The coach prepares for the game against Vitória SC

Sporting Clube de Portugal travel to the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques this Saturday, for an away game against Vitória SC.

In the pre-match press conference, coach Rúben Amorim began by responding to a question about the possibility of Os Leões reaching four consecutive games without conceding in Guimarães -their best run of the season.

"Not conceding goals, and the fact that we usually score, brings us closer to winning. Everything matters, such as how we attack and preparing for transitions. The focus should not be on not conceding goals, but rather on scoring and playing the way we want. We defend well, and most of the time play high up the pitch, and we are very focused", he said.

Amorim also revealed that he had not asked Marcus Edwards, the player signed from Vitória SC in the winter, for information about the opponents.

“I left the scouting to the coaching staff, because we already know Vitória SC well and we've played several times against Pepa's teams, which have their own identity. Of course, players change and the fact that Edwards is on our side now also helps, because he was a very dangerous player whenever we went up against them. There was no special talk with Edwards, because the focus is always on our team. Edwards is still in his adaptation phase and that has been our focus," underlined the coach.

All of the squad are available for the game, making selection tricky for the coach. "It is perhaps one of the most difficult games in terms of picking the side. Obviously, everything becomes a little clearer as the week progresses, but we take into account the last game, the characteristics of Vitória SC and how training has been during the week. There are many players who should be starters, but they won't be,” he stated, before adding that: "Another factor to take into account, and which this year has already been proven, is that we also need to think about how we are going to handle options on the bench. Now we have more solutions and we will field the best team for this game."

Finally, Amorim reaffirmed his confidence in the team for the remainder of the season. "We know that we are at a disadvantage in Liga Portugal, but it is not worth us doing a lot of maths right now. We want to play better and better and win every game that remains. We have to win practically all of them to still have a chance at the title. In the Taça de Portugal, anything can happen, so everyone's focus is on enjoying success, knowing that in the end it may or may not happen. But we have to do our part, play well and get better."

The coach reviews the win over Vitória SC

In the aftermath of the triumph against Vitória SC (1-0), on Matchday 10 of the Liga Portugal season, coach Rúben Amorim put into perspective a run of six consecutive victories.

“Those games have passed. I look at this series of games and will say that there is usually an interruption. Both the team and I just want to win the next game. Everything is open on several fronts, and there is still a long way to go. Of course, it gives us confidence and helps the team, but it's worth what it's worth”, said the coach, before being asked about the move in which Sebastián Coates headed in from a corner, something that also happened in the last game, against Moreirense FC, and twice in Turkey, against Beşiktaş JK.

“It is to the credit of Coates and Adélio Cândido, Carlos Fernandes and Emanuel Ferro, who work a lot on set pieces. We are a team who are strong in these situations and have a lot of players in different areas. Coates has this ability off headers. He knows how to see if the ball is coming through or not, and that's something certain players have. We want to improve and for Coates to continue to score," he said, before praising the Uruguayan as “a great player who thinks like a striker when he is in the opposing area, but when he is in his own area he thinks like a central defender.”

"He is an increasingly complete player and we are very happy to have such an athlete amongst us."

As for the final stretch of the match, in which Sporting CP had to suffer, Amorim stated that this is a situation that the team “must know how to live with."

“It's not the first time we've suffered in the final minutes. Once we lost some of the pressure up front, the midfielders suffered and the defenders didn't go between the lines as much. Nevertheless, we are a team that knows how to defend. We also formed a line of five when necessary and we were able to adapt to each moment of the game. We didn't defend deep as a strategy, but rather because our opponents forced us to. The others team play too, and as soon as we started to get tired, even when we changed players, keeping up high pressing is difficult if you don't get it right,” he explained.

The importance of defence for a team which has the best record in the Portuguese league, with only four goals conceded, was another of the issues addressed by the coach.
“It's one of the strengths of the team, just like it was last season. But I will say again: It's not just the defence. It is often the forwards not only attacking, but also defending and putting pressure on the midfielders. We are a very united team, and that helps when you have to defend, build in a 5-4-1 or press high up. Without conceding goals, our team always finds a way to score, even if it is through set pieces to Coates," he said.

For the coach, overtaking SL Benfica moving joint leaders with FC Porto is insignificant whilst their rivals are technically top.

“We have the same number of points, but if the season ended today we wouldn't be in first place. There's a lot to play for and it only takes a draw to change the leader. We have to look at this naturally, as it will happen during the season. We must always be alert,” he warned, before guaranteeing that this Sporting CP side “are much more of a team than last season."

“I'm lucky that the players understand the moments within a game better and better. Today we suffered a lot at the end and we showed that we still have the same ability to stick together that we did last season. We are much better, especially considering the same period last season,” he assured.

To close, Amorim shared the credit for the fact that Sporting CP have not lost at home in Liga Portugal since he arrived in Alvalade, in March 2020, going an impressive 33 home games unbeaten.

“It is a credit to everyone who is here, from the kitman to the president. Everyone has responsibility in the good times, and everyone does their part. Now we have to keep going. This sequence of games doesn't give us anything yet, and if we don't win the next match then we will be out of the Champions League. We have to win every day, and of course we want to keep this run going, but what matters is the points in the standings," he concluded.

A 1-0 win moves the team level with FC Porto

Sporting Clube de Portugal defeated Vitória SC by 1-0 at the Estádio José Alvalade on Matchday 10 of Liga Portugal, thanks to a goal from the in-form Sebastián Coates in the first half.

