Fernando Sá on FC Porto injuries: “We’ll be patient and keep working” | OneFootball

FC Porto were defeated in the first Clássico of the season against Sporting (76-82). The Dragons’ coach, Fernando Sá, believes the outcome could have been different if the team had been at full strength, pointing to the absences of Gonçalo Delgado and Tanner Omlid, among other significant losses.

How do you rate this match? “The game didn’t start the way we were expecting; I’d say we even had more offensive options, with open looks and nuances in the percentages. We ended the first half with low percentages and that created imbalances, which ended up putting us behind. When we were playing better, Queiroz’s injury affected the team and some players had to play in positions they’re not used to. We tried to close the gap, but we’ll wait for the players to recover so we can respond this year.”

How serious is the injury situation? “Right now, besides those who are sitting out, we have many playing through it. Wes Washpun is making a lot of sacrifices, Jonathan Dunn sprained his ankle in the European game. Miguel Maria and Marko [Filipovity] have had concerns. So, training conditions have been limited. We’ll be patient and keep working.”

Is Miguel Queiroz’s injury on the same shoulder as last year? “I don’t know; it seems so to me. It’s definitely not simple.”

What can Allen Flanigan, who hasn’t played yet, bring? “Above all, quality in training, and he’s young, a rookie—I hope he can bring positive things to the game. But right now the team is really short on players. We need players to train. Collectively, he seems very good, and this team needs an injection of youth and energy.”

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