The squad were back after a day off

Sporting Clube de Portugal returned to training this Tuesday at the Academia Sporting in Alcochete, after a day off on Monday.

Several of the squad are away on international duty: Gonzalo Plata (Ecuador), Manuel Ugarte (Uruguay), Tiago Tomás (Portugal Under-21s), and Nuno Mendes, João Palhinha and Pedro Gonçalves (Portugal AA).

In their absence, coach Rúben Amorim called up several players from the youth teams to train with the senior stars: Lucas Dias, Bernardo Sousa, Gonçalo Costa, Rodrigo Fernandes, Vando Félix, Nikolai Skoglund, Emanuel Fernandes and Gilberto Batista all participated in the session.

Gonçalo Inácio and Sebastián Coates, who had originally been selected to represent their respective countries, were withdrawn due to injury. On Tuesday they underwent treatment at the club's facilities.

The next training session is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:00am.

The Sporting CP coach reviews the 1-1 draw with FC Famalicão

Rúben Amorim reflected on Sporting CP's 1-1 draw with FC Famalicão (1-1) in his post-match press conference, lamenting that his side “did not manage to impose our game."

“FC Famalicão dropped back a lot and took some depth away from us, whilst we put the ball where they wanted it and where we shouldn't have. We played a lot of balls inside and they made transitions there. The fact that the block was lower and we were making passes inside, without the defense being too high, meant that there was space between the lines that created a lot of problems for us, but the defensive problems came more from the offensive side, when we had the ball. Even so, we had opportunities, and FC Famalicão also had transitions. Obviously we believed we could win until the end, but it wasn't to be. Now it's about moving forward,” the coach began by saying.

After praising Antonio Adán, whom he said “had a great performance,” Amorim also spoke about João Palhinha and the yellow card that the midfielder saw in the 14th minute: “This always affects Palhinha a lot, and he then has to be careful because he picks up yellows easily, but nevertheless he had a good game."
The Sporting CP boss also took responsibility for the draw.

“When the whole team doesn't understand where we have to attack, it's the coach's fault and not so much the players' fault. Maybe they didn't get the information in the best way, but, even so, we were the team that always had the most of the ball. Then, with our transitions, when we don't make good decisions we make things more complicated."

“In football, everything changes very quickly. Now we have the international break, and when we return we will be very motivated for the game against FC Porto. It's a very long season. We have to look on the bright side: Last year we also drew here and, therefore, we are on the right path,” he concluded.

Sporting CP draw 1-1 away

Sporting Clube de Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to FC Famalicão on Liga Portugal Matchday 4, dropping their first points of the season.

Rúben Amorim made three changes to his starting XI, fielding Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates, Zouhair Feddal, Ricardo Esgaio, Matheus Nunes, João Palhinha, Nunes Mendes, Pedro Gonçalves, Paulinho and Jovane Cabral.

With three victories to start the season, Sporting CP were looking for a fourth win against a side that they had yet to beat since FC Famalicão's return to the top flight.

A good opportunity to score presented itself after two minutes through Jovane Cabral, but he, Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho were all thwarted in their early attempts. The first half also saw the home side enjoy chances, with Antonio Adán called into action twice.

The score remained 0-0 at halftime, and Amorim decided to make his first substitutions, bringing Nuno Santos and Pedro Porro on for Cabral and Ricardo Esgaio. They combined soon thereafter, the full-back crossing for the winger to shoot against the post.

Sporting CP found themselves chasing the game when, after Adán blocked a shot, Gonçalo Inácio tried to take the ball out of Ivo Rodrigues' reach and it ended up going in off Nuno Mendes, handing FC Famalicão the lead.

Amorim made further changes, with Matheus Nunes and Zouhair Feddal making way for Daniel Bragança and Tiago Tomás. The equaliser came ten minutes later, when following a corner, Gonçalo Inácio's ball found João Palhinha at the back post to score.

