The coach talks about the 1-1 draw in the Netherlands

After the 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion, coach Rúben Amorim gave a press conference to reflect on the Champions League Matchday 2 result.

“We didn’t manage to deal very well with the pressing from the opposition at the start. We don’t usually get pressured like this, but we lost the duels. We often didn’t make good decisions with the ball up front, Geny had difficulties between the lines and we couldn’t provide support to the forward line. We kept giving confidence to our opponents until we conceded the goal,” he said of the opening minutes.

“In the second half, the game became more evenly matched. We left it as man-to-man at the back, PSV's Luuk de Jong had the ability to connect and we, who often isolated Viktor, couldn’t follow up on that. Daniel Bragança was another extra man and by swapping his position with Trincão we were able to dominate the game more, with a more open pitch,” Amorim explained.

“PSV had opportunities in transitions and so did we. Considering the way the game went, it’s a good point, but we have a lot to improve in this competition. If we look at the result, it doesn’t feel like a victory, but we have to accept the point, considering the performance we put in on a difficult pitch, against a team that haven’t lost here in 42 games. We have to be aware of that."

Regarding Bragança's impact during the game, coming on late, the coach acknowledged that he had been in the equation for a starting position, along with Hidemasa Morita and Morten Hjulmand.

“It was just a choice, but we had already thought about having three midfielders. I thought that at the start of the game we might lose some speed with him, because with the high press I would push the team even more -which I was wrong about, as he proved. After the game it is easier to choose who should play."

When asked about his players slipping on the surface much more than the opposition, he said that "I prefer to do tactical training in Lisbon when no one is watching to prepare the strategy, rather than train to adapt to the pitch. The players have the warmup for that and we have to be better at this approach. It is something that the players have to know, as they are professionals."

Finally, Amorim addressed Ousmane Diomande's replacement due to injury and confirmed that he will be out of the next Liga Portugal game.

“He is struggling and will be out of the next match. We will try to get him back soon, because we are short on central defenders."