After the defeat for Sporting Clube de Portugal against Arsenal, coach João Pereira spoke in a press conference about the contest.
"The first 20 minutes of the second half, until the penalty, were positive. There was a great reaction from the players after it was 0-3. We adjusted, at halftime, what we had to do in terms of pressure. We made it 1-3, and we could have made it 2-3, but when we conceded the fourth, everything became more difficult", he began by telling journalists at the Artur Agostinho Auditorium.
"The fans were fantastic. They were with the team from the first minute to the last and it's up to us to give them a response to compensate them for this result", he said.
The new incumbent in the dugout also guaranteed that the result "will not have an impact" on the team's work.
"These were three points dropped and it is a heavy defeat, even more so with it coming at home, but we have to react in Saturday's game against CD Santa Clara. It was a bad start to the game for us, heavily influenced by the goal that we conceded very early. I take responsibility for the defeat. I was the one who prepared the tactics and put the players on the pitch. The support from the stands was the most important thing, as they know the players are good and we feel they are with us", he added.
Finally, Pereira stated that "What I can promise is the maximum daily work to continue making Sporting CP a winning club".
Sporting Clube de Portugal their first setback in the UEFA Champions League, losing 1-5 at home to Arsenal on Matchday 5 of the league phase.
At a sold-out Estádio José Alvalade, the coaching staff made several changes to the starting lineup, with Franco Israel, Ousmane Diomande, Geovany Quenda, Hidemasa Morita, Maxi Araújo and Viktor Gyökeres returning.
The first half was tough for Sporting CP. Arsenal started well, with a very high press, and managed to open the scoring after just seven minutes: Jurriën Timber's pass from the right passed through the defence in the area before reaching Gabriel Martinelli, who only had to tap it in.
Sporting CP tried to react and Maxi Araújo produced a beautiful move, placing the ball in the heart of the area, but no teammate was on hand to take the shot. After that, it was Geovany Quenda's turn to cross dangerously -Timber cutting it out for a corner.
After a shot from Arsenal's Thomas Partey, saved comfortably by Franco Israel, the visitors made it 0-2 through Kai Havertz with an assist from Bukayo Saka.
Israel made another stop from Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice shot wide, as the Gunners continued to cause problems.
Maxi Araújo created another chance for Sporting CP when he recovered the ball and advanced upfield to set up Geovany Quenda, but the youngster's shot with his weaker foot was saved by David Raya for a corner.
Arsenal scored again just before the half-time whistle, this time from a corner kick from Rice, headed in by Gabriel Magalhães.
Sporting CP came out determined for the second half, and on 47 minutes, Hidemasa Morita shot from the 'D', pulling a save from David Raya.
In the corner kick that followed, Francisco Trincão dropped the ball into the area and Gonçalo Inácio shot to score, reducing the defecit to 1-3.
Motivated by the goal, Sporting CP put Arsenal on the ropes and had several opportunities in the moments that followed. From a free kick, Viktor Gyökeres struck wide and Marcus Edwards, in an attack that combined a cross and a shot, forced Raya to intervene again.
Jeremiah St. Juste also caused trouble for the opposing goalkeeper with a header, and both Edwards and Gyökeres shot wide on other occasions. However, against the run of play, Arsenal won a penalty and Saka converted to make it 1-4.
Sporting CP didn't give up and continued to search for goal. Gyökeres, in the 67th minute, had a deflected shot end up in the goalkeeper's hands. Soon after, Daniel Bragança and Geny Catamo came on in place of Edwards and Araújo.
In the 73rd minute, Morten Hjulmand's shot was kept out by Raya. Trincão also threatened with a shot that was deflected out for a corner.
The final goal was conceded late on. Israel saved Mikel Merino's first shot, but Leandro Trossard appeared on the follow-up to convert the rebound.
Sporting CP could have scored again in the 86th minute, when substitute Conrad Harder played through Gyökeres at speed for the striker to beat two opponents, before firing hard at the post.
A 1-5 defeat ended an unbeaten run in the Champions League. They will now host CD Santa Clara in Liga Portugal on Saturday.
Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Jeremiah St. Juste, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio (Matheus Reis, 88'), Geovany Quenda, Morten Hjulmand [C], Hidemasa Morita (Conrad Harder, 77'), Maxi Araújo (Geny Catamo, 67'), Francisco Trincão (João Simões, 88'), Marcus Edwards (Daniel Bragança, 67') and Viktor Gyökeres.
The winger prepares for the match in the Champions League
Francisco Trincão was the player chosen to preview Sporting Clube de Portugal's game against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League, addressing the media on Monday.
The Portuguese international echoed coach João Pereira's words, saying that it won't be an easy game, but that Sporting CP know what they have to do.
“We ended up studying the last game we played against them, because Arsenal FC haven't changed much from then to now. However, of course there are differences; because the players have changed and we are also looking a lot at the individual qualities of the new players."
Trincão spoke after the first days of working with this new coaching staff, praising them and talking in particular about Pereira.
“He is very similar to Rúben Amorim. He has the same ideas, and only a few nuances change, but he manages to motivate us equally well and even the schedules they use are very similar. I hope everything goes well."
“Of course they are different people, but the communication is quite good. He is also very playful with us and everything has been very easy for us so far.”
Also talking about the season in individual terms, the winger expressed satisfaction with what he has managed to do.
“The season has been good for me personally, but I want to help, whether that be with goals, assists or in the attacking and defensive process, which is what I have been doing. I am very happy here, everyone knows that, and this is my club.”
The Sporting CP coach talks before the game against Arsenal
Ahead of his first UEFA Champions League game in charge, against Arsenal, João Pereira highlighted that Sporting CP are prepared to continue their good run in the competition.
“The level will increase, the degree of difficulty will be greater, but we are prepared. Arsenal have seven points, having only conceded one goal -and that was a penalty. They are a strong team defensively and will create many difficulties for us with their attacking moves, in which they are very strong," Pereira began by saying, adding: “Arsenal have good players, good individuals, are strong on the wings, create many opportunities and score many goals, but I am more concerned with and focused on our structure. We also have great players, who are having a fantastic campaign in the Champions League and who will want to continue giving a good response."
Eduardo Quaresma and Zeno Debast did not train on Monday and are in doubt for the match, but the coach did not close the door on the possibility of them playing.
“They both have small knocks and will be in doubt until the start of the game, but if they are not fit, we have other players ready to respond," he assured.
He clarified that Sporting CP will play as they have done until now, with small differences after Rúben Amorim's departure.
“Removing Sporting CP's identity would mean taking away the identity of the players, and taking away from them what they are used to doing. We know that we won't be able to press the entire game all over the pitch, because it's difficult and you can't even do that in Portugal. There will be moments when the opponents will have more possession of the ball and we will have to close the spaces well and choose the right moment to break out from the pressure. We know very well that Arsenal are a team that will cause us problems, but we want to continue having good games and scoring a lot of goals.”
“Anyone who was paying attention to the B team knows that this team used a similar formation to the main team. There were different behaviour or nuances, but the principles were the same. We are lucky to be taking over team that already have the principles we have used, but it takes time. The players are in good form, they understand things well and anything that changes will be for the better, but it will come little by little," he said.
“Taking into account what Sporting CP had been doing before the game with Manchester City, the players were already aiming to reach the playoffs. It was a morale-boosting victory, which helped a lot, but it only gave us three points and, therefore, everyone has their feet firmly on the ground and knows that the game against Arsenal will be different."
“The objectives are defined from the beginning of the season. We are well positioned, we have a game tomorrow and at the end we will do the maths, knowing that there are still four games to go.”
In his first press conference, Pereira was also asked about the possibility of Viktor Gyökeres further attracting the interest of other European clubs, but he stated that he is not worried about that.
“I hope that Viktor has a great performance and can score a lot of goals."
Sporting Clube de Portugal guaranteed their place in the Round of 16 of the Taça de Portugal, beating Amarante FC 6-0 in the fourth round of the competition.
It was the first game between the two teams since the 1979/80 season, and also the first for Sporting CP's new coaching staff.
The starting XI consisted of Vladan Kovačević, Jeremiah St. Juste, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, Daniel Bragança, Morten Hjulmand, Iván Fresneda, Marcus Edwards, Conrad Harder and Francisco Trincão.