In their third consecutive home game, the team were up against a side who had not lost away this season and were coming off a run of three wins and a draw -against SL Benfica- in their last four matches.

Coach Rúben Amorim made seven changes to the side that beat FC Famalicão in midweek, keeping only Gonçalo Inácio, Feddal, Matheus Nunes and Sarabia in the starting XI.

Balance was the order of the day in the early stages of the match, with the home team benefiting from the first two dangerous moves via Pedro Gonçalves and Pedro Porro. Vitória SC also provided a threat early on, and responded immediately with a shot that forced Antonio Adán to make a big save.

After 15 minutes, Sporting CP established themselves in the opposite midfield and started to control proceedings. After an attempt by Gonçalves, who saw his goal disallowed for offside, on 31 minutes Coates broke the deadlock with a header off a flick-on from Paulinho off a corner.

The final moments of the first half saw a bolder Vitória SC, but the best they could muster was two shots off target. Sporting CP had a second goal disallowed, with Pablo Sarabia called offside.

For the second half, Sporting CP played closer to Bruno Varela's goal, with Matheus Nunes, isolated in the area, having a big chance to score immediately go wide.
Vitória SC advanced their lines in search of an equaliser, and had an effort graze the crossbar. Shortly after, second half substitute Ricardo Quaresma struck wide from a free kick.

Sporting CP brought on Ugarte to replace Gonçalves, with the aim of halting the transitions from their opponents and adding muscle in the middle of the park. In front of goal, Paulinho had a header go lightly off target.

Despite a greater offensive threat from the visitors before the final whistle, Os Leões took a sixth consecutive victory and continued their best run of the season to date.
With the win, the team move to joint leaders of Liga Portugal with 26 points, level with FC Porto and 1 point ahead of third-placed SL Benfica.

The next match is scheduled for Wednesday, at home, against Turkish side Beşiktaş JK in the Champions League. On November 7th, they play FC Paços de Ferreira away in Liga Portugal.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [GR], Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro (Daniel Bragança, 89'), João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes (Bruno Tabata, 88'), Matheus Reis, Pedro Gonçalves ( Manuel Ugarte, 79'), Pablo Sarabia (Nuno Santos, 69') and Paulinho (Ricardo Esgaio, 89').

Unseen moments from a 1-0 victory at home

Sporting CP claimed another three points for their Liga NOS tally this past weekend, with a first half goal from Gonçalo Inácio deciding the game against Vitória SC.

Whilst fans remain unable to attend matches in person, Backstage Sporting goes behind the scenes to recap the 1-0 triumph, which included a debut for 16-year-old prodigy Dário Essugo.

Stay tuned for more footage from the dressing room, unseen shots from pitchside, and more besides, in Backstage Sporting.

The coach runs the rule over the game against Vitória SC

Sporting Clube de Portugal are back at home this Saturday to play sixth-placed Vitória SC in Liga NOS action. In his press conference ahead of the match, head coach Rúben Amorim spoke about the opposition, absentees in his side and international callups as a reward for excellent performances.

"Vitória SC are a very good team. They are not in good form, but there are no better games than these, against the big sides, to change that. Our focus has been on the quality that Vitória SC have in their squad," he told journalists.

"They have absences in defence [center backs Abdul Mumin and Easah Suliman], but up front they have players amongst the best in Portugal, who can decide a game. Our objective this week has mainly been to continue to improve our team."

Sporting CP will have absences of their own, with the recent positive COVID-19 tests for Matheus Nunes and Vitorino Antunes meaning they join Sebastián Coates (suspended for five yellow cards) and João Pereira (shown a red card when on the bench against Tondela) on the sidelines.

"It is always bad to have cases of COVID-19; from the beginning we have done everything to avoid them, but there are things that we can't control. When a positive test comes up, we have to be even more rigorous, if possible, and keep testing and protecting the players. On Saturday we will use the players who are available, and we have many of them," added Amorim, who may call on some young talents.

"We have a lot of young players as well, and these situations give us the opportunity to bring them in to train and work with us."

One player who is back available is forward Paulinho, guaranteed the Sporting CP coach: "He is another option, and therefore that is good news for our team. We can play in different ways and Paulinho can offer us other things in terms of the creation of opportunities, more aerial play and more in the area, so he is someone else that can help, making the team stronger."

Sporting CP continue to lead Liga NOS with 61 points, ten more than their nearest rivals, and remain undefeated in the competition. However, Amorim still sees room for improvement.

"The other teams are also well prepared and we have to evolve as a team. We have more time together now, and the squad have already acquired everything we gave them in the first phase, so now we are trying to introduce other nuances. The important thing is to win and to improve the way we play -and our fluidity," he pointed out.

Finally, the coach expressed his satisfaction with the debut of Nuno Mendes and João Palhinha in a Portuguese national team squad list, and also for the first callup for Pedro Porro for Spain.

"It is due to their merits and that of their teammates. They have worked and evolved a lot. Nuno Mendes played some games for the under-23s when in the under-19s side, and now after a year he is a full international. I think [João] Palhinha's callup is because he has different characteristics to all the players in that position for Portugal.

"As for Porro, we gave him confidence and our system helps him, as he is better defensively and has more intensity. Now he is going into a completely different world with the Spain team. He has to take advantage of the moment, but tomorrow there is still a game to be played."