Sporting CP attempted to find a winner, but shots from Paulinho, Tiago Tomás and Pedro Gonçalves were kept out by goalkeeper Luiz Júnior, whilst Sebastián Coates saw a header deflected away.

Adán made a late save of his own from André Ricardo, as FC Famalicão and Sporting CP shared the points.

Following the international break, the team have a big game against FC Porto at the Estádio José Alvalade, with both teams level on points in the table.

The coach comments on the Liga Portugal game and the Champions League draw

Sporting Clube de Portugal will travel to FC Famalicão this Saturday for Matchday 4 of the Liga Portugal season. Coach Rúben Amorim spoke this Friday about the game in his pre-match press conference.

"It's going to be a tough game because they are a team with good players -very good talents. They change every year because that's part of the project, but they have a very good coach, who is very offensiveñy minded, and who needs time to present his ideas.

His side are playing Sporting CP, and that takes away responsibility. It couldn't be a better game for FC Famalicão. They have played without a striker, have variations and have brought in new players, which makes us doubt who they will field. What we want is to win.

Since FC Famlicão came up, Sporting CP haven't beaten them."

He also cast his eye over Thursday's Champions League draw, which decided the club's next European opponents.

"The Champions League is a new world for most players and for the coach, who has a terrible record in Europe. It's a case of taking things game by game," he said of the Group C pairings, in which Sporting CP will face Borussia Dortmund, AFC Ajax and Beşiktaş JK.

Amorim was asked about the recent call-ups for Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes, João Palhinha and Pedro Gonçalves to the Portuguese national team, responding that: "It's mainly an achievement by the players, who have the talent and have put in the hard work. The remaining 10% of the credit is shared with all the departments at the club. The way Nuno Mendes grew physically doesn't have anything to do with me, for example. They also grow when they have space to grow in the team, and we are very happy. Our idea is that this will not stop here and we will have more players coming into the national team."

After confirming that Sporting CP will have "everyone available except Gonzalo Plata" for the game against Famalicão, the coach commented on Paulinho's current form.
"Confidence comes from the goals. There's not much that you can do other than train and improve. Paulinho does a lot for the team. He has to improve his finishing, just like everyone has to improve in various aspects of their game. He's an adult and taking the path he did is difficult. He is prepared for everything," he guaranteed.

The Champions League draw decided the three opponents in the Group Stage

This Thursday, Sporting Clube de Portugal's opponents in the Group Stage of the 2021/2022 UEFA Champions League were revealed, in a draw held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Os Leões, the reigning Portuguese league champions, were in Pot 1 and were drawn in Group C, where they will face German side Borussia Dortmund (Pot 2), Dutch team AFC Ajax (Pot 3) and Beşiktaş JK (Pot 4) of Turkey. The match schedule for the Group Stage will only be known this Saturday.

Sporting CP return to the European elite for the first time since the 2017/2018 edition of the Champions League.

Thursday session for the first team ahead of Matchday 4

Sporting Clube de Portugal held a Thursday training session at the Academia Sporting on Thursday, with their sights set on taking the three points this weekend against FC Famalicão.

The team travel to the Estádio Municipal de Famalicão on Saturday for the Liga Portugal Matchday 4 game, which kicks off at 8:30pm local time.

Rúben Amorim had the entire squad at his disposal, with the only exception of Gonzalo Plata, who undertook individual training on the pitch.

Os Leões will train again on Friday morning, with their coach giving a pre-match press conference at 4:30pm at the Estádio José Alvalade.

The Under-21s international goalkeeper will be part of the squad for 2021/22

João Virgínia has become the latest addition to Sporting Clube de Portugal's squad for 2021/22, joining on loan from Everton FC until the end of the season. The Portuguese Under-21 international signed his contract alongside Frederico Varandas, president of the Board of Directors of Sporting CP, and expressed his satisfiaction with the move.

