The Portuguese Super League has finally come to an end.
In the afternoon of the last round, after defeating Ferreira 2-1 in an away game, Porto head coach Mourinho summoned the coaching staff for a meeting to discuss the gains and losses of the past half-season.
This season, the situation in the Portuguese Super League has always been relatively clear.
As the first group, the three teams of Sporting Lisbon, Boavista and Porto took the lead from the beginning, but Porto fell behind midway, and then it evolved into a neck-and-neck race between Sporting Lisbon and Boavista.
The real turning point comes from the end of March to April.
At that time, Sporting Lisbon had already shown signs of decline. Coupled with the serious injuries to main players such as Nikule and Sa Pinto, the team's combat effectiveness was greatly damaged. New players such as Nalikis performed poorly. Everyone was disappointed.
The outlook for Sporting Lisbon is pessimistic.
Unexpectedly, two young players, Su Dong and Ronnie, appeared out of nowhere.
Sudong, in particular, came on as a substitute in four games and produced eye-catching statistics of four goals and two assists. He can be called one of the most eye-catching rookies in the Portuguese Super League this season. If it were not for too little playing time
, many people even believe that he has the qualifications to win the Rookie of the Season award.
But the most eye-catching thing about Su Dong is not his goals and assists, but his playing style on the court.
He is over 1.9 meters tall, has amazing speed, has delicate skills with his feet, can pass, shoot, control and dribble, and is very good at picking up the ball with his back and turning away. Such a player can be said to be a perfect center embryo.
His biggest weakness right now is probably his strength and competition experience.
It was precisely because of Sudong's outstanding performance that Sporting Lisbon continued to grab points during the low period, and scored all three points in the focus game against Boavista, winning the championship one round ahead of schedule.
In the last round, Boavista, who missed the championship, lost at home to Wazim, while Sporting Lisbon drew with Benfica and finally won the league championship with a five-point advantage.
Porto is two points behind Boavista, ranking third in the league.
…
"From a statistical point of view, Sporting Lisbon has scored a total of 75 league goals this season, 43 of which came from Jardel. Although they are the team with the strongest offensive firepower in the Portuguese Super League, without Jardel,
Their offensive strength will be greatly reduced, which is unhealthy."
The person responsible for the analysis is the 24-year-old Villas-Boas, a scout and analyst on Mourinho's coaching team.
He once studied with the famous coach Robson with Mourinho, and later coached the Porto youth team. After Mourinho saved Porto midway, the first thing he did was to promote Villas-Boas to his side as his deputy.
.
"Everyone can see that at the end of the season, Jardel's game enthusiasm and state have obviously declined a lot. Coupled with physical injuries, whether he can continue this state in the new season, I
I feel very doubtful.”
Boas's analysis was also recognized by everyone present.
Jardel's concerns are not just Boas's personal views, but a general consensus.
Almost everyone believes that it is difficult for a top scorer who has no pursuit in the Portuguese Super League to maintain a high scoring efficiency for two consecutive seasons, especially a player like Jardel.
"Defensively, Sporting Lisbon conceded 25 goals, five more than second-placed Boavista. However, there is news that veteran Andre Cruz will leave the team after the season. He is
This is the backbone of Sporting Lisbon's defense. Without him, Sporting Lisbon's defense is bound to be in severe turmoil in the new season."
"In addition, according to the reliable information we have received, Sporting Lisbon may not be able to invest in the transfer market this summer. They are already struggling to cope with the two major expenditures on the training base and the new stadium. On the contrary, several players in the team
Including Phil Babb, Hugo Viana, etc., they are all favored by the four major league teams."
When Mourinho heard this, he lightly tapped his fingers on the table, attracting everyone's attention, and then he smiled and said: "In other words, Sporting Lisbon in the new season can only gamble heavily on young players.
."
After hearing this, everyone also laughed.
The competition in the Portuguese Super League is very fierce. Even a team like Boavista may fall into the middle of the pack every minute. Teams with strong foundations such as Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon are slightly better, but if they want to compete for the championship, they must eventually win.
It still depends on strength.
Without Jardel, without Nikolai, without Andre Cruz, how can Sporting Lisbon win the championship this season?
Sporting Lisbon has no money to invest in the transfer market, but Porto has a large transfer budget.
“Marco Ferreira and Paulo Ferreira from Setubal, Bruno from Maritimo, Thiago, Valente and Delle from Leiria, Maniche and Edgaras from Benfica
Jankauskas, Pedro Emanuele of Boa Vista..."
Mourinho read out the names one by one. These are the goals he has been observing for a long time.
Only a wealthy and powerful family like Porto can support his huge ambition and desire to buy.
