of the final rounds. If we do not have mental and physical sharpness, we will have problems"

Changes to the starting eleven because of Diomande and Inácio?

"It’s natural that people talk about that, but I don’t look at it that way. They are two players who are available. Within all the management involved, we will try to start with the best team to get the win. There’s no point thinking about the next game if we can’t win tomorrow’s"

Managing the squad based on the schedule

"It’s natural, as I just said. More than the yellow cards, it has to do with the physical side. The players come here carrying a heavy load of matches, some from the national teams as well. We have to give them our input, as much as possible, in terms of data, training, and also talking to them, understanding how they are and how they feel, because we need to be very closely connected and have everyone at their maximum. Sometimes it is better to give your maximum for 30 minutes than not to give it over 60 or 70. These are games that will demand a lot from the players, physically and mentally, and we have to pay attention to that"

A third straight league title is the fans’ preference

"You just answered your own question. A third straight title is something that would mark Sporting’s history, something we all want very much. A team is always built first for the league and then for the other competitions. The fans, and understanding that we are all on the same path, with the same energy and the same purpose, naturally say that. Even in the Champions we will compete in the matches to the fullest"

Faye’s situation

"He arrived in January at a stage when the team was already settled and there isn’t much time to train. He’s a kid coming from a different context, coming from a different environment, and he will need time to adapt. We have to be a little patient. It’s natural, and I always said he was more of a prospect for the future. Unfortunately, Luis picked up this injury, which we did not want, but given the step up he has made and the demands of Sporting, adaptation is natural"

Nel and Ioannidis

"You’re already trying to predict the future, forget that, I look at the present. Nel is giving a good response right now, and when Fotis returns that will be another option and give me those selection headaches, but for now I’m not thinking about that. As for whether Faye gets minutes or not, he is adapting here, based on the daily response he gives. Unfortunately, as I said, there isn’t much training time to build a connection with the team and with the dynamics. But that’s natural, he doesn’t have that time or that training to do it. Based on what we are seeing and understanding, we give the minutes we think we should give. The kid has grown now, he comes from a different context with completely different demands, and I think he understands that too".

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