It is in the detail or in the dead ball where these classics are usually decided and not by the quality of the forwards. That is what Derlei defends, in an interview with TSF. This afternoon, in Alvalade, the derby between Sporting and FC Porto is being played and the former striker speaks from his own experience -he played several derbies-, this is one of those games in which the heroes may not be the team’s strikers.
“Generally, because they are forwards and play closer to the goal, they have more chances to score. But games like these, a detail or a dead ball, many times mark the history of the game. A defender or a midfielder can score, decide the game and go down in the history of the classic”, anticipates “Ninja”.
A game in which neither Sporting nor FC Porto are favourites. For Derlei, the probability of victory is the same for both teams: “Normally in derbies a little favoritism is given to the team that plays at home by the fans. But we are tired of seeing that, in derbies, regardless of “The team that plays at home, the team that plays away is also very strong and they always manage to split the game. It’s splitting the chances of victory 50/50 for each side.”
Derlei played several classics, sometimes with a lion on his chest, other times with a dragon on his chest. They are different matches, he admits: “they are unique matches in which the athlete prepares himself in the same way, but with a difference: the emotional component. The day before the match, in the warm-up prior to the start of the match and before entering the field, when you are already at 200%.” Even so, the former Brazilian striker reveals that “when the ball starts rolling, then things go back to normal”, because then “reason starts to enter the player’s head and the psychological part works better”.
The “ninja” has no doubts that this is one of those matches that the players like to play the most, also creating an atmosphere in the stadium, since “they are matches of a very high level, with a unique spectacle, above all, for the fans who fill the stadium”, emphasizes Derlei.
Sporting – FC Porto will be played this afternoon, at the José Alvalade stadium, starting at 6:00 p.m. The game has a report on TSF, with a special broadcast that starts at 4 pm and can also be followed by the minute on tsf.pt.
Source: TSF
