Sérgio Conceição analysed the tie (1-1) in the classic against Sporting, stating that the team “lost the ball sometimes at the start of plays, made a few bad decisions in the last third, and remained distant at times, a little short” of what had been prepared. However, “in the second-half, the team improved”, was “more dominant”, scored an excellent goal and didn’t allow “the same plays as in the first-half”. On the substitutions made still in the first-half, the blue and white coach stated that he did what he “felt” he had to do, as the “team wasn’t reacting and was losing balls in the middle, which allowed Sporting to attack with speed and danger, so it was prudent” to replace those players. The coach evaluated Corona’s performance, who “was a little better than a few weeks ago” and concluded saying that the championship “is a marathon. In the end, in May, we’ll look at our points”.

Match Analysis
“We went in relatively well, I think Sporting managed to score during a period that we dominated. After two or three minutes, we had the chance to score with Corona and we could have tied, but we didn’t and I think we fell short of what we could do. We lost the ball sometimes at the start of plays, made a few bad decisions in the last third, and remained distant at times, a little short of what we had prepared. We could make 1001 excuses, but we should have done more. In the second-half, the team improved, we were a more dominant team, we scored an excellent goal, and we didn’t allow Sporting to do the same as in the first-half. The players were a bit nervous, and there was a lack of criteria in the cards which upset the players. Basically, two good teams wanted to win, in an environment and context that weren’t easy.”

The substitutions in the first-half and the initial choices
“I felt I should do it because we were not very close in the match, the team was not reacting and we were losing balls in the middle, which allowed Sporting to attack with speed and danger, so it was prudent to replace those players. Two other players went in, this is the team, it was for the best, and that was confirmed. In the second-half, the players that went in gave a good response, I have to praise their spirit. Some players only had the chance to watch videos and tactics for the preparation, others returned with some physical difficulties as well, but they were my choices, I thought this would be the best approach after discussing the matter with the medical department to see who was fit.”

Corona’s performance
“He’s been a little better than what I saw a few weeks ago, this month of August was terrible for the emotional stability of the players, and we have to manage all that; those on the outside don’t know what goes on in the clubs and people would be surprised by some situations. We make decisions to win the matches, depending on our preparation. We are used to this type of match, to matches for the Champions League, high level matches, and, although we weren’t at our best, we were always a very competitive team.”

Distance to the lead
“It’s a marathon. In the end, in May, we’ll look at our points.”