João Simões left out of Sporting v Braga squad, reason revealed | OneFootball

João Simões, who started against Napoli, was left out of Sporting's squad for Braga and Rui Borges explained the decision

Rui Borges analyzed the draw between Sporting and Braga (1-1) in a press conference. The coach considered the result fair, at Alvalade, and among several topics addressed, explained that João Simões, who started against Napoli, was left out of the squad by choice.

"João Simões was left out by choice. Ousmane Diomande is looking to gain better rhythm and it wouldn’t make sense, except as a last resort, to use him. We’re going to gain some time now during this break," said the coach, after analyzing the draw.

"It was a competitive match. We had some difficulties, missed some passes and receptions, and started losing individual confidence. In the second half, we tried to improve our approach to Braga’s key players, didn’t let them think too much or gain confidence, which is something we lacked at the end of the first half. We improved somewhat, but we still had difficulty and lacked clarity. That lack of individual confidence causes the team to lose some energy and at the end of the game we were punished with a very particular play," he pointed out.

Rui Borges speaks of fairness on the scoreboard: "It ends up being fair. Braga had some chances, so did we. Alisson gave us what we wanted, more aggressiveness in seeking the second third, but it was clear we lacked some clarity to make the best decisions in the various plays we had, even after the 1-1."

Even so, the coach of the green and white club reminds that Braga did little besides the goal: "In the second half, Braga only had one chance where Rui Silva made a good save, and also Rodrigo Salazar’s shot, but for everything the opponent gave to the game, it ends up being fair," he concluded.

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