THE Sporting travels, this Friday, at 8:15 pm (Mainland Portugal time), to the Municipal Stadium of Rio Maior, where they will face Casa Pia, in the opening match of the tenth round of the I League, which could prove to be preponderant for Rui Borges’ continuity (or not) in technical command.
In an interview given, this Friday, to the program ‘Bola Branca’, broadcast by Rádio Renascença, Artur Torres Pereira defended, even so, that the Mirandelenense has all the conditions to remain in office, regardless of the inconsistency that the lions have been leading.
“I don’t know if Rui Borges has a deadline, I don’t want it. I don’t want it because I believe it would be a bad example to use and discard. It is true that the circumstances are not the best, that we have not had a regular winning regime, as in the recent past… But this is part of a process of growth and evolution of football teams”, he stated.
In the opinion of the doctor, who assumed the presidency of the club’s Management Committee, in 2018, during the invasion of the Alcochete Academy (which resulted in the removal of Bruno de Carvalho and the consequent election of Frederico Varandas), other factors must be taken into account, among them, the authentic ‘revolution’ carried out in the squad last summer.
“One could question whether it would have been efficient or whether it would have been good to change the team so radically, as was done from last year to this year, but I don’t have data that would allow me to answer this question clearly. Sporting’s management understood it that way, and, certainly, they will have reasons to have done so. As they did, therefore, at this moment, it is not worth crying over spilled milk. What we need to do is grow the team, and for that, we have to have time”, he reflected.
“My expectation is, of course, to win the game, isn’t it? We always want our team to win and for Sporting to win, and they need to win. In any case, even using a happy expression from the beginning of the current coach’s tenure, Rui Borges, when he arrived at Sporting, if there is no inspiration, let there be no lack of attitude”, he added.
Sporting’s current situation
Sporting, remember, arrives at this round in third place in the I League, with 18 points, as many as Santa Clara, nine less than the leader, FC Porto, and four less than the second placed, Benfica, so a new ‘slip’, in the visit to Casa Pia, would leave their bid to win the title of national champion ‘by a thread’.
Much more encouraging is the situation of the green and white emblem in the Champions League, where it occupies 12th place in the league phase (which is worth qualifying for the playoff to access the round of 16), with the same six points as Barcelona, ​​Como, Manchester City, Club Brugge and Borussia Dortmund.
In the League Cup, qualification for the ‘final four’ (where they will face Famalicão) was achieved thanks to the 2-1 victory over MarÃtimo, while, in the Portuguese Cup, the entry into the scene, in the fourth round, will take place on the weekend of November 21st and 22nd, against União da Serra, at Estádio José Alvalade.
