Jorge Jesus in his final press conference of the pre-season campaign

"Some of the players who we have brought in don't leave any room for doubt. Alan Ruiz for example is a great player and we are looking for another forward", opened Jorge Jesus in his final pre-season post-match interview this Friday.

Reflecting on how his team is prepared for the coming campaign, the Sporting coach proved enthusiastic: "The lads will get better as the season progresses. Over the last seven weeks we have been improving. It is a bit tricky to fit everyone together with some of the lads having played for two teams, but that is what pre-season is for."

Jesus happy with his side's showing against Betis

Jorge Jesus sat down with the press after his side's encounter with Betis on Thursday evening, in a game which saw Marcelo Meli make his debut.

"Not everything went well, but some things did. When you use 22 players in a match, which is what you do in pre-season, then it is only normal that some things don't click in defence. We were almost always good in attack. These games are exactly for this, because we can't make so many changes in the league and this is a chance to look at the new players and what they can do. I am not worried about the results. Offensively we did what we have been doing in training and in defence we didn't, but I enjoyed the match", said Jesus at the final whistle.

Reflecting on Marcelo Meli's debut, the Sporting coach affirmed: "If it would have been an official match then Meli wouldn't have played. He only arrived four days ago. He doesn't even know everyone's names yet, but I liked what I saw. Of course he isn't up to speed, but he positions himself well and has a good pass."

Sporting coach happy with improving performances with two weeks until official action

Jorge Jesus was understandably satisfied with his side's performance against Wolsburg this Saturday night, conquering a fifth consecutive Five Violins Trophy in the process. Happy with what he saw from a much changed squad, the Sporting coach opened: "We calmed a lot of nerves today. I know what team I have available to me and I know what players I have, so I am not worried at all about pre-season results. What we need to do at this stage is push the pace and the lads will be ready. We brought Adrien and João Mário off at the break, because they were already really fatigued. It was an intensive match tonight, but we still have two weeks and the squad will be better when the 13th of August comes around."

Reflecting on the game itself, Jorge Jesus again praised his team and spoke about what the trophy means to him: "This is a tribute to the Five Violins. They were known for their quality, it was like music when they played together. Today we played our own kind of music too. We showed quality in attack and defence, against a good side to be honest. We made a lot of changes and that makes it harder, but we steadied again in the last 10 minutes. You could see a huge difference in the lads tonight compared to the start of pre-season. They know where to position themselves now and are tactically more creative."

Finishing with a word on new signing Marcelo Meli, who was presented to the fans yesterday, Jesus foi was direct: "From a financial point of view, these players are good finds that need a lot of work. It is easy to go out their and spend millions, but we want to bring in players and get the best out of them."

Jorge Jesus comments on FourFourTwo world rankings

A question of art, work and a touch of science. That is how coach Jorge Jesus reacted to a recent publication by the British magazine FourFourTwo, which named the Alvalade boss as the 10th best coach in the world.

“Of course I am happy. This isn't the first time that FourFourTwo puts me in the top-10 in the world. Last year I was 15th and this year I am 10th, which brings extra responsibility", said Jesus in an exclusive interview with Sporting TV.

For the Alvalade boss, 10th is of course not enough. " I know what I can do. I know I have been important for the clubs where I have worked and for bringing in new ideas. I still have a lot to win. I wouldn't say I am in the middle of my career, but I am still a long way from finishing", affirmed Jesus, adding: "This award is a reflection of how I train. A coach is a bit like a player and to be a good coach you have to add a touch of art, but the biggest part of the game is the science behind it. I built a few strategic moments about 20 years ago which are still used today. The lads who work with me say that I am different and I know I am. This is art."

Four Four Two publishes ranking of world top-50, with Jesus climbing five places

The popular English football magazine Four Four Two this week published its annual ranking of the world's top-50 coaches, in a list which sees Jorge Jesus named as Portugal's best coach and the 10th best overall (up five places from 2015).

Jesus finished ahead of Benfica's Rui Vitória (39th) and the Portuguese national team coach Fernando Santos (34th).

"From an individual point of view, Jesus oversaw remarkable transformations in the productivity of several players, most notably club captain Adrien Silva, midfielder Joao Mario and striker Islam Slimani, all of whom reached levels few thought were possible", notes the article.

Jorge Jesus confident after solid showing against Villarreal

A penalty shootout loss to Villarreal did little to take away from the positive's Jorge Jesus saw in his side's performance in the Iberian Trophy this Tuesday night.

"Today you could see some progress in the lads, especially in the younger players who have come through from the youth system. We looked better in attack, although we are still far from what we can do", said the Sporting coach at the final whistle, adding a work on the return of the players who have been away on international duty: "The lads who were at Euro 2016 will be back tomorrow and we will see the squad improve."

The Alvalade boss went on to analyse the match itself: "In the first-half we didn't do as well as we did after the break. Bruno César coming into form really helped the rest of the team organise. The forward's are still lacking a bit of mobility, but that is something we can work on in training."

Jorge Jesus on Sporting's hosting of Lyon on Saturday

Jorge Jesus was in the Alvalade auditorium for his first press conference of the season this Saturday, following the hosting of Lyon.

"We played against the French league runner-up, who are a good side. They scored, just like we could have. We were better than we have been and I would say it was our best performance so far", opened the Alvalade boss, continuing: "Next week the lads who were with Portugal in Euro 2016 will be back in training. Rui Patrício was an exception. He wasn't to play, he told me he was here and that he wanted to play. We are in the market as well, looking at some players.

Asked about transfer rumours flying around in the press, particularly about Van Persie, Jesus played it cool: "Van Persie earns a lot. Of course anybody would be interested in having such a quality player, but we would have to sell the stadium to pay for him."

Squad in early morning training session focusing on tactics

The Sporting squad were out on the training pitch early morning on Friday, in a session which saw Jorge Jesus focus on the finer details ahead of Saturday's hosting of Lyon.

The only player unavailable was Lukas Spalvis, who recently picked up a double rupture to ligaments in his right knee and will undergo surgery.

Jesus and Carvalho hosted by Swiss-based fans

President Bruno de Carvalho and Jorge Jesus paid a special visit to the Sion Sporting Supporters' Club this Sunday, where they were received in a euphoric atmosphere by dozens of fans eager to meet their leaders. The two Alvalade helmsmen also took the opportunity to give the Supporters' Club a shirt signed by the entire squad.

“It is nice to see this kind of passion for the club and it makes us do even better. This is what we live for. Sporting is a huge family and we want to win in every sport", said the sporting president at the event, before enjoying a hosted dinner at the club.

Jorge Jesus on Sporting's pre-season opener against Monaco

Despite Sporting's 4-1 loss to Monaco this week, Jorge Jesus saw plenty of positives in his squad's performance.

"The result always means something of course, but the most important thing is that the players had to do more than they are ready to at this stage of the pre-season. We did some positive things and the younger lads confirmed the hope we have in them, especially in the first 45 minutes", opened Jesus, referring to the performances of Gelson Martins, Matheus Pereira and Daniel Podence

Jesus finished with a word on the squad as a whole and the choice of the Juan Antonio Samaranch Stadium in Lausanne: "All of the lads did well going forward I thought. In defence we didn't so well, because we couldn't control Monaco's forwards. The location was really well thought out. A lot of Portuguese immigrants live in Switzerland and it is important for the players to be exposed to the fans."