Statements by Vasco Seabra, Arouca’s coach, in the press room of the Arouca Municipal Stadium, after the 1-0 victory in the 14th round of the League:
Analysis of the game and the feeling in the locker room after this victory.
“The sensations are very good. There’s no way the water won’t splash everywhere and you won’t hear the music. We suffered as a team many times and, obviously, there was a lot inside that needed to come out. What I was most proud of had to do precisely with that more negative part that’s stuck in the team. It demonstrated maturity and great proactivity from the first second of the game to the last.Before the sending-off, we already had a brilliant play that didn’t end in a goal thanks to a superb save by the Alverca goalkeeper. A high=quality collective play that only a team with a very clear process and who knows what they’re doing can pull off. Our team was very mature and capable throughout the game, allowing practically nothing to the opponent and creating a lot of chances. I believe there were four or five very clear opportunities to score, against a team that defends very well and was very motivated. I also recall that this team (Alverca) also played with one less player against Vitória and won the game. Even with that moment of the sending=off, (Arouca) maintained a very strong desire to score, but also a strong emotional stability to prepare for the loss of possession properly, recover many balls at the moment they lost them, and make a very strong transition.
Tactical analysis of the game, especially after Sandro Lima’s expulsion from Alverca.
“The opposing team ended up losing their striker and moved a winger forward. Instead of defending in a 5-4-1 formation, they switched to a 5-3-1, but the defensive setup remained the same, so the difficulty continued to be the same: how to penetrate the back five. We continued to maintain our pattern on the right. On the left, Pedro Santos was getting involved more often, but he couldn’t create as much attacking play. We only had Danté or Djouahra making runs into that central, wide space, which was easier to catch. But, on the other hand, when it came to crosses from deep, Pedro Santos was more capable of doing it, and he even created some excitement with those second-line crosses, which also gave us some opportunities. The team (Arouca) grew stronger as the game went on. Naturally, at one point or another, there was some anxiety for the game to end sooner, but we finished the game calmly, serenely, trying not to allow the opponent to have the ball, because winning was important. It was the most important thing of all. Keeping a clean sheet was also very important. We can celebrate a lot today, and tomorrow too, but Tuesday is already over. The victory and the three points were important, but now there is a lot of work and a long road ahead, because we only got three points.
The importance of Lee Hjunju’s entry and Trezza’s role on the field.
“Trezza was already functioning as a third midfielder from the start. I know he doesn’t have those characteristics, but he was already playing as a third midfielder, closer to the attacking line. Since Alverca had a back five, we felt the need to have more runs into space to free up other areas, so we could then attack. So Trezza was a disguised third midfielder, almost like a second striker, and we gave width to Puche and space inside to Esgaio, who, despite being a full-back, has played as a midfielder and has the ability to play in spaces between the lines.
“Initially, we felt the team was managing to find that space. At halftime, I started to consider that possibility, because Lee is a player who, in tight spaces, is tremendous; his quality is incredible. I am absolutely certain that the more the team can grow with the quality it can have on the ball, the more he will appear and the more noticeable he will become.”
“The objective was precisely to add him so that he could truly be a third midfielder, more involved between the lines, and at the same time, we would try to create more width and depth on the wings so that he could gain more space inside.