"I'm really happy to be able to represent this club. Returning to Portugal was one of my goals, so when I learned that Sporting CP were interested I was very happy, and wanted to come right away," said Virgínia, who has been in England since 2015.

"There is a lot of competitiveness in the group and this is perfect," he added, also addressing the compliments paid to him by coach Rúben Amorim in his most recent press conference.

"It's always good to be praised," said the 21-year-old. "Now I'll have to prove it every day in training and in games."

The chance to work closely with Jorge Vital and Tiago Ferreira, Os Leões' experienced goalkeeping coaches, is another of the attractions of the club for João Virgínia. "When the opportunity to come to Sporting CP came up, I thought it would be excellent to work with them. I will give everything for Sporting CP."

João Virgínia left Portugal in 2015, when he departed SL Benfica for Arsenal FC. In 2018/2019 he moved to Everton FC, being loaned out the following season to Reading FC. Last season, he made his debut for the Everton FC first team, enjoying minutes in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

At international level he  - along with Rúben Vinagre - is part of the 'class of 1999' generation that won the Under-17 (2016) and Under-19 (2018) European Championships.

The Sporting CP coach reviews the 2-0 win over Belenenses SAD

Rúben Amorim was understandably satisfied with the victory by Sporting Clube de Portugal against Belenenses SAD, although the coach admitted that a more comprehensive scoreline would likely have been more befitting of the performance.

“I really liked the fact that the players didn't take it easy. The game was always under control and the fact that we scored early made things easier, but I was glad they didn't ease off," he said in his post-match press conference.

"We played well, used the wings, created several chances and could have scored more. The result is totally fair, but, as far as I am concerned, it falls short in terms of goals," he explained, stating that he was not 'frustrated' by the missed chances.

"We were somewhat sad that the result wasn't as emphatic as it could have been, but we are not frustrated, because we want to win, even if it is by a small margin. Sometimes we only score with one shot, as happened with Pote in Braga, and other times we have had several shots and not scored. We won, so everything is fine."

Amorim was questioned about his squad selection, having brought in Nuno Santos and Luís Neto in place of Jovane Cabral and Zouhair Feddal, and responded that it was not a matter of resting players.

“Keeping players fresh now when there are no midweek games won't do any good. That wasn't the reason I made the changes. This team lives on the unity that the players have, and unity only comes with victories and with everyone feeling important. Feddal and Jovane were coming off good games, but the others did well during the week. Soon you will see who will play in Famalicão."

The Sporting CP coach also spoke about the transfer market, justifying why he has -and wants- only two players per position.

“This team thrives from everyone knowing that tomorrow they can be a starter, and in order for them to be starters there cannot be more than two players per position. This is my decision. I think three players for one position is too many, and it doesn't work. When the Champions League comes around, I may regret it, but it's my decision and I take complete responsibility."

2-0 triumph at home sees Sporting CP maintain perfect record

Sporting Clube de Portugal claimed another win in their Liga Portugal title defence on Saturday, besting Belenenses SAD 2-0 on Matchday 3 in front of a sold out Estádio José Alvalade. Gonçalo Inácio and João Palhinha were the scorers in a game that the team dominated from start to finish.

For the match, Rúben Amorim changed made two changes to his starting XI, which consisted of: Antonio Adán, Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates, Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio, Matheus Nunes, João Palhinha, Rúben Vinagre, Pedro Gonçalves, Paulinho and Nuno Santos.

Os Leões, favourites in the game despite the difficulties Belenenses SAD usually posed, needed just seven minutes to take the lead. A cross by Vinagre from the left was met by the head of Gonçalo Inácio, who nodded past Luiz Felipe to make it 1-0.

Several opportunities followed for Sporting CP, including shots by Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho, but there would be no further goals before halftime.

Nevertheless, in the second half there was no need to wait long for the advantage to be extended. On 48 minutes, Palhinha popped up alone at the far post, finishing off a delivery in from a free kick.

