Aat his place: “To gain the confidence I had, no, but it helps a lot. The most important thing was the three points and getting out of this negative phase of defeat. We started the game well again and scored, we had a lot of scoring opportunities, we went to halftime in which the result could be greater for our side if they give up, I have to take my hat off to them.”
Unstable game: “For me, the victory convinces me. Due to the players’ attitude and everything they did. I don’t think it was such a divided game. If we look at ball possession and opportunities… It’s true that Boavista in first shot manages to score a goal, but Sporting dominated the game Except in the last minutes, the players really want it but their legs are starting to feel heavy.
Sporting slowing down after conceding a goal? “I don’t agree. After the first goal we had more opportunities to increase the score. That’s not why we slowed down. After the advantage we have to have greater control of the game and we can’t break. Boavista wants to explore the transitions a lot and I I told the players that we had to be more calm, mentally. Today we were supposed to play more on the outside than what could happen on the inside, we have to work on that.”
Lack of consistency in Sporting’s game: “No, we have made some mistakes. But the opponent reached a draw and then a victory. Today we were the ones who managed to get back in front of the scoreboard. Another step our team took. We conceded the draw and came back in the lead again. Step step by step, game by game, working hard we gain confidence.”
He said that today he was supposed to play more on the outside than on the inside. Is it to continue in the next games? “It always depends on the tactics the opponent uses against us. Maybe if Boavista today played with a line of five, we would have to try another way. We identified this space that we could exploit and the players understood perfectly what we had to do.”
Abel Ferreira or Sérgio Conceição as potential successor: “I’m not bothered at all. It’s normal for them to talk. I’ve already said, when a team that always won stops winning, it’s normal to have challenges, it’s normal to have criticism. I have to stay focused on my work, the players have to stay focused on your work and that’s how we’re going to turn things around.”
Five goals conceded in three games: “I didn’t notice restlessness from the fans, I noticed support from start to finish. And together it makes everything easier. How many times did Boavista attack? It happens. It can’t happen, a team that dominated like us can’t concede two goals the only two times they Boavista created danger.”
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