Rui Borges admitted that Sporting was “losing energy” against Vitória SC (3-2), which explains the uneven way in which the game, played on Friday night, ended in Alvalade. In a press conference, in the aftermath of the match, the lions’ coach pointed to the “growing pains” of a renewed team.
“These are growing pains. A very demanding first half, a second half where we lost some energy. You can’t change 10 players…. Sometimes it would be good (laughs). There’s no way around it, we have to quickly understand how we can minimize this loss, which causes individual and collective distrust. (…) The important thing today is to understand that we won, tomorrow we’ll see what we can do better and how, to continue growing as a team”, Rui Borges began by saying.
Asked about the distrust coming from the stands, with Luis Suárez being whistled the moment he entered the match, Rui Borges acknowledged that Sporting does not live in a “bed of roses” and recalled that its players, many of them newcomers to the club, will grow throughout the season.
“The draw at Reboleira wasn’t the best way to start, but today we won. It won’t be all rosy, but we will have to grow as a team. That goes through us, the technical team, and also the players. I believe the fans’ distrust comes from the result of the first round, but I hope they understand that the young players we have need positive energy from the outside in. It’s important, it helps a lot to grow as a team. This support, which they gave in the first half, is continuous throughout the game, such how we want to be more consistent over the course of 90 minutes”, he said, before detailing Suárez’s case.
“Suárez? I think they (the fans) believe in everything they read. I think it’s something related to that. Luis Suárez gave us a lot and will continue to give a lot to Sporting. It’s a non-issue. He’s not yet in the best condition to play 90 minutes, but he had a great season and will continue to give us a lot”, he stressed.
Rui Borges also highlighted that the pre-season games, in which Sporting won categorically, cannot be compared with this start of the new season.
“These games are not comparable to the demands of our championship. These games gave us good energy, good ratings, good feelings, just like now, but the opponents are different. Playing with and without pressure is totally different, especially with a team that is new. It will force us to grow quickly, especially because the greatness of the club forces us to do so”, he highlighted.
Rui Borges also addressed the physical condition of Giorgios Vagiannidis, who had to be replaced, in the final stretch of the match, due to an injury, saying he didn’t know the “seriousness”: “I hope it’s nothing serious”.
It should be noted that Sporting now has four points and has provisionally jumped to the top of the I League league table, now waiting for the results of FC Porto, Marítimo, Gil Vicente and Arouca, teams that won in the first round.
