Luís Avelãs says Sporting’s key man could lose his spot in the starting XI | OneFootball

Luís Avelãs believes that João Virgínia could threaten Rui Silva's starting position. The Portuguese international is, for now, the first choice of Rui Borges, but after the mistake that dictated Sporting's defeat in Naples, the expert points to "serious competition" in the goal.

"Rui Silva left the posts to punch the ball, but he misjudged the distance that separated him from the forward (and/or the trajectory of the cross) and this was fatal. Mistakes happen to everyone, but the usual starter now has serious competition, as João Virgínia performed well when he played and the coach hinted that he might give him the goal, even with Rui Silva fit", warned the expert, to Record newspaper.

When asked whether Rui Borges did well to rotate the eleven, Luís Avelãs was direct: "He gives the training, chooses the strategy, knows who needs more rest and, of course, also knows that a duel with Braga is coming. But let's agree: the second matchday of the Champions League phase is not to 'give a head start'", he said.

"Trusting in other solutions is positive, but entering without Pote and Suárez is playing with fewer trump cards. It could have worked, it's true, but this was not the best path to success. Points were at stake that may be needed later and, of course, also some euros that are never too much in the Club's coffers", admitted Luís Avelãs.

This season, with the Sporting shirt, Rui Silva - valued at 7 million euros - has played seven matches. The Portuguese international missed three games due to physical unavailability, playing a total of 630 minutes, in which he conceded six goals.

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