“Our goal is to beat Vizela and win all the titles in Portugal. After Vizela, think about the game with Casa Pia. Sporting is a contender for the title. I feel the team is capable and I believe in that. It’s our objective. It’s game-by-game thinking. We know the championship is very difficult. We need to lower the average number of goals conceded compared to last season.” So it was bluntly that Rúben Amorim launched the 2023-24 version of the championship, which starts tomorrow for Sporting, at Estádio José Alvalade, against Vizela (20.30, Sport TV).
Despite being “well planned”, the pre-season does not count towards the championship, so “the goal is to beat Vizela now,” said the leonine coach, happy to have kept the team’s base: “We have “Ugarte sold, but the base stayed and helps us take a step forward. We had a reinforcement, we can have one more. I see a team well prepared to start the championship.”
Chermiti was announced yesterday as an Everton signing (see box). “We looked at the characteristics, we have two forwards, plus Rodrigo Ribeiro. Chermiti was the one who extended the game, now we have Gyökeres. Being clearly in front of him, the Chermiti would have less room. Having this chance to fit in… Obviously we would like to raise young people in our club, but it’s a good sign. We have to make those sales, so as not to lose starters and the basis of the team. Let’s grow like this. It was the club’s choice to let Chermiti go to Everton.”
“As for reinforcements, I’m only going to talk about Viktor Gyökeres, because he’s the only one. He is a striker who, in addition to the goals – which I don’t care about as much as you – gives the team the opportunity to play lower, to have a striker who can only make the move in transition. We are more menacing, with different characteristics, more complete,” he said, without confirming the signing of midfielder Hjulmund, who arrives in Lisbon today to sign for the Lions.
philosophy has not changed
Wanting to change the cycle and refusing to talk about 4th place last season and what happened in the Super Cup with Sérgio Conceição (he refused to leave the bench after being suspended), Rúben Amorim guaranteed that the club’s philosophy would not had changed and that young people will continue to have opportunities despite the major purchases.
And he said he was still not “completely concerned” that they would take the carpet off his back, i.e. sell a key player to the end of the market (day 31) as happened to Matheus Nunes last season: “It was another phase, this is not so that I can say that there have already been proposals, many of them high, by other players and they have not been sold.. Our sales market is over, I have spoken to Hugo Viana and Frederico Varandas and I believe in them.”
What’s the matter with St. Juste? “There is not much to explain. We are trying to get him in the best shape possible. He has already had some problems. He missed pre-season, had shoulder surgery and a muscle injury complicated everything. He is a player of world class.” I won’t say more than that, I won’t confirm what happened [cirurgia ao joelho] or don’t have anymore…”, he shot without explaining if he has the central defender and for when.
Pote, on the other hand, stayed in Alvalade and can “vary between the midfield and the attacking front”, because there will be matches in which the coach will need another midfielder to help the players in front: “Pote cannot always count on playing in front or even play always. Pot will vary from game to game.”
During a press conference marked by problems in the transfer market, Sporting’s coach also praised the sporting director, Hugo Viana, for “selling Sporting’s project well” and convincing world-class players to want to come for Portugal playing, for a team that finished in 4th place.”
But now “the main thing is to beat Vizela, otherwise there is no point”.
Source: DN
