Without trophies, ex-Porto boss praises Sporting: loved watching them | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca gave a wide-ranging analysis of Portuguese football, reflecting on the competitiveness of the league, the performances of the top clubs, and the emotional impact of the decisive stages of the season. The Portuguese coach praised Sporting’s style of play.

"I admit that the team I enjoyed watching the most was Sporting. Sporting played great matches both in the league and in the Champions League," he said in an exclusive interview with the newspaper A BOLA, highlighting the level shown by the Lions on different fronts.

However, the coach believes that Porto, the club he managed in 2013/2014, were worthy champions. "The league was extremely competitive and I think FC Porto were, in the end, deserved winners, because they were the most consistent, most balanced team," he said.

The coach added that Sporting’s long run of matches ended up having a direct impact on the final decisions of the season, including the Portuguese Cup. "Sporting obviously did not play a great game. Torreense defended very well, with a lot of players, which is always difficult, and Sporting are dealing with the natural physical and mental fatigue of the season they have had", he concluded.

Paulo Fonseca also made a point of putting Sporting’s dip in form at the end of the season into context, pointing to emotional and physical factors. "Sporting’s finish does not reflect the season they had. We cannot forget that Sporting had a very difficult week in the first home game, with Arsenal’s goal in stoppage time. Then they play Benfica and lose in stoppage time. That has an impact. Sometimes people find it difficult to understand this, but it has a mental impact on the team", he explained.

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