Rui Borges confirms Sporting star to miss PSG clash, all the manager said | OneFootball

After the 3-0 victory at home against Casa Pia, Rui Borges analyzed the match in a press conference, where he highlighted the happy returns of Daniel Bragança and Geny Catamo to the green and white team. Among various topics discussed, the coach expressed satisfaction with the win and confirmed the absence of Pedro Gonçalves for the clash against PSG.

"In the first half we lacked a bit of the right energy, especially because here at Alvalade we usually start very strong and intense. Casa Pia did well in the first ten minutes, made our back line uncomfortable, and then we started to balance the game. We needed to be a bit more dynamic on the wings, but the goal gave us that confidence. We started to be more aggressive in challenging Casa Pia’s line, which is strong in duels, and we needed to create breakthroughs to find space for the players on the ball. The second half was controlled from start to finish; after we balanced the game, Casa Pia AC went for longer balls, deflections, attacks in behind, but our defensive line did very well. I think it ends up being a fair result given how the match unfolded."

Luís Guilherme’s debut

"He played a good, competent game, and will improve over time. He’s a kid, just 19 years old, very intelligent, eager to learn and quick to understand, and in the future he’ll be very important."

Daniel Bragança

"I’m happy. He’s a captain coming back, after a tough injury. I always saw him with a huge desire to return, always very optimistic and resilient. He always responded very well, grew in every way, even athletically, and today was the reward for a week of hard work, where he showed himself very well. He added a lot of quality to the team and it’s no surprise to me or anyone, given his quality."

Transfer market

"No one will leave, I think. I’m happy with the squad and I’ll be even happier when I have everyone available. The team is clearly stronger; we’re always making adjustments, and no matter how much quality we have, we lose dynamics and intensity. There’s not much time to acquire new habits but the team has responded tremendously and I’m very happy to be the leader of all these boys. Now, it’s about trying to get everyone back as quickly as possible."

Pressure at the start of the second half of the season

"It doesn’t make things harder at all, because of the team spirit, the ambition... we’re focused only on ourselves. We have to do our job well. We had a good first half of the season, Porto had an extraordinary first half, and we have to do an even better second half. If those ahead of us keep doing what they’re doing, it’s to their credit, but we have to focus on what we can control, game by game, and then wait. But before waiting, we have to do our part, which is to win our games."

Returns after AFCON

"Very happy to have Geny back. He was in great form before going to AFCON and thank God he came back with the same confidence. He’s a very important player. As for Ousmane Diomande, I hope he returns as soon as possible."

No injuries at the end of the match

"The trenches were attacked but there are no wounded, fortunately. Happy to see the lads arriving. Zeno needs time, Mangas doesn’t anymore. I hope the lads who are out are close to returning. I want to have everyone and the team becomes more capable of overcoming what lies ahead."

More returns soon?

"I hope Pedro Gonçalves can return against Arouca, I can’t say for sure if Ousmane Diomande will be available for PSG. Fotis Ioannidis depends a lot on daily assessments and we don’t have a date for his return."

Playing with two left-footed center-backs

"It’s a mentality thing. Playing with two right-footed center-backs is normal, but with two left-footed ones it’s not? We’re just not used to it, but I think it will happen more and more in the future. Yesterday I joked in training, since we were playing with two left-footed center-backs and two right-footed full-backs, that in a few years we’ll see full-backs with swapped feet because it brings new perspectives to decision-making in the game. Football is becoming more and more revolutionary and creates alternatives to overcome the most organized teams. But for me, nothing changes. Inácio’s passing quality is there whether he’s playing on the left or right, his passing is extraordinary, Geny’s reception too, and it’s mainly about their individual quality."

Geny Catamo’s best season and his evolution since Rui Borges’ arrival

"He’s already important and always has been. It’s about the confidence we gave him. I’m happy to see them even better, it shows they believe in our work. Trincão is having a great season, Pote was too, Luís is having a good season, Morten is even better than last year, and that increases their value. That’s what we want: to win but also to add value. Within the collective, they keep growing because they have the coach’s confidence to make mistakes, to try, and it’s normal for them to fail because they take more risks than others. We give them that daily confidence and they give it back to us so we can grow and become even better."

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