«We wanted to block the central zone of Sporting’s game»

Bola na Rede had the opportunity to ask Carlos Carvalhal a question after Braga x Sporting. The coach analyzed some tactical details of the match.

Bola na Rede asked Carlos Carvalhal a question after Braga x Sporting in round 11 of the Primeira Liga. The Minho coach spoke about the tactical nuances he tried to introduce into the match.

Here is Bola na Rede’s question to Carlos Carvalhal:

Bola na Net: Good evening, boss. In the first half, Braga set up a defensive structure that varied between 5-4-1 and 5-2-3 and greatly conditioned Sporting’s attack. I ask what were the key points of the plan and what did you want when starting with a 3-4-3 system, with the ball, like Sporting?

Carlos Carvalhal: The initial intention was to keep the ball, have the ball, the width, play, take the ball away from Sporting and then hurt it, running the game mainly through the corridors to try to reach the goal. I think we did it at intervals. In defensive terms, we wanted to block the central zone of Sporting’s game. Trying to keep as many of our midfielders as possible so that they could cover Sporting’s interior game. Obviously Sporting would almost have to play on the outside, pressing Roger on one side and Gabri on the other (who are wingers) and having the possibility of winning the ball, and when winning the ball we always have at least five players who can threaten Sporting’s goal. 2 players on the corridor and the 3 attackers inside. We managed to reach 2-0 and I already said the second half. The energy began to fade and credit to Sporting for the way they managed to achieve the result.