Rui Borges was very pleased with the victory over Sp. Braga (3-1) in the Matchday 8 fixture of the I Liga. In the post-match press conference, the coach admitted his options were limited and that he had to adjust his game plan.
“Given the opponent and the demands of the match, we knew that anyone starting had to be at 100%. And they weren’t, due to the international break. There could have been more common sense on the other side, but it’s up to us to manage that. Suárez came straight to the training camp… We knew beforehand that they would contribute at certain points, regardless of the score. They are important—we don’t shy away from that, and the whole team knows it—because of their quality and energy… And they were important. I’m happy with everyone’s attitude, not just those who came on,” Rui Borges began.
“It was a victory; I’m not focusing only on the comeback, but also on what we didn’t do in the first half. Even so, I don’t think Braga ever really dominated Sporting. Now, we have to think about the next game—a different opponent—without straying from our identity. Winning against a great team that had only won matches and conceded zero goals here only makes our victory more valuable,” he added.
Asked about the importance of responding to the fans after two consecutive draws, Rui Borges reiterated that the pressure remains the same.
“It was the response we wanted to give ourselves. We were coming off two draws, and we are Sporting. Here, we play to win. And a team like Sporting can’t go two games without a win. The pressure is the same, whether it’s against Sp. Braga or Lens.” “The goal is to do my best to help the team win,” he emphasized.
“Happy to have Zalazar with us.”
Regarding the criticism he has faced for not always making changes to the lineup—even when performance dips—the Sporting manager stated that the victory in Braga was not a response directed outward, but rather inward.
“We’ve been conceding goals due to very specific issues—individual behaviors. I’d actually prefer to concede goals due to a lack of organization, because that would signal that I was doing a poor job and needed to improve. We’ve been conceding goals in bizarre, inexplicable ways. But luck—good or bad—is something you have to work for… We need to focus on what we have to improve. It’s not a response to critics; it’s for us. We are Sporting, and we can’t go two games without a win.”
