The coach looks back on the win against FC Arouca

Following the 1-2 win against FC Arouca, Sporting CP coach Rui Borges spoke in his post-match press conference.

Analysis of the game
“I want to thank the fans, because they were tireless in their support. They have been incredible, always. It is largely thanks to the energy they transmitted that we achieved this difficult victory, but I think it was a deserved one because of everything we did throughout the game. The first ten minutes of the second half could have been costly for us. FC Arouca could have turned the game around, but Rui [Silva] made a great save. Apart from that, we controlled play, we tried to create chances and we could have finished them off better. At halftime, we warned the players about this, because we knew it was important to start well, but we didn't do so and FC Arouca grew stronger. Then we looked for the winner; always believing, changing things up and trying to add something different."

The importance of changing mentality from the UEFA Champions League to Liga Portugal
“It's an unknown, no matter how much we try to keep alert. The message was very much along those lines, yesterday, today and at halftime. We knew it was going to be difficult because of the weather, the pitch, and our accumulated fatigue. It was always going to be a game that would demand much more from us than the PSG game. A lot of that depends on the players individually too; we can warn them and show them that the game will be difficult. They were switched on, we started very well and the first half was very good. Then, inexplicably, we started poorly in the second half and those ten minutes could have cost us the game -but it didn't."

The attempted positional changes in attack and Luís Guilherme's performance
“He's a very talented player. We know what he's capable of, but we're all still learning. He depends on the team and vice-versa, so we're trying to understand what he can offer within the collective. Due to absences, we thought playing him on the left side could be the initial solution, but he also gives us options on the right and inside. He was good initially in the middle, but was a little too far back, and Trincão also understands those areas well. When the goal was scored, Trincão was higher up, he trapped the full-back and the ball went in behind Maxi Araújo."

Luis Suárez's goals
“I said he would define an era here because, when we identified him as a target, we knew what he could give us. The goals he scores are a consequence of his hard work. His competitive attitude is outstanding. More than the goals, the important thing is that game after game he doesn't let this attitude diminish. That has been important. He has an instinct for goal and an enormous ambition to score.”

Matheus Reis's red card
“I don’t know what happened. Everyone celebrated in the heat of the moment, I don’t know if he said anything. Since everyone came onto the pitch, I don’t know what occurred. Here and there, FC Arouca wasted some time restarting play, and it’s normal that people might be more stressed, but I don’t know what happened.”

Pedro Gonçalves’s return from injury
“Pote, Ousmane [Diomande], Zeno [Debast] are limited in the playing time I can give them. Regarding the position he played, it was my reading of the moment. Trincão has been sacrificing himself for the team in every game, playing many minutes, and it’s natural that he feels more fatigued. We felt that and put Pote in there, because that’s his position too. He came in very well, he’s very intelligent, and I’m happy to have everyone back, because they make the team much stronger. I took Matheus off and put Zeno on because he has good decision-making and could help us find deeper passing lanes against FC Arouca's low-to-medium defensive block."