When Frederico Varandas made the decision to pay 10 million euros for Ruben Amorim, few could have imagined that, four and a half years later, Sporting would be the strongest candidate to win a consecutive championship that has eluded them for 70 years. The main architect of Sporting’s sporting success has a name: Ruben Amorim. It’s difficult to imagine a better coach for Sporting. Ruben Amorim has unique qualities, and no one wanted him to leave, especially not in the middle of the season.
However, Ruben Amorim’s legacy belongs to both him and Sporting. Therefore, it is also difficult to imagine such a favorable (and unusual) situation for recruiting a new coach. I don’t remember, in my lifetime, seeing Sporting with a clear advantage on all fronts compared to their rivals. Not only is the club in a considerably better financial and ‘political’ setup, but the sporting advantage is also evident. Contrary to usual, Ruben Amorim will leave a club that, instead of starting from scratch, has an advantage of 3 and 8 points over Porto and Benfica, respectively (with 9 and 10 games remaining for them to recover the disadvantage), already he secured 7 points in the Champions League and kept all the key players in the squad, as well as solid signings and young talent to develop. It is, in fact, very difficult to imagine a more favorable situation to attract a coach to join Sporting.
Even if Sporting’s management decides to give João Pereira the opportunity to continue Ruben Amorim’s project, it is important to clarify that this is a sporting decision and not an improvised solution, as there is no reason for Sporting not to control its destiny at this moment. .
It is true that replacing a coach at such an early stage of the season is a greater challenge than doing so at the end, but the move to replace Ruben Amorim and, later, Hugo Viana could prove to be an excellent opportunity for Sporting. Both will be side by side in a city that breathes football, in the most competitive and richest league in the world, particularly in two of the clubs with the greatest financial resources. Once again, it is difficult to imagine a better scenario to substantially improve sporting relations with the Premier League and thus extract better financial and sporting results. It will be up to Sporting to have the ingenuity and wisdom to make the most of this situation.
Sporting faces a complex test, but one that could solidify its position as the strongest club on the national football scene. Amorim’s abrupt departure could serve as a catalyst for even greater unity between the team (instead of the presumed melancholy of an announced departure) and the fans. It is in our hands, fans, to send this signal of strength, without drama and resentment, so that the club can pass this test with distinction, considering that if the Varandas board fails this test, it will be difficult to recover, forever tying its (our) success solely to Ruben Amorim, who is and should continue to be an idol of Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Four and a half years ago, we asked “What if it works?” without any faith in this prophecy. Today, we must ask, “Why shouldn’t it work?”
