Sporting’s coach said the team played better, but noted a lack of finishing in the final third.
Rui Borges said in the press room that the team lacked quality in the final third, especially in the final pass. The coach regretted that Sporting were unable to make it 2=0 and kill the game.
Was not making it 2=0 the deciding factor?
We could have made it 2=0 and killed the game off, preventing Gil Vicente from gaining momentum. In the first half, we tried to control the game, and Gil Vicente relied on counter=attacks throughout. We managed to break down their game in the first half, we managed to overcome their pressure, but we lacked quality in the final third. We scored through a through ball and started the second half well again, and could have made it 2=0. From the 20th minute onwards, we allowed Gil Vicente to launch counter=attacks after some easy turnovers, and they started to believe in us. The sending-off affected us; we tried to adjust, but we didn’t even have time. In the final minutes, it was more about heart than skill.
Is this team more reactive and less focused on control?
We had 64 percent possession. We always had the ball and managed to break through Gil Vicente’s defensive block, we controlled the width, but we lacked quality in the final third. We became complacent in gaining space, we lost easy balls and allowed Gil Vicente to counter=attack, although Gil Vicente created more danger from set pieces. At times, we needed to improve our finishing. The team reacted very well to losing possession.
Rui Borges said in the press room that the team lacked quality in the final third, especially in the final pass. The coach regretted that Sporting were unable to make it 2-0 and kill the game.
Was not making it 2-0 the deciding factor?
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We could have made it 2-0 and killed the game off, preventing Gil Vicente from gaining momentum. In the first half, we tried to control the game, and Gil Vicente relied on counter-attacks throughout. We managed to break down their game in the first half, we managed to overcome their pressure, but we lacked quality in the final third. We scored through a through ball and started the second half well again, and could have made it 2-0. From the 20th minute onwards, we allowed Gil Vicente to launch counter-attacks after some easy turnovers, and they started to believe in us. The sending-off affected us; we tried to adjust, but we didn’t even have time. In the final minutes, it was more about heart than skill.
Is this team more reactive and less focused on control?
We had 64 percent possession. We always had the ball and managed to break through Gil Vicente’s defensive block, we controlled the width, but we lacked quality in the final third. We became complacent in gaining space, we lost easy balls and allowed Gil Vicente to counter-attack, although Gil Vicente created more danger from set pieces. At times, we needed to improve our finishing. The team reacted very well to losing possession.
Did nine absentees cause problems?
That’s no excuse. It was a game where we could have made it 2-0, we didn’t, and we let a team that’s having an excellent season believe until the end. Given our circumstances, the team fought well.
Does it become more difficult to manage the game if there are no more solutions?
If I have everyone available, I have more options, but there’s no point in thinking about those who aren’t. I’m already thinking about the game against Guimarães because I won’t have Gonçalo Inácio and I have to adjust because we don’t have any centre-backs.
The matchday could end with a seven-point difference. How do you see that difference?
I’ve already spoken about those ahead of us. Last year we had an eight-point lead and lost nine, dropping to second place. There’s still a long way to go in the championship and we’re focused on what we can do.
Have you seen the incident where Gonçalo Inacio was sent off?
I didn’t see Inacio’s play; we had the screen, but it was small.
Could four points lost in the final part of the games against Gil Vicente and Braga prove decisive?
It is what it is. Today we were down to ten men and we were still looking to adjust, and in Braga it was a penalty. We have to keep going and focus on what we can control.