"By the way, Maritimo's young Brazilian central defender Pepe should also pay close attention to this player. Andrade is likely to transfer after the end of the season."
With his outstanding performance this season, Andrade has attracted the attention of the four major league teams, especially Deportivo La Coruna.
Although Porto is rich and powerful in the Portuguese Super League, in European football, they still focus on cultivating players as their business philosophy.
After hearing this, everyone on the coaching staff couldn't help but look at each other. How much would it cost for such a long acquisition list?
Mourinho also saw the doubts in everyone's eyes and smiled confidently: "Don't worry, I have already discussed it with the chairman."
It was precisely because of the support from the chairman of Porto that Mourinho was determined to make a big splash in Porto.
"Let's talk about the Portuguese Cup final."
Mourinho changed the subject and looked at Villas-Boas again, "In the last round of the derby, Bologna hid the young player Su Dong. Quaresma performed well after coming off the bench. Cristiano Ronaldo entered the squad, but
Not on, what do you think?"
"I think it's a smoke bomb," Boas said without hesitation.
"Obviously, although the last round is a derby, it actually doesn't matter anymore. What Bologna did is definitely asking us to guess. If Nalikis performed well, maybe we would still have reservations, but in fact
…”
The Greek center's performance still showed no improvement in the last game, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of Bologna's smoke bomb.
It can even be said that it failed.
"Su Dong will definitely still play, which will be very troublesome because our central defenders, Andrade and Carvalho, are both short."
A short center back is really at a disadvantage when facing a tall center, especially a center like Su Dong who can hold the ball.
He only needs to lean on you with his body to hold the ball, and you can't even grab it.
"It would be much better if Jorge Costa was here." Assistant coach Bartmar Brito sighed.
Jorge Costa is a veteran of Porto and is also a Portuguese international central defender. He is 1.88 meters tall, which can just make up for the height problem of Porto's defense. However, in the first half of the game, he had to compete with Andrade and Carvalho.
He was at a disadvantage in the competition and moved to Charlton in the Premier League during the winter break.
Facing Sporting Lisbon, high defense will be a major test for Porto's defense.
Because not only is Su Dong taller than 1.9 meters, Jardel is also 1.88 meters tall, and the Brazilian center's header is very good. On the other hand, Su Dong is not a big threat with headers. This is mainly because he is weak in physical confrontation.
related.
"The next focus of defense is to restrict Jardel in drills. It is best to force him out of the penalty area and reduce his ability to get the ball in dangerous areas. On the wings, if Quaresma and Ronnie are available, let them lead
, just don’t let them leave the wing.”
The two talents of Sporting Lisbon have a common characteristic, that is, they are sticky and fancy. The actual effect on the court is not ideal. As long as they are not allowed to dribble the ball into the hinterland, they are not a big threat.
For example, Benfica asked Quaresma to dribble the ball into the penalty area. As a result, Quaresma passed two people and earned a penalty kick.
"What about Su Dong?" Brito asked with concern.
Mourinho frowned, thinking of the young boy following Mendes.
The first time he met Su Dong was at Benfica's home ground. At that time, he was still coaching Leiria. He never thought that half a year later, this kid would become a serious problem for him.
How time has changed!
"Bologni probably won't let Su Dong. After all, he is only 17 years old. He should be more of a substitute. So we have to strive to establish an advantage early and then use it as we see fit."
After Su Dong came on the field, Sporting Lisbon's offensive tactics changed a lot.
From being dominated by the wing before, to being dominated by the center.
The more obvious coordination routine is that Su Dong retreats to respond, then turns around and passes the ball to the gap on the wing, especially behind the defense line, taking advantage of the speed of Ronnie and Quaresma, as well as the one-on-one advantage on the wing.
.
Strictly speaking, this routine is really difficult to defend against, especially against Porto, who have a problem defending on both wings.
But the biggest problem is that Su Dong has just emerged and is very young, as is Ronnie, and Quaresma's performance has fluctuated greatly. Does Boloni dare to play them in such an important game as the Portuguese Cup final?
As a surprise player, it should be the most reasonable to come on the field at critical moments to turn the situation around.
"By the way, Andre, let the club test Sporting Lisbon's tone and see if Su Dong is for sale?" Mourinho asked with interest.
"Playing psychological warfare?" physical coach Rui Faria asked with a smile.
Mourinho shook his head.
"Are you serious?" Boas was a little surprised.
Not only him, but everyone was also surprised.
Mourinho nodded seriously and said: "I regret now that I didn't grab him in time."
At that time, Mourinho would never have imagined that Su Dong's progress would be so astonishing.
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