Rui Borges on snow, injuries, PSG and Gyokeres before Arouca v Sporting | OneFootball

Rui Borges spoke to journalists at a press conference previewing the Arouca - Sporting match, this Friday, January 23rd. The match is scheduled for next Saturday at 6:00 PM at the opponent's ground. Read here everything the Lions' coach said, from the possibility of snow, victory over PSG, and injuries.

It's completely different, a different context. The demands will be different, the opponent too. It will require other things... We have to try, with our dialogue, to change that mindset for the difficulties of the game in Arouca, which will have nothing to do with the story of the last game, the Champions League. It's three points for another competition. It's true it was against a great opponent, but it meant nothing more than three points. That's what it has to mean for us, in our growth and work. Arouca is different, the championship is our Champions League. Great demands, bad weather, we will understand what the game will ask, whether it will rain or not... We will have to have a great capacity for adaptation, but champions are like that, they have to win, regardless of the circumstances.

What went wrong with St. Juste?

I don't have to justify anything. It went well for St. Juste, he became a two-time champion. I wish him the best of luck in the future. He was an important player. At this moment, he is no longer a Sporting player.

Possibility of snow in Arouca

I expect a difficult game. We will have to understand closer to the game what the circumstances will be, more specifically, the weather. It's an opponent with a very defined idea, it doesn't change. The coach is faithful to it, and rightly so, always doing great work, they are very well-prepared teams. It will be a difficult game, it's a tough away game, against a team that hasn't conceded goals in the last three games, despite being one of the teams with the most goals conceded. It dictates what has been Arouca's growth, going to a more specific market. I believe they are in a better phase. Within that, we have to understand the circumstances.

Decisive games in the Championship and Champions League

The Champions League overloads the championship, in terms of games. We play every three days... Now, we've had some setbacks in terms of injuries. They are coming back, making the group stronger, more capable of providing solutions, and that's what we focus on. We want to have everyone available, and then, within that, remain competitive, regardless of the competition. There's no escaping the fact that we want to win. If you ask if we want to win in Bilbao, we do. If we finish in the top eight - which we might not - it takes two games off the excess calendar, which helps in daily work, because we can train more normally, and sometimes it's necessary, no matter how much they want to play. We are closer to those possible injuries. With a more capable and available group, we will respond in any game.

Attention after the victory over PSG

It was a normal week. It was a game of great difficulty, against a great team. We won, which means three points. Of course, then, on the phone, friends, family... But they text when I win against PSG just like when I win against Arouca. It's exactly the same, I want them to text when I win against Arouca, not PSG.

How to prepare the team to play in the snow

You don't prepare, because we don't have snow... We have to deal with artificial snow for the guys (laughs). It's a good question. It's in the moment, I don't know. We haven't managed to find a solution to train in the snow yet. Even without snow, it will be difficult. Even today, in training, it rained heavily, which is difficult. The guys, standing still, are already freezing, they start saying 'It's good, it's good, stop the training.' I want to finish the training. It's difficult for everyone. Now, ambition and the desire to win have to be above everything else. Having the responsibility that we have to win, period. They, better than anyone, know that we have to win, and we really want to win, with or without snow, with rain or without rain. They have that group spirit, they adapt well to the demands, the strategy, and whatever it is. The team will be able to understand that if it has to be in overalls, it will be in overalls. If it has to be in shorts and a t-shirt, it will be in shorts and a t-shirt. They have that responsibility.

Is the title still possible?

Clearly, yes, if not, we might as well reserve the ribbons for the first place already. I've already said that we're having a great championship, in everything. Points, goals scored, goals conceded... Only those in first place had an extraordinary first half, there's no fighting against that, which increases our demands. To be champions again, it's not enough to be like last season or two years ago. We have to do better, find a way to surpass ourselves even more, and that's always our goal, to understand that we have to be extraordinary. We will certainly have an opportunity to be champions again, and that's what we really want. Last year, we were also eight points ahead of the second place and, suddenly, we were one point behind the first. We lost nine points. That happened last season and maybe in other championships. This year, the same thing could happen. We are seven points behind, it's true, but there's a whole second half left. The demand is for everyone, for us and for those in first place. We have to focus on what we control, which is our games, and we have to have that notion. No matter how much we are doing something good, it's not enough. We have to aim for something extraordinary. We have to strive for it. Sporting is all about running to the same place. We have to surpass ourselves in relation to what we have done, which has been very good, but it can be better. We have to create that demand in ourselves, every day. That's what I try to do, with my coaching staff and my players. We have been very good, but it's not enough. We have to be perfect, and we are pursuing that. In the end, we will see the consequences of that. Whoever wins always has merit, in my opinion.

Hjulmand's return

I'll complain more about having them all than not having them... It gives more headaches. Morten [Hjulmand] is our leader, our captain, an example for everyone, who steers the team in the right direction. He is a very important player for our team. Personally, I think he is better, as he has never been, even compared to last season. He is in great form. Besides his technical and tactical quality, he is very important for the group. I'm always happy to have him available.

Injuries

I believe that next week, he might start training with the group. I'll be very happy if it happens. I'm almost sure it will, God willing. Ioannidis, I say again, it's very much day-to-day. Understanding what step we can take. It's very much in the moment, it doesn't have a specific date. I believe that by the National game, he might be available. Fortunately, Nuno will be back now.

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