Rui Silva under pressure after Napoli error: It happens, but... | OneFootball

Rui Silva failed in the Napoli - Sporting match and Luís Avelãs believes that João Virgínia might have a say in the starting eleven.

Rui Silva looked quite bad in the photo of Napoli's second goal, which gave the victory to the Italians (2-1). Luís Avelãs believes that mistakes are 'part of the job', but notes that Sporting's 'number 1' now has his position threatened by João Virgínia.

"Rui Silva left the goal to punch the ball, but misjudged the distance between him and the forward (or/and the trajectory of the cross) and that was fatal. Mistakes happen to everyone, but the usual starter now faces 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 the Record newspaper.

When asked if Rui Borges did well to rotate the eleven, Luís Avelãs was direct: "He conducts the training, chooses the strategy, knows who needs more rest and, of course, is aware that a clash with Braga is coming up. But, let's face it: the second round of the Champions League group stage is not the time to 'give a head start'," he said.

"Trusting other solutions is positive, but starting 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 might be needed later on and, of course, also some euros that are always welcome in the Club's coffers," admitted Luís Avelãs.

This season, wearing the Sporting jersey, 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, during which he conceded six goals.

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