Sporting Lisbon’s Uruguayan goalkeeper, Franco Israel, came to the defense of his new coach, João Pereira, who took over after Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United and is currently facing a streak of four consecutive defeats.
The Portuguese team fell to Belgian club Brugge in the Champions League and had previously lost to English team Arsenal. In the meantime, he suffered defeats to Santa Clara and Moreirense in the national championship.
“It’s not normal for a team like Sporting,” Israel commented on the series of disappointments, adding: “We are at a stage where everything seems to be going against us; every shot towards our goal ends up in the opponent’s net.”
Israel emphasized the need for a comeback: “The only way to change this is with a win. We need to focus on our next league game against Boavista and win the game.”
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Speaking about the change of coach, he stated: “The way we work hasn’t changed much. We are fully supporting his work, and a large part of the responsibility lies with us.”
He continued, “It’s not so much about talking about ourselves as it is about winning. What I say doesn’t matter; the only thing that counts is winning, no matter what.”
Israel recognized the challenges faced by a club of Sporting’s stature: “A big club like Sporting is not used to losing, but football has these complicated moments.”
Currently, Sporting occupies 12th place in the Champions League with ten points, in a playoff position for the round of 16, while leading the Portuguese league with 33 points, just two ahead of Benfica and Porto.
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