The coach reviews the win over CD Santa Clara

At the end of the game against CD Santa Clara, Rui Borges analysed the 4-2 win for Sporting CP.

Rafael Nel's performance
"He had a good performance, but he wasn't obligated to make anyone forget about anyone. He was obligated to do his best -the same thing he does in training and with the B team.

He had a great game, he understood well what he could contribute to the team, and then his individual talent shone through. He's ready, we knew that, and he gave a very good response, as did the whole team. He has grown a lot, and the way he played demonstrated that. He clearly showed that he's here to help out and to be an option for the first team more often.

He has an understanding of what's good about his game, and what needs improvement. That's half the battle to reaching success and being better. He has improved a lot in his skills, in his combination play, in attack, in support, and he's a very competitive kid who wears down an opposition defence. He's very intense, and I particularly like those skills of his. I have no doubt that he will be an important player in Sporting CP's future."

Analysis of the game
"It was important for us to give a clear demonstration of what our group is about, and they did that. They were focused, in a game where we conceded a goal in the first few minutes, and from perhaps the only chance that CD Santa Clara had in the first half. The team remained true to what we had to do, to our game plan, and were calm and confident.

We grew as the game progressed, creating several opportunities, and we finished the first half with a more than deserved 3-1 lead. In the second half, we also controlled the game, and CD Santa Clara ended up believing in their chances in the final minutes. A small distraction on our part allowed them to make it 3-2.

CD Santa Clara always relied on long balls. They have their own style of play, which is physical, intense, and competitive, but even at that level, we gave a great response: Often we defended man-to-man, and were exposed to some problems in terms of attacking deep, but we controlled the game. The victory is inarguable."

Pedro Gonçalves' performance 
"Coach Roberto Martínez certainly knows what he has available for Portugal. He called him up because he's paying attention to what Pedro has been doing at Sporting CP.

The substitution was just management of our resources. We have to understand that he was out for a while. We expected him to have some minutes with the national team to gain confidence and improve his fitness, but, considering everything that the next month will bring, we thought it ideal that he only played 45 minutes, and he played a good 45 minutes. We had the game minimally under control, I felt the team were doing well, and we opted to manage the situation."

The absence of Iván Fresneda
"He woke up with a fever. He was in the squad, but he was unavailable and went home due to illness."

Controversy with FC Porto
"Honestly, those who needed to speak have already spoken. I endorse everything the President says, I've stated this several times. Ricardo Costa spoke, and I'm with him until the death. I believe his word very much because I know him, I know his character and his personality. Those who needed to speak have spoken."

The team switching off
"I'm happy with everything the team were capable of doing. There was no falling asleep at all. It's natural that the pace dropped, due to all the constraints we had, but the team did well. CD Santa Clara took advantage of a lapse in our concentration, that's all. With everything we were capable of –winning duels, being competitive and being intense in one-on-one situations– I'm very happy with the team's response."

Goals from the left wing
"We identified a few things. CD Santa Clara were defending in a 4-4-2 formation that wasn't very intense in the press, giving us a lot of time to set up in the attacking part of the midfield. On the right, we had extra width because the wingers, being preoccupied with starting quick attacks, stopped looking for reference points later on. [Georgios] Vagiannidis could create many problems there, and we already had other players there as well, like Francisco Trincão and Geny Catamo.

CD Santa Clara's defensive line takes some time to expand, and we knew that when the ball entered the flanks, if there were accelerations inside, we could create danger because of those delays. That's what happened in the first half.

What Dani [Bragança] gives us, what [Hidemasa] Morita gives us and what Morten [Hjulmand] also gives us with the ball, is clarity, calmness, and composure. Our defensive line looks there and feels confident because they have this ability to play short passes and also go long. Dani gives us more mobility than Morten; they are players with different characteristics, although, with the ball, they offer similar things at times. I'm happy for him; he has grown a lot and become a different player than he was, but an important player with recognised quality."

"Thank you to everyone. Happy to see him return at a good time after a long break. It's to his credit and it's about continuing on this path."

Surpassing Mário Lino's record at Alvalade
"I'm happy to, in some way, continue to make history at Sporting CP, but I give the credit to the players. They are the ones who should be remembered for these 17 consecutive victories, more than me."

Changes to the starting XI
"Gonçalo Inácio came back injured from national team duty. Morten had been sick, but today he no longer had a fever and ended up playing. On top of that, he had just played 110 minutes for his national team. Maxi [Araújo] also played two games. We thought his energy would be more important in the second half than in the first.

If I had put Maxi in, I might have had to take him off after 50 minutes. Because of the fatigue he has and everything that will happen this month, we have to manage everyone's efforts and stay competitive."

The unavailable players coming back against Arsenal
"In the end, only Iván was unavailable. I hope and believe he will be available for the game in midweek. Otherwise, the rest of the guys will be available, except for [Geovany] Quenda. That's unfortunate, because he's a player who will help a lot in this final stretch of the season."