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September 17, 2024

Amorim: “Everything went smoothly” – Primeira Liga

The coach shares his insights and reflections after the team’s inaugural match in the Champions League. He discusses the players’ performance, the strategies employed during the game, and the overall atmosphere of this prestigious tournament. His comments provide valuable context for fans and analysts alike, highlighting successes and improvement areas as the team looks ahead to future matches in the competition.

After Sporting Clube de Portugal’s commanding 2-0 win against Lille OSC in the UEFA Champions League, coach Rúben Amorim seized the chance to break down the match during a press conference. In his remarks, he highlighted critical moments from the game, discussing the tactical decisions that led to their success. Amorim praised individual players’ performance while acknowledging the team’s collective effort. He emphasized the importance of this win for building confidence as they continue their journey in the prestigious tournament. The press conference provided an insight into his strategic mindset and the goals he has set for the team moving forward.

“The result was better than the performance and the sending off helped. Everything went well, but we have a lot to do still,” he started by addressing the journalists before discussing Zeno Debast’s outstanding goal that brought the score to 2-0.

“There are not many words to describe it. It was a great goal. I was upset with his decision to shoot, but the best goals happen when you least expect them. If there was anyone who needed a goal and a performance like this, it was Zeno. His quality is there. There were some doubts from people about him, but in Belgium he is a beloved player. The goal was very important, but the performance even more so.”

When asked who might be able to challenge Sporting CP, Rúben Amorim promptly replied, “AVS,” referring to this weekend’s opponents.

“Anything can happen and we have to stay focused. This game was good, but we could see the nervousness that we had, and the sending off helped a lot. Any team can stop Sporting CP, we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and know how to read the game to improve,” he elaborated.

Concerning Conrad Harder, who made his debut for Sporting CP, the coach expressed his satisfaction with the young player’s performance. He highlighted Harder’s ability to adapt quickly to the team’s playing style. He praised his composure, particularly given the pressure to make his first appearance in a significant match. Amorim also noted that Harder’s contribution to the game reflects the hard work and potential he has shown in training, and he believes the player will continue to grow and be an asset to the squad moving forward.

“He is a player who, in the little time he had on the pitch, showed a lot of what he can do. He pressed for every ball, headed a free kick, and held on to the ball and was fouled, helping the team move upfield. He confirmed what we had seen in him, but he needs some more training time and we have had little of that. The same goes for Maxi Araújo.”

“Looking at the game, I think Morten can improve, Trincão can make better decisions, Pote can be even more involved. You can see that Maxi isn’t into the swing of things yet, but he has very good characteristics. You could see the players’ lack of experience in difficult moments. 

However, today everything went well, except for Inácio’s injury,” 

Finally, after explaining that Hidemasa Morita’s half-time substitution resulted from his yellow card, Amorim addressed Sporting CP’s impressive streak of consecutive games without conceding a goal.

“Quenda is doing better defensively and Geny Catamo and Nuno Santos have already worked on that aspect. We have improved, been compact, been focused and been good at set pieces. It’s a question of a bit of luck and a bit more work with the players.”