Jorge Jesus' thoughts ahead of Sporting's hosting of Beleneness

Speaking ahead of Sporting's Monday night hosting of Belenenses, Jorge Jesus alerted to the danger of any Liga NOS encounter, with this week's fixture also having the extra emotion of being a Lisbon derby.

“Sporting-Belenenses is a derby, so it is never easy. Belenenses are a quality side with good payers and they are having a good start to the season, like us. We are ready for the problems they can cause us, especially with how they will probably set out in defence. We will have to be creative to break down their defence, which is normal when teams visit us. It really won't be that different to things we have already faced this season", commented the Alvalade boss, going on to speak about his time with the club so far.

“Six months? Well it has only been four months of competition. In terms of our performances, things have been happening quicker than we expected, but that is down to the players, their quality and their passion for Sporting. We are doing well, but we still haven't played a third of the season yet and the only thing we have won is the Super Cup. We have built a sense of pride for the fans and we want that to keep growing", said Jesus, before revealing that Naldo, Bruno Paulista and William have recovered and could be available tomorrow, while Schelotto “is still finding his physical and tactical form”.

With a tricky fixture also awaiting one of Sporting's direct rivals, Jesus proved keen to keep the focus on his own side's task: "We have to focus on our match. What matters is that we do better than our opposition, so we have to keep our focus and just worry about ourselves."

Sporting-Belenenses will kick off at 19h00 on Monday the 30th of November, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Jorge Jesus reflects on 4-2 win in Russia

Gelson, Matheus, Ruiz and Montero tallied up a 4-2 win for Sporting in the Russian capital on Thursday evening, taking Europa League Group H down to the final day.

For Jorge Jesus, the chance of a longer European campaign comes as both a blessing and a curse: "You don't get back the identity of a team in four months. It takes years. My name is Jesus, but I can't work miracles! Step by step we are getting to where we want to be, but things are happening quicker than I thought they would and that brings with it other issues. Now we will take on Besiktas, who are the best team in the group, to define qualification. It is becoming a problem, but we will try to keep the team competititve.”

In relation to the match itself, Jesus added: "We knew about Lokomotiv and we knew they only play on the counter-attack. It was really important that Adrien and João Mário did what we asked of them, which is exactly what happened. It was a great game and we could have scored a fifth goal."

To finish, the Sporting coach praised the performances of his young stars, particularly Gelson Martins. “The young lads did well and Gelson is really making a name for himself. He isn't just a promising footballer, he is a certainty. He makes life difficult for whoever he plays against. The Europa League is an important competition and I have been trying to use it to help the lads grow."

Jorge Jesus and João Pereira ahead of Thursday's encounter in the Russian capital

Jorge Jesus was with the press in the Russian capital this Wednesday afternoon, sharing his thoughts ahead of Thursday's visit to Lokomotiv Moscow.

Squad rotation has certainly been one of the predominant themes so far this season in the Sporting manager's Europa League starting line-ups. Asked if is likely to again make wholesale changes to his side on Thursday, Jesus proved relaxed: "The eleven that I put out tomorrow will be the one that I think is the best for this match and for the future. I have various objectives to meet and it is me who decides. If I think that the young lad Daniel [Podence] should play, then he will even if it is for the first time. That doesn't mean we that Sporting won't be going for the win."

“The match tomorrow will be important, just like they all are in the Europa League and especially in this case because we need a win to qualify. We will be taking on a tough team, who are normally underestimated. The top four teams in the Russian league are really strong and are at the same level as the top teams in Portugal, including Sporting", added Jesus, going on to again speak about his likely teamsheet: "If you look at how I have taken decisions with the team, you see that I will pick the best possible team for this game and for future games. The choice is mine and I am not going to hide from that."

In relation to Thursday's opponent, Jorge Jesus brushed off any comparison between Lokomotiv and CSKA, before thanking Manuel Fernandes for his praise of his side: "I won't analyse Lokomotiv with CSKA, because they are two different teams. What I will say to Manuel Fernandes is that he obviously knows his team and Sporting team really well. He was being nice and I thank him for that. We are trying to get Sporting back onto the right level in Portugal and abroad, but we have our priorities and they are the national competitions. That doesn't mean we won't do our best in the Europa League, although it isn't our main focus."

João Pereira was also on hand to speak with the press and the Alvalade wing-back followed the same logic as his coach speaking before him: "It will be an important match and the only result worth anything to us is the win. We know what we are playing for and we are focused. It will be a hard match against a quality side, but we also know what we are capable of."

Jorge Jesus reflects on his third Lisbon derby win of the season

For Jorge Jesus, Saturday's Portuguese Cup win against Benfica, which was Sporting's third Lisbon derby victory already this season, the final result was more than fair reflection of his side's dominance over the full 120 minutes.