Sporting CP started to threaten Amarante FC's goal early and opened the scoring after just ten minutes: Daniel Bragança set through Marcus Edwards and the Englishman, after running a few metres and beating several opponents in the area, shot beautifully to make it 1-0.
The second goal came five minutes later, with another assist from Bragança. He crossed low to the centre of the penalty area for Ricardo Esgaio to convert.
This made the task more complicated for the Liga 3 side, who did get into the Sporting CP area minutes after the second goal, although Matheus Reis was alert and removed the danger.
Francisco Trincão took a shot from the middle, saved by goalkeeper Didi was attentive and met the effort. A second shot by Trincão then hit the post, with Conrad Harder failing to score on the rebound.
Less than a minute later, it was 3-0: Trincão took advantage of a defensive error and teed up the unmarked Harder, who shot across through the traffic and into the net.
They took the score to 4-0 before the break: Bragança crossed from the right to the back post, and Marcus Edwards just had to get a touch to turn it in..
Geovany Quenda and Hidemasa Morita came on at the start of the second half, replacing Jeremiah St. Juste and Morten Hjulmand. Esgaio moved back to the middle, with Sporting CP putting pressure on and focusing on the opposition area. Harder's first opportunity saw him shoot way over the top, but the second chance was scored by Trincão, combining with Harder to make it 5-0.
Trincão then tried to score with a somewhat acrobatic shot from the edge of the area, but the Amarante FC defense scrambled it away.
In the 66th minute, Viktor Gyökeres and 17-year-old debutant João Simões came on for Trincão and Gonçalo Inácio.
At the start of the last fifteen minutes, another debut was handed to 19-year-old Henrique Arreiol, who replaced Bragança, and soon after Gyökeres' first shot, from a free kick, hit the woodwork.
Minutes later, another dead ball saw the Swede hit the same post, this time after a slight deflection off the wall.
Sporting CP rounded off the scoring with a penalty in the 89th minute, converted by Gyökeres to take the final score to 6-0.
The team now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they meet Arsenal at home on Tuesday night.
The coaching staff member previews the next game for Sporting CP
With the international break over, Sporting Clube de Portugal return to action this Friday at home to Amarante FC in the fourth round of the Taça de Portugal.
The game will also be the first of the club's new coaching staff, and Tiago Teixeira gave a press conference on Thursday to preview the new challenge.
“We are very excited and motivated, mainly because the first game for us will be at Alvalade”, he said.
Amarante FC play in Liga 3 and are currently second in Group A.
“We know that in a cup contest these teams try to do different things, but I think we will encounter an Amarante FC very similar to what we have seen in Liga 3. They won’t deviate much from what we've seen from them before”, Texeira said, going on to assess the opposition.
“They have the best attack in the Taça de Portugal, with 12 goals, and the top scorer in Ká Semedo with 5. They have fast players up front, strong dynamics and have played with two different attacking systems, often with direct play and crosses from deeper areas. We will certainly be prepared for this”, guaranteed Teixeira.
“There are no easy games. We respect all of our opponents. The objective is to move on to the next round because our ultimate goal is to win the Taça de Portugal”.
As for his starting lineup, he explained that there will be “some rotation depending on the minutes that the players had for their national teams -especially because only in the afternoon will the last players be back. We also have to give minutes to players who have had fewer minutes so far this season. It will be cautious management of things, because we want to have all players available for all the games”, he added.
For now, the only confirmed absentee is defender Zeno Debast, who it is hoped will be able to return against Arsenal on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Asked about the changes that the introduction of a new technical coaching staff could seek to implement, Teixeira emphasised that the ideas “have some similarities with the previous plans, but little by little you will see some differences. It’s impossible to copy, because the people, the coaching staff and the dynamics themselves are different. This exercise in identifying differences will be done at the end of the game. Of course, the team are in very good form, so it would be a mistake to want to change everything”.
Regarding the attention that Viktor Gyökeres has attracted as the top scorer worldwide in the current calendar year (58 goals in 55 games in 2024), Teixeira praised the striker.
“We are very happy to have him here and he is also happy about the season he is having representing Sporting CP and his national team. We want to have him for as long as possible”, he said.
Sporting Clube de Portugal played a training game on Saturday, at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo against UD Leiria.
