Not even the fact of having the house in tow has prevented Casa Pia from surprising at the start of the Portuguese League. More than eight decades have passed since the club’s last participation in Portuguese football’s top flight, but Afonso Taira ensures that players are not intimidated by the weight of the club’s history. And even the call for the selection of Leonardo Lelo and Salvador Godwin is a source of encouragement.
The return to the Pina Manique stadium, promised by the club’s management, is missing, with the team playing in Jamor and Leiria in this first phase of the season. “The club is working for that, not only for the players, but for the structure, for the fans. The day of the return to Pina Manique will be a very important day. It would be great if we could add a good team phase to that moment, ”explains the medium to TSF.
“If we think about what we are presenting in the field, we can say that it is within what we expected. What we have thought about and prepared since the preseason is giving us points, it is giving us a victory and, from then on, we are very satisfied”, comments the player about the team’s performance in the first days.
Stability and a new design.
Despite the various additions of players to the squad during the summer, the teams used by coach Filipe Martins are not far from the usual ones from last season in the II Liga. There are names that are repeated. “In my opinion yes, (this stability in the squad helps), I’m not talking about the 11 players, but about the working group, in the way they maintain the work of the coach and the coaching staff. And that’s how some of the individuality manage to keep the level in a structured way.”
“If we talk about the club, as it is today, since we found ourselves in this direction, we are talking about something relatively new. Of course, we are talking about a club with a rich and centuries-old history. the entire support structure, yes, we are talking about something new,” explains Taira.
“The identity that we are trying to create, although it is associated with a style of play that is recognized over the weekend, is based more on a club philosophy, on the way of working, on the professionalism and positivism that we have about the field. that the coaching staff has, that has been noticed on the pitch. So yes, the style of play we can attribute to the coaching staff, but also to who chooses the players, who deals with these issues, who chooses personalities who can help us”, points out the midfielder about the construction of the squad and the daily atmosphere in the club.
Game model, Leonardo Lelo and Salvador, the new internationals
“Our idea is to have an organized team, a team that knows what it has to do at every moment of the game. For us it is the maximum symbol of competence. On the other hand, it is something that comes from last season, our We have the courage to do the things that we train, to look for the moments of the game that greatly surprise the fans. That daring comes from training, from the week, ”says the 30-year-old midfielder.
A daring that has allowed some players to stand out. Among them Leonardo Leleco, 22 years old, summoned for the first time for the U-21 of Portugal by Rui Jorge in this first stop of the championship. “Speaking of Lelo, he is a player who has shown himself, both in the 1st League and last year in the 2nd League, who, despite not seeming so in specific characteristics, turns out to be a complete player, which he shows. in the consistency of him, in the way he approaches the different games without lowering the level “.
Afonso Taira praises the performance of the young winger, a constant in Filipe Martins’ options. “He is a robust player, I know that, and he has the opportunity to say it in several conversations, he can seem like a “commercial” player, it ends up being so consistent that he will always be highly valued. Here, this kit, is evidenced by own merit, but also by own merit. I believe that I am going to have a very consistent career, be here, we have another team from the first league, or are tiver de sair, out there, have an international career. I am certain that I am going to have a career very good”.
Forward Savior Godwin, on the other hand, appears much more often in videos summarizing the team’s best moments. He is one of the new players of the Nigerian national team, now under the orders of the Portuguese José Peseiro. “He is a player with unique characteristics. He is a less consistent player than Lelo, for example, but that is because his characteristics also demand it. On the other hand, he is a player who manages to unlock moments in the game that others cannot. With his explosion, speed, ability to carry the game and his finishing, he manages to unlock moments of our game in a very flashy, very effective way. This makes him one of the most outstanding players of our team and of the championship”.
The best midfielders in the league go in pairs
Afonso Taira has been a regular presence in Filipe Martins’ starting eleven. In the coach’s model, Taira stands out as one of the main ball boys of the team -and of the Portuguese league-, in a pair with names like Ângelo Neto, Eteki or Romário Baró. “It’s a style of play that I think I fit perfectly. It’s also a way of playing that helps me and the midfielder who plays alongside me to play an important role in what the team needs, whether it’s defense, attack, at various points in the game.” , complementary.
As in Casa Pia, the midfield with two complementary players is a recurring option in current Portuguese football, with the most prominent examples being Sporting, Benfica or Sporting de Braga. “This work that we carry out, which sometimes shows more recovery, and other times the pass, the construction, the control of the game, for us midfielders, is demanding, but also very satisfying”, highlights Afonso Taira.
“At this moment it is impossible not to highlight Benfica’s midfield and the start they had. I say this not only because they are quality players, but also because they are players who have appeared this season”, explains the Casa Pia midfielder about the Florentine duo. Luis/Enzo Fernandez. “They also stand out because they are a novelty”, recalls Taira, who has already faced this duo in midfield (Benfica’s 0-1 victory in Leiria, home on loan from Casa Pia). “As the team is working so well, it also shows the midfield duo that I think is currently the most complete in the championship.”
Source: TSF