“We were fair winners, because we were the team that showed the most quality during the entire game. In the first-half we hit the post and Benfica scored from their only shot. The game was balanced, but then Sporting understood what had to be done. We fought back and the draw was fair at half-time. In the second-half and in extra-time we had the most chances. We played as a team, we were the most aware, the most balanced and the most confident", opened the Alvalade coach in a flash interview at the final whistle.

Jesus went on to reflect on some of his changes made over the course of the evening and how Benfica set out for the encounter: "Why did I move João Mário into the middle? I know why I did of course and it made a difference. I wasn't surprised by Benficca. Gaitán in that position was something I did in a few times, the same with Talisca and Pizzi. Nothing was really new and we were the better organised team. This is a team with soul, discipline and we think as a collective."

To finish, Jorge Jesus affirmed: "Never had I thought that against the champion we would win three times. The Sporting president believed in me and I am doing my job."

Jorge Jesus ahead of Saturday's Portuguese Cup derby

While recent results and home turf will both play to Jorge Jesus' advantage tomorrow night when his side host Benfica in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup, the Sporting boss sees form on the day as the decisive factor in the final result. “We have won both games against Benfica, so naturally we are confident, but what matters in a derby is how the teams play on the day. The league table or the past don't make that much difference. It will be a passionate game and I hope that everybody shows the right kind of respect on the pitch", explained Jesus in his usual pre-match press conference.

Following the same logic, the Alvalade boss was keen to brush aside the assertion of a favourite to clinch the result: "I don't think we can say there is a favourite, because both teams have very similar objectives. It is the moment that makes the difference when it comes down to it. Obviously playing in front of our fans, on our pitch, is more attractive for us than playing in the Luz, but the players still have to respond. This is a Sporting-Benfica derby in a knock-out competition which has to be decided tomorrow, so the game takes on other characteristics. The lads have been working as usual, although some of them, Bryan and Slimani for example, are a bit touch and go. Tomorrow I will be able to take a look at them and make a decision, but we are all ready for just another match."

Asked if beating his former employer is that extra bit special compared to any other match, Jesus played it cool: "I like beating every team. I am the Sporting coach and for me every opponent is special, because this is my team. Sometimes one game or another leaves more of a mark, but not because of the opponent."

The Portuguese Cup 4th round between Sporting and Benfica will kick off at 20h00 on Saturday the 21st of November, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Jorge Jesus' thoughts on Sunday's win in Arouca

Sporting had to fight hard for the three points on Sunday night, but that was exactly what Jorge Jesus was expecting in what has proven to be a tricky away trip for even the top sides this season.

“We knew it would be difficult. In nine games, Arouca had only lost against FC Porto and they had already taken three points off a team fighting for the title. They are a really well organised team defensively and it isn't easy to score against them. We had to show the mentality of a champion, as well as technical and tactical quality. We had to show heart in the 50-50 balls, which is what we did in the second-half", opened the Alvalade boss in post-match interview, continuing: “We had to show a lot of attitude in the direct confrontations, because Arouca are really aggressive. We didn't have a lot of chances, but we did make some that were easy to finish and we had Arouca under control when they did attack. The most important thing is that we won and that we got the reward for carrying on even with ten men. The lads deserved the win tonight."

Jorge Jesus went on to explain what he asked of his players at half-time and why he introduced Esgaio in place of Jefferson: "At half-time we had to change some things in attack. Arouca are really organised so we couldn't find space for our lads to carry the ball forward. We had to change some positioning and it worked better in the second-half, which was also because Arouca didn't show the same intensity in defence because they were getting tired. Jefferson felt a bit of discomfort at the end of the first-half and I didn't want to aggravate it, so I was forced to being him off. Funnily enough Esgaio was more dynamic down the wing than Jefferson.”

Jorge Jesus on his side's 4-0 win against Vilafranquense

Jorge Jesus was clearly happy with his side’s dominating performance against Vilafranquense (4-0) in the Portuguese Cup third round this weekend. However, the key to a comfortable afternoon for the Alvalade boss was an early goal.

“Obviously when you win it feels all the better if you can do it by a good margin. We faced a team from a lower division and they did what they could. For them our pace was completely different to what they are used to. Scoring early made it easier and kept Vilafranquense from starting to think they could keep the dream alive. Psychologically an early goal takes it out of these teams. We won by four and we could have scored more”, opened Jesus.

The afternoon was also a chance for Jesus to make a wealth of changes, which the Sporting coach saw as an extremely positive opportunity: “It is good to see our four goals scored by three of the young lads. I liked how we played collectively and I was really looking forward to seeing Bruno Paulista. It was his first match and you can see that he isn’t a normal player. All that he is missing is an idea of how we play and he will be an option for me. Matheus Pereira was also good and Gelson came on well. Aquilani is also really creative and I wanted to give him time further up the pitch. He has a lot of experience and a lot of quality with his passing.”