Os Leões won 5-2 with goals from Ricardo Esgaio, Marcus Edwards, Lucas Anjos, Iván Fresneda and Rafael Besugo.
The starting team was made up of Diego Calai, Matheus Reis, Jeremiah St. Juste, Marcus Edwards, Iván Fresneda, Daniel Bragança, Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio, Lucas Anjos, Rafael Besugo and Luís Gomes.
José Silva, Lucas Taibo, Pedro Silva, David Moreira, Alexandre Brito, Adam Arvelo, Samuel Justo and Rodrigo Marquês also participated.
Goalkeeper Vladan Kovačević trained separately in the gym.
The squad will have Sunday and Monday off, returning to work on Tuesday morning for a session that will be held without the players currently away on international duty.
The new coach confirms his staff and talks about the challenge ahead
João Pereira is Sporting Clube de Portugal's new coach, taking on the first team role after success with the Under-23s and B teams. A former player for the club in three different spells, he is now ready for the prestigious position of leading the reigning Liga Portugal champions.
Accompanying him on his coaching staff will be his second-in-charge, Luís Neto (a former Sporting CP player), Tiago Ferreira (former player and goalkeeping coach for the first team for several years) and those who have accompanied him in recent years: Tiago Teixeira, José Caldeira and António Pina (assistants) and Hugo Tecelão (goalkeeping coach).
“It is a source of pride, a privilege and an honour to be presented here as coach of Sporting CP. I want to thank the president, plus Hugo Viana and the entire board for the trust placed in me to lead this project. I also want to thank Ruben Amorim for everything he did for Portuguese football, but especially for what he did and achieved at Sporting CP. Ruben leaves behind a legacy here, and the legacy was not just his achievements, victories and records: It was also the unity he managed to create within the Sportinguista family. I know that all of this gives me a great responsibility, but this responsibility comes hand-in-hand with great ambition and great motivation to continue making Sporting CP a winning club and a club of the future," he began saying at his presentation.
“I would like to tell you to continue supporting the team as you have been doing, because together we will always be closer to victory”.
Pereira then responded to journalists' questions, highlighting his ambition as coach and his desire to give Sporting CP more silverware.
“As a player, Sporting CP gave me a lot. They allowed me to get called up to the national team, move to one of the best leagues in the world and return home twice. I only won one Super Taça and one Liga Portugal title with them, which was more given than earned. It's a regret that I have, so as a coach I would like to earn more trophies; because Sporting CP deserve it."
“If I had doubts and thought it could go wrong, I wouldn’t be here. It doesn't cross my mind that it could go badly. I know that we are going to go through some difficulties, but I have it in my head that it will work out," he stated.
“I asked the president and Hugo Viana to give me Luís Neto as my assistant, for all the experience he has as a player. He will help us a lot, in many aspects and will be very important for the future of Sporting CP. I place a lot of trust in him, as well as in the rest of the coaching staff; those who were never players and those who started as coaches very early.”
“We are all prepared. This process was being readied for a long time. The preparation was not done this last week; it would be a mistake if that were the case. It has been done in recent years and I am confident in what I can bring to the club”.
Pereira made clear that his mentality is like that which he had as a player, saying “I hate losing, I love winning, I'm very competitive, I want my teams to be fierce and I'm a person who is much calmer than when he was a player."
“The biggest mistake I could make would be wanting to imitate someone. In four and a half years, Ruben developed a great relationship with everyone. Mine won't be the same right now, but it will evolve and cement itself. If we continue to win, you will certainly have the same confidence in me as you had in him.”
The former player takes charge of the first team in a move backed by club president Frederico Varandas
João Pereira has been appointed as new coach of Sporting Clube de Portugal, taking charge of the team with immediate effect, and he was officially presented on Monday afternoon.
The ceremony took place in the VIP Hall of the Estádio José Alvalade and was attended by the entire board of the club, sporting director Hugo Viana and the coaching staff who will accompany the coach in this new challenge.
Club president Frederico Varandas revealed that the decision to appoint Pereira as successor to Ruben Amorim had been made a long time ago, and stated that Sporting CP will have a coach with “competence and leadership”, which will allow the club to continue growing and winning.
