Ricardo Sá Pinto picks out a Sporting regular as key: very important | OneFootball

, former Sporting player and coach, believes the Lions can surprise Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals and highlighted Luis Suárez as a key figure in Rui Borges’ side.

“The fact that Sporting beat Arsenal not long ago in 2023, in a Europa League tie decided on penalties, helps the players believe it’s possible. Anything can happen in football, even when teams are theoretically unequal,” he told The Guardian, before going on to praise the Colombian forward.

“Luis has shown an ability to score very important goals, even after people stopped believing it was possible. Replacing Gyokeres is never easy. Historically, South American players rarely make a strong impact in their first year in Portugal. Fortunately, with all the confidence shown by the coach and his teammates, he has been very important.”

Viktor Gyokeres, although he left for England in turbulent circumstances, is still remembered for his impact: "First, in footballing terms, without a doubt a top signing, one of the most impressive players Sporting have ever had. Then also from a financial point of view… Of course we would all have liked him to stay, but at 26 or 27, after two great seasons, it is only natural for a player to want to move to another league, a different level, with different objectives”, he said, explaining that the Swede should be welcomed with applause by the fans.

“Even so, he should be welcomed with a huge ovation and genuine gratitude from all of us. Of course departures are always complicated… his impact at Sporting was absolutely brutal. Without Gyokeres, Sporting would not have been the same. Dreaming and believing are essential in life. I truly believe anything is possible in this tie,” he stressed.

Finally, Sá Pinto addressed the Club’s development and the recent balance it has achieved: “In recent years, it has managed to stabilize at board level, which was extremely important. They protected the players, kept the dressing room united and built a balanced relationship with the media. Over the last 20 or 30 years, there was also always a feeling that Sporting were the ugly duckling… I experienced that personally, both as a player for the club and as a coach. The introduction of VAR helped level things out in Portuguese football”, he concluded.

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