The coach eyes up another European victory against Tottenham Hotspur

Sporting Clube de Portugal host Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday (5:45pm local time), on the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage

On the eve of the game, coach Rúben Amorim spoke in a pre-match press conference, and was not hiding the fact that victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany had given his side confidence for the European competition.

" I wouldn't change a thing. The important thing is to keep our identity. That's what we did, even when we suffered defeats, and the way we turned the situation around was very much by being confident in what we do," he said.  

"We can't always control the results, but what we were seeing in games was that we were dominant and that we could play well."

"The most important thing is that we've changed the way we look at ourselves. We know it's possible to win in Europe, that we're growing. Even with us having lost players, it's clear that we're a more mature team and prepared for these games. It doesn't really matter how people look at us; I'm sure most people in Europe see us as the weakest team in the group, and we like that. We believe it's possible, we want to win and our objective for tomorrow is to win the game."

He went on to analyse Tottenham Hotspur FC, a team he considers to be "very strong, with a coach who wins wherever he goes".

"They are very strong in transitions, on set pieces and even when the ball is with their goalkeeper, Lloris. All of his goal kicks are very dangerous. They are a complete team with quality players. We tried to study Tottenham Hotspur as much as possible, but we focused more on ourselves, on our weaknesses and on what we have to try to hide in our movements to take advantage of our abilities. We are a team who like to have the ball and we want to keep that identity and way of playing. We want to be competitive in every one of our games. The responsibility is clearly on Tottenham Hotspur's shoulders, but we are a big club in Portugal and we have to play to win."

Amorim did not want to focus on the shorter recovery and preparation time that Sporting CP have for this match due to the cancellation of Spurs' Premier League game against Manchester City, acknowledging that "normally, it is the English teams who have more difficult schedules. With this being a UEFA Champions League game, young and ambitious players like ours are sure to have recovered in time."

Asked about the absences of Jeremiah St. Juste and Luís Neto in defence, the coach noted that there are other players who can play in these positions.

"We lost St. Juste, who is our fastest player and perhaps the perfect fit for marking Tottenham's fastest player, Son. Neto is experienced, and we also lost him. We will have others come in. Gonçalo Inácio could be an option, as well as Ricardo Esgaio," he said.

"The opposition will make the game very difficult for us. If Tottenham Hotspur score first, it will be very tough because they are good with the ball, can build play and are good at waiting for a team and making transitions. We have to be careful with our buildup and not change our identity".
Finally, Amorim spoke about Marcus Edwards and Hidemasa Morita.

"Edwards is one of the best in Portugal playing between the lines. He had difficulty getting used to the Portuguese lifestyle and that is changing. Our group is very young and he fits better in our team. Lisbon is not London, but it is different to Guimarães, and all this has an impact on the player's involvement. The talent is all there and I think he can improve a lot and reach the England national team. He has to be more consistent and I think he is already showing that. I see a lot of talent in him, I think he can grow a lot, but he has a long way to go," he commented of the Englishman.

"As for Morita, all coaches should train at least one Japanese player to understand what it means to be a player who is always ready to help the team. He is very respectful and he plays in any position, as he always wants to learn. I have only good things to say about [Hidemasa] Morita. More and more Japanese players are entering Europe and he has a lot of technical ability. I'm very satisfied with him and I'm glad we chose to sign him."