“This presentation is taking place seven months earlier than planned, but the choice was a simple and natural one, which began around four years ago. I have known João Pereira for over 13 years. As clinical director, he was my player on three different occasions and always demonstrated leadership, character and an unusual understanding of the game for a player. These are all decisive theoretical characteristics for someone being a coach. One thing is a project and another is a reality, so João will have to prove he has this," continued Varandas.
"In 2021 we invited him to return as a player, to end his career here. We also proposed the challenge of a new career for him and he accepted. He started out as an assistant with the Under-23s, coache the Under-23s for two years and then moved up to the B team. He grew as a coach, put together and perfected his coaching staff and won over the entire structure of the Academy with his competence and leadership."
"Today we are here and I can say that I have the same feeling that I had in this room about five years ago. I said it at the time and today I feel the same: I have little doubt that João Pereira, in four or five years, will be at one of the most powerful clubs in Europe. He will encounter a fabulous group, a fabulous captain, a fabulous staff and a club that will protect him and allow him to grow as a coach. Sporting CP are getting a coach who will allow him to continue growing.”
He also highlighted the total trust he has in Pereira, praising him for accepting the role in the middle of the season.
“High risk is about deciding something you believe in. Almost five years ago we presented a coach with eight games in the I Liga and today we are presenting one with zero games, but I am very comfortable and calm about that."
The departing coach talks about the win over SC Braga and bids farewell to Sporting CP
After the final whistle in the 2-4 victory at SC Braga, Ruben Amorim spoke in his final press conference as Sporting CP coach.
“It's difficult to sum everything up. This has been an incredible adventure. I encountered a very difficult context when we arrived at the club, but a very special one. It's very difficult to recreate what we had here. What I can say to the Sportinguistas is ‘thank you’. I did what I could, made some mistakes and showed stubbornness at times, but always with the team in mind. The club always came first and, apart from the mistake I made at the end of last season, this was the only time when I thought about myself more than the team; otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this,” he began by saying.
“Thank you. I’m sorry that this decision comes in the middle of the season but I felt that this was my moment. As for the club, this run has to continue; in the next matchday we can break the record for the best start ever.”
Regarding the game at Pedreira, Amorim highlighted SC Braga's “cleverness in knowing where to cover and counterattack”, but considered that his team “could have avoided the two goals conceded”. Overall, he considered that they were “fair winners”, especially due to the response they gave in the second half.
“There are things that cannot be explained. It seemed that, in the second half, Vitorino [Antunes], [Luís] Neto, [Sebastián] Coates, João Pereira, Matheus Nunes… all came on… It was special and much more important than what happened on Tuesday [the 4 -1 win over Manchester City]. Everyone who has been here in recent years was out there on the pitch with us, and there was no way they could lose this game. I was already a champion with the club I love, but this moment was unbelievable. The third and fourth goals had a very special meaning for me. It had to be like this. It would be like a film, in which everything worked out well. I leave here very happy,” he told the media, who themselves praised Amorim for his attitude and relationship with them over the last few years.
“I felt that if we scored a goal, our team would be fresher and we could turn things around. The difference in time between games had an influence. Until that goal we were very stagnant, lacking emotion, speed and even passion. It was a tough two weeks,” he commented, before highlighting the decisive goals from Morten Hjulmand and Conrad Harder.
“There was a great goal from a great player and captain, who arrived at Sporting CP a year ago. At halftime I heard him shouting in the dressing room. Conrad, because he is Nordic and wants things his way, gets frustrated when he plays, scores and then is put on the bench. In the moments when it was necessary, he was there. He will learn to deal with it, because there is a phenomenon who is playing ahead of him. He will go a long way.”
For the coach, victory in Braga became “one of the most remarkable moments, if not the most remarkable” of his time at Sporting CP, as he summarised it as “like telling our story in 90 minutes.”
Regarding the future of the club, who will have a new coach appointed shortly, Amorim reinforced his confidence in Sporting CP's current direction.
“I have confidence, because I really believe in the players and the new coach. I told the players that there are things that will be different, but the person who will be in my place has the same essence. This was being planned, but it had to be sooner than expected. Not everyone has what I had here: The players have to continue to be humble and they will having to lean on each other and pull certain players up. We also made a point of sharing information with everyone before we left. I will support the people here and this club is well run,” he said in his parting words.