Soon after, Paulinho could have taken the score to 3-0 on his feet, but Luiz Felipe was able to stifle him. The ball came back to the striker, but not in the ideal situation for him to get an effort on target.

With the fans cheering them on, Sporting CP had Belenenses SAD on the ropes, whilst at the other end Antonio Adán was having a quiet night – the visitors' first shot came in the 53rd minute.

On 66 minutes, Amorim made changes to bring on Jovane Cabral, Pedro Porro and Nuno Mendes in place of Nuno Santos, Ricardo Esgaio and Rúben Vinagre. The three came into the game well, and Mendes had a great attempt on goal 11 minutes from time that was narrowly off target.

Further substitutions were made in the 84th minute, switching in Tiago Tomás and Daniel Bragança for Paulinho and Matheus Nunes, and the final minutes saw confusion in Alvalade: Afonso Taira stepped on the Achilles tendon of Palhinha, referee Manuel Oliveira at first showed the Belenenses SAD player a yellow card, but a subsequent VAR check led to it being upgraded to a straight red, leaving Sporting CP a man up.

The supporters urged their side to get "one more goal," but despite a close call from Gonçalves that was pushed out for a corner, they would have to settle for a 2-0 result at home and a third win from as many games.

Sporting CP will be back in action next Saturday away to FC Famalicão, at 8:30pm local time.

SPORTING CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio (Pedro Porro, 66'), Matheus Nunes (Daniel Bragança, 84'), João Palhinha, Rúben Vinagre (Nuno Mendes, 66'), Pedro Gonçalves, Paulinho (Tiago Tomás, 84') and Nuno Santos (Jovane Cabral, 66').

The team take on Belenenses SAD on Saturday

This Friday, Rúben Amorim previewed the match against Belenenses SAD, scheduled for Saturday at 8:30pm local time at the Estádio José Alvalade. The coach explained that he is wary of the opposition, having crossed paths with them on several occasions.

“We know the Belenenses SAD team well and their coach also knows us well. We play the same way, whilst Belenenses SAD have changed a little this year: They play with two strikers and three midfielders. There is a striker, Ndour, whom they didn't have last year, who is very strong in space, tall, has good technique and is very dangerous, so we have to be careful about that".

"Cassierra remains a very strong player between the lines; Afonso Sousa played up front before, but dropped back to operate more as a third midfielder. Some of their players left and others have joined", he analysed.

"We have to be very strong. The concern is our team. We are in good form, but Belenenses SAD have always caused us a lot of problems. Last season, we won at Jamor rather unjustly, because Belenenses SAD were the better side in that game, but at Alvalade it was a completely different story. Despite the 2-2 result, we were superior to them, and now we want to do that again with a better result”.

With his entire squad available, Amorim did not reveal his starting XI, nor did he say whether Nuno Mendes would return to his initial lineup.

“He has been called up to the squad and is an option for tomorrow's game. Afterwards, you will soon see who is chosen. What matters is that we have two good players for his position. What we feel is the best solution for this game will be the player that we use", he asserted.

"Having every player at my disposal increases the intensity of training. The competition between everybody is very healthy, but it is palpable. By increasing the competitiveness of training, I'm sure the quality of our play in games will also increase. It is an important factor for us to be stronger".

With the availability of all of his players also comes some selection headaches, but Amorim dismissed this being a problem.

“Managing the dressing room is very easy. It's harder for the coach to leave someone out when they have such quality and are working well, but the players already know me and I'm clear about things: More than the last game, there's the next game to think about, the characteristics of this game and the week prior to it. The week in the run-up to the match is decisive and they know this. Sometimes I find it hard to leave out somebody that is working just as hard as others, but they are other options. They are all prepared for this. There are games for everyone to play in and it depends more on them than on the coach".

As the transfer market remains open, the Sporting CP coach was also asked about possible arrivals and departures, but stressed: “There are rumours about Jovane, Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Pote... We are not certain about anything. It's not worth suffering prematurely".