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Photo by José Lorvão

Amorim: "I'm happy about the victory, but we have to do better"

By Sporting CP
10 Apr, 2023

The coach was demanding after a win over Casa Pia AC

At the end of Sporting Clube de Portugal's 3-4 victory over Casa Pia AC, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match, beginning by talking about hat trick hero Francisco Trincão.

"Trincão has found his home here and will be much better in the future. It was important for us in a game in which everything was in place for us to be calm. There was a lack of aggressiveness in the goals that we conceded; it reminded me of the performance against SC Braga on the opening day of the season, which meant I was far from having a smile on my face. I know it's difficult for the players not being in the fight for the title, but this doesn't end here and they have to fight for the team and the club. I'm happy about the victory, but we have to do better in terms of everything else," he told journalists at the Estádio Nacional in Jamor.

Regarding the decision to take off Youssef Chermiti at half time, Amorim explained that his team "were creating danger in between the lines, which favours the characteristics of other players. Ousmane Diomande was having a lot of trouble, which could be because we are in Ramadan, and things weren't going well for Matheus Reis, which is why I subbed them off in the break."

The coach warned that "it's impossible to achieve our objective if we defend like we did today."

"Third place in Liga Portugal is the minimum requirement for us, and we make our evaluation at the end of the season. Casa Pia AC had four chances and we conceded three goals when we had an advantage. We didn't defend well and we were better with our finishing, in contrast to other away games," he reflected.

Asked about Pedro Gonçalves, he highlighted the fact that, "between assists and goals, he is having the best season of his career, even playing several times in midfield. He likes to play up front, but we have to make choices. Morita went off with discomfort in the last game and we have to manage that. There are choices we have to make and we made this one so that he doesn't get injured."

Finally, Amorim revealed that he had no doubts that "a lot of what happened" against Casa Pia AC was due to the draw against Gil Vicente FC in the previous match.

"The players felt that things were getting difficult, there's no way to hide that. I tried to convey to them that it wasn't the second half of the season that let us down, it was the start of the campaign."