Carlos Xavier backs Sporting star: Eusébio was quiet but great | OneFootball

Carlos Xavier considers Rui Borges’s first year in charge of the Sporting technical team to be "quite positive." The former captain of the Alvalade club describes him as a “very humble, hardworking, and reliable” professional and downplayed the criticism of the coach’s speeches, mentioning Eusébio as someone who spoke little but shone on the pitch.

“Rui Borges arrived at Sporting at a turbulent time, when the team wasn’t winning and was suffering unthinkable defeats. He had an auspicious debut, beating Benfica and putting the team back in the race for the double championship,” said the former midfielder in an interview with the newspaper ‘Record’, emphasizing that he showed his work from early on.

“He promised hard work and presented himself with a phrase that went viral: ‘If inspiration is lacking, let there be no lack of attitude.’ And, truth be told, we always see a team with great attitude,” highlighted the former Sporting player, drawing similarities between Rui Borges and the Benfica legend.

“Eusébio also didn’t have a great speech, he spoke little, but then, on the pitch, he was outstanding. Coaches are supposed to coach, not be parrots. Rui Borges is a very humble, hardworking, and very reliable coach.”

Carlos Xavier also highlighted the way the coach – who may receive a renewal offer – has shown he is able to deal with setbacks: “He had some bad luck with injuries to important players and, with the Africa Cup of Nations, was also deprived of other equally important players. He always manages to find solutions, which shows he is a good professional, a good coach, and a good leader of men. You can see he has the group in his hand,” he concluded.

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