Jorge Jesus on the weekend's hosting of Setúbal

"Setúbal are a club with a lot of history in Portugal and this season they are a hard team to beat", opened Jorge Jesus in his pre-match press conference this Friday afternoon, ahead of the weekend's Liga NOS action.

For the Alvalade boss, the key to the three points will be in how his side approaches the encounter: "They (Setúbal) have already taken points off our rivals and they are organised in defence, but we are feeling confident. We will try to push the pace in attack, which should open up space. If we do that then we will be closer to scoring goals.

The Lisbon derby is of course just around the corner, however Jesus's sights are set on the task at hand: "We are taking each game as it comes and the lads are focused on V. Setúbal. They drew with Benfica and FC Porto, which is a warning sign for us, but we are ready to do what we hae to do."

Jorge Jesus pleased with the three points from his must changed side

Jorge Jesus proved happy with his side's 1-0 CTT Cup win against Arouca this Wednesday night, in a match which saw the Alvalade coach ring the changes.

"Every player in the squad is important and that is why we made the decision to give the lads a run out tonight. We achieved our objectives for this match and it was a really positive night for us. The intensity dropped off in the last 15 minutes and you could see that both sides were tired. We could have done better collectively at times, but that is part if the growth of any squad", opened the Sporting CP coach, adding a further analysis on his rotation: "When you have a squad of 25 players and you are in various competitions, you have to give the everyone a chance or risk losing motivation. We have never won the League Cup and honestly this competition should have a Europa League place for the winner, which would make it more competative."

Speaking about the apparently injury to Luc Castaignos, Jesus prefers to wait for the results of scans before commenting: "It was a shock with the goalkeeper and he hit his knee. Frederico Varandas, who is a great doctor, will look at him tomorrow. Castaignos looked like he was trying to avoid contact a bit an unfortunately and it resulted in not scoring and getting injured."

Jorge Jesus looking to set the pace in CTT Cup opener

Three games stand in between Sporting CP and a place in the CTT Cup knock-out stages. In Jorge Jesus' way are Varzim, Arouca and V. Setúbal and the Alvalade coach is looking to start off on the right foot this week against Lito Vidigal's team.

Jorge Jesus remembers his friendship with Chapecoense coach Caio Júnior

A dream which ended in tragedy. The Brazil team Chapecoense were on their way to Colombia to face Atlético Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana final.

The Chapecoense coach Caio Júnior (who played in Portugal for Vitória de Guimarães, Estrela da Amadora and Belenenses) was a personal friend of Jorge Jesus.

"It is a tragedy for the families and everyone involved in sports. Caio Júnior took part in a training camp in Portugal with me and I was in Brazil with him a few times", said Jesus in a short interview with Sporting TV this week, adding: "It is a really complicated time. I have been talking with my friends in Coritiba. What we can all do right now is pray for the team and their families."

Jorge Jesus happy with three points in Estádio do Bessa

Jorge Jesus was evidently pleased with his side's win in Estádio do Bessa this Saturday, although the final result was short of reflecting Sporting CP's dominance.

"We had a really good first-half, with three excellent opportunities and a goal. We showed really good quality going forward and in defence we were great throughout. We didn't play as well in the second-half, but we secured the win", opened the Sporting CP coach, going on to speak about the difficulties of alternating between Champions League and domestic action: "We beat Arouca 3-0 after the match against Borussia Dortmund. We played really well in the first-half today, but we didn't dominate as much in the second. That is normal though, with the lads still being a bit tired."

finishing with a comment on the sending off of Rúben Semedo, Jesus was understandably displeased : "He (Semedo) was only shown a second-half because of pressure from the Boavista players. Honestly I didn't like the refereeing, although there were no major incidents. That referee has a great career ahead of him, but today I didn't like how he managed the game."

Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on the weekend's trip north

Jorge Jesus was in the press room at the Sporting Academy this Friday afternoon, looking ahead to what is always a tricky visit to Bessa to face Boavista.

"It will be a hard match, not only because of Boavista's quality but also their history. It is a really charismatic stadium. Boavista are doing the best with the characteristics that their squad has and they will want to take points off us. However we know what we are capable of and some of the lads are showing signs of good form now. We are feeling confident. Last year we drew there, but this year we want the three points", opened the Alvalade coach, going on to look at the weekend's opponent in further depth: "With their current coach they haven't lost a game, with the exception of in extra-time in the Cup. They will want points and they are aggressive in defence, especially at home. Naturally the game will be different to the one with Real Madrid, especially in how we get ourselves prepared."

Jorge Jesus also added an analysis of how his squad has developed so far during the current campaign: "The best is yet to come. You can only get the best out of a squad by working hard on the training ground and we have had more sessions with the lads nows. I am talking particularly about the lads who arrived this season, who are really well integrated into the squad now. The teams I manage are normally better in the second half of the season and we are developing really well."

Jorge Jesus praises his side's performance against the European champions

Despite missing out 2-1 and seeing his side's hopes of Champions League knock-out stage qualification dashed, coach Jorge Jesus had some much deserved words of praise, after watching his side once again put Real Madrid to the test.

"We have missed out on two big opportunities to beat Real Madrid. Only a team with the quality of Sporting could play the way we did against who for me are the best team in the world. Honestly you couldn't see the difference in individual quality between the two sides tonight", said Jesus, going on to comment on the sending off of João Pereira: "We knew the second-half would be better for us, because physically we were better and Real Madrid had a hard game against Atlético Madrid at the weekend. They wouldn't have been able to keep up, but when João got sent off Real pushed harder. Even so, we still scored. João didn't do anything wrong and Kovacic played it smart. I am fed up of saying it, but this whole fair-play thing is a bit fake. It doesn't exist in football. It it did, then Kovacic wouldn't have done what he did to trick the referee."

Jorge Jesus welcomes the challenge of a visit from the European champions

"We feel confident as well and I say that knowing we will be taking on the best team in the world. We believe in ourselves and since the draw we have been dreaming of qualifying for the next round", opened Jorge Jesus in his Champions League pre-match press conference this Monday afternoon.

Although the Alvalade boss is refusing to throw in the towel, with nothing else but a win capable of keeping qualification hopes alive, he does recognise that the odds are stacked against his team: "It has been getting harder, but we are still dreaming. Our intention tomorrow will be to play as well as we did in Madrid, but of course it will be hard. Madrid know a lot more about our team now. Playing in front of our fans will give us that extra bit of passion, but for Real Madrid it doesn't mean much and that is why they are the best. Everyone knows where they are at their best, they have the World Player of the Year and best goalscorer."

Tomorrow also promises to be the stage or a battle between Cristiano Gelson. For Jorge Jesus, this is the perfect opportunity for the Alvalade starlet to show what he can do against the world's best: "He (Ronaldo) is really strong right now in terms of goals. His talent is all down to how professional he is and the passion he shows for the game. When he finishes his contract with Real Madrid he will be 37 or 38. It would be great if he came back home with the same passion, but for now all we an do is imagine it. Gelson will have a shot in the Champions League to show what he can do. The game will be broadcast around the world and the lad will have his chance. Everyone in Portugal already knows who he is and the rest of the world will as well, similar to what happened with Figo. Of course him and Figo are different, but that doesn't mean they can't follow the same path."

Jorge Jesus praises his squad's Portuguese Cup performance on Thursday night

Jorge Jesus sat down with Sporting TV after his side's Portuguese Cup win this Thursday, in a match which saw the Alvalade boss rotate the majority of his squad.

"We pretty much conceded right at the beginning of the match and that gave Praiense a lift. After that we slowly took control and they couldn't keep up the pace physically. I thought it was a really enjoyable game and we showed a lot of quality in terms of positioning. After the break I just told the lads to carry on, but we were having a bit of a hard time finding space at the back. It became a lot easier as soon as we started scoring", opened Jesus, going on to reflect on the performance of what was a very different starting line-up: "We have 24 or 25 players in the squad and we have to believe in all of them. If we do, then there are certain times when everyone will get their chance. A few of the lads really responded well today I thought. André came on well and he is a good goalscorer. He is a bit different to some of the other players and doesn't get on the ball that much, but when he does he scored. He reminds me f Liedson and I hope he shows some belief in himself."

To finish Jorge Jesus looked ahead to next week's hosting of Real Madrid: "Everybody wants to be in the squad and everyone wants to see the match, which is why the stadium will be full. We will be facing the best team in the world, the European champion, and we will have to be as good as we were in Madrid."

Jorge Jesus looks ahead to the Portuguese Cup fourth round hosting of Praiense

Sporting CP will host Praiense in Estádio José Alvalade this Thursday night, in the Portuguese Cup 4th round. Despite the prospect of an easier night against lower league opposition, coach Jorge Jesus has still been pushing his squad hard on the training pitch.

"Every team loves this competition. We all want to get to the final, because it is such a great day out for the team and the fans. Praiense hae won eight of their last 10 games in the league and they are doing some good stuff. Honestly, we have a lot more to lose than they do. We will show respect for our opponent and we have been working as hard as we did for Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid", opened the Sporting coach, going on to reflect on the recent international break that saw 12 of his players absent: "We have used the break to push the pace a bit for the lads. Players like Alan Ruiz, Castaignos, Elias and some of the others have benefited from that. We will make changes of course, especially because some of the players haven't actually arrived back yet."

Gelson Martins has been one of the stand-out performers of the season and the youngster certainly hasn't been missing of Jesus's radar: "He is a young lad who is still growing tactically, physically and emotionally. He knows exactly what it means to play for Sporting and a lot of the lads his age who get so much attention don't know how to deal with it. He just has to keep working hard during the week like he always does, because he is certainly blessed with talent. If that isn't enough then we are here to support him."

The return of Jonathan Silva has also been floated by the rumour mill this week and Jorge Jesus was more than happy to share his thoughts: "I was more than happy with the possibility of him going back to Argentina so he could be selected for the Olympic Games, which is something we both wanted for him. He has been playing with Boca, who are a great side, and we have a lot of faith in him."