G.D. Estoril Praia 0 Sporting CP 1

G.D. Estoril Praia v Sporting CP
May 11^th, 2024

Estádio António Coimbra da Mota

Matchday 33

The Warm Up 

Show me a fan who lays claim to the fact that they believed we’d go into this game already crowned league champions and I my friend will show you a liar. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think Sporting would end last weekend with the title secured after Famalicão defeated Benfica 2-0. So much so that pre game I told my friend from Lisboa who was away visiting London not to worry because there’s no chance she’ll miss the title celebrations. I added that to the list of all the times I’ve been wrong this season and having spent the week reading back through all of my match posts there have been a fair few of those but note they’re still there for prosperity. Like Amorim, when you get it wrong, put your hands up and own it. Sorry Bárbara.

I have to admit there really was a huge danger that recency bias would end up impacting how I looked upon this title winning campaign as a whole hence why I’ve spent Monday onwards re-reading every word I’ve written. I don’t think in the opening 17 there were many who managed to escape my ire. Ruben Amorim got it with both barrels on numerous occasions for what I perceived to be tactical inadequacies. I suggested his wife must be bored of the same old love making positions week in week out, or words to that effect; that he’d be better off suited to life as a Drake impersonator and that I’d happily piggyback him to any club in the summer who paid his release clause.

I lost count of how many times I wrote how Paulinho and Gyökeres cannot play together as part of the forward three. Finally someone must have agreed with me as reports surfaced that the former is set to end his spell with the club as they try recoup part of the transfer outlay to what was at the time a club record fee. There’s more than a little sense of irony that in the season fans finally seem to have accepted Paulinho is then the one where he chooses to depart but at 31 you don’t begrudge him the chance of a final pay day. Better to leave with love than what he'd have left with departing anytime before this season. There you go, recency bias working it’s magic and charm again.

Gonçalves, Bragança, Inácio, Israel, Nuno Santos and Trincão all received a bashing with regular aplomb. Just far too many inconsistencies across the pitch and I kept waiting for us to get found out. Yet somehow we kept on winning with only the minor bump or two in the road. Come 2024 and both Gonçalves and Trincão hugely turned it around. The latter to such an extent that you’d half expect to see Missing posters of Edwards plastered around all quarters of Lisboa. Have you seen this man? Reward offered for information leading to his safe return. I think In the summer Edwards most probably goes with Diomande. The understanding I believe is that Gyökeres, Hjulmand and Inácio are the three considered untouchable if Amorim is going to remain in situ for another season which pisses on all the Anfield’ blogs claiming a deal to sign Inácio is close. Holds cigar to mouth and flicks the end as the wah, wah, wah, wah noise is played over the top.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying there weren’t some amazing performances between August and the end of December but I didn’t fully expect us to sustain a title challenge at that point even if our league position suggested we could. All hopes were really and truthfully resting on the shoulders of summer signing Viktor Gyökeres and whether he could maintain not only his form but his fitness, especially given that despite his bright start to the season, by December Paulinho’s confidence was shot to bits.

This isn’t a team of superstars. This isn’t a side who pays their star player anywhere near the reported figures of between €7.5m and €9.6m annually (if they are to be believed) in the case of  Di María across the park. Diomande is on a reported salary of €300k – that’s per season by the way. In respect of transfer outlays yes Gyökeres was a massive £20m but the club will recoup that money and then some and again with the outlay on Hjulmand and both signings were only possible largely because of the sale of Ugarte to PSG. Whilst big name clubs are continually linked with our players, other than Trincão coming in from Barca, you’d be hard pressed to find a big name club that we’ve signed a player from and Sporting of course are renowned for bringing through youngsters into their first XI. Oh and the Barca of 2024 are a shambles and only really now a big club by reputation and history. Come at me culés you’re deluded if you think I’m wrong. Either that or you’d have to be the Barca president who obviously has to argue the opposite point.  

Yes Franco Israel came from Juventus but he only ever featured for their next generation side, so that doesn’t count. Adán played 7 times in 2 years for Atletico Madrid so whilst a Champions League side it’s not like we’d brought the club’s number 1 keeper. Neto was at Zenit St Petersburg, Coates at Sunderland, St Juste from Mainz, Reis at Rio Ave, Fresneda from Real Valladoid, Diomande at Midtjylland, Rafael from Leixões and of course Inácio and Quaresma came through from the academy. Are we doing the entire squad from keeper to the forward line? Yes, yes we are. Drive home the point my son.

Esgaio – Braga; Koindredi – Estoril; Hjulmand – Lecce; Geny – Amora; Nuno Santos – Rio Ave; Morita – Santa Clara and Bragança – Academy graduate. Did you have to look half those up? Yes, yes I did. Point proven even more.

Paulinho – Braga, Edwards – Vitória, Gonçalves – Famalicão, Gyökeres – Coventry City and as previously mentioned Trincão from the club formerly known as FC Barca.

That’s nothing short of sensational when I take the time to really digest that list of teams. There’s no loan signings from big European team’s propping up the squad as in years gone by either. OK maybe Sarabia propped whilst the other guy from PSG … Oh god what was his name? He was so dreadful I’ve erased his name from my memory. Jesé – thank you Google. So bad was he that they tried to cut his loan short and PSG refused to take him back. Anyways…

Were you about to give Amorim some credit there? I think you might have been…

As Amorim continues to be linked with moves away from Sporting anyone making the argument about him having never managed big name players is missing the point. He’s taken two teams of ragtag players to league titles. He somehow makes round pegs fit into square holes. He installs belief into his players, makes people want to run through brick walls for him. Frequently though they do just run into walls and come off worse which actually in context of who he's had to manage is to be expected. We need to temper our expectations because he somehow makes you believe things that aren't there, he's like he’s Keyser fucking Söze. Somewhere during the season I used the analogy of a fight that goes the full twelve rounds in boxing. If you’ve scored all twelve rounds you should objectively know who won the fight. But if you simply base it on the last two rounds of one of the fighters who doesn’t get a decision you want then you’re deliberately missing the bigger picture. Listen we are all equally as guilty of that recency bias. It’s exactly why I read through every game post I made because I couldn’t tell you what I thought about a performance in August, any more than I could in November or February. I’m not saying what I wrote is right either, it was and remains merely my opinion as I saw it at the time and opinions change over a long’period of time. I do try to be objective as to what I see unfolding. I've praised and criticised in equal amounts, be that with Amorim, the players, the opposition (sometimes through gritted teeth). I’ve made a point of saying how well the officials have done as much as I have slated them when it’s been deserved in my opinion.

Has my opinion of Amorim changed having delivered the title? Will it change if he does the double?

You can’t see the long pause that ensued as I weighed the answer to my own question in my mind. It makes for better reading than it would do a filmed interview. I’ve also the perfect face for radio. Yes I’m stalling on what to write. Look, two titles with the two squads of players he had at his disposal is a phenomenal achievement. Does that make him the greatest motivator currently plying his trade today in Portuguese football? Undoubtedly. Does that make him a top drawer coach to boot? I don't think it necessarily does and that sounds utterly ridiculous when I write it. I wrote above that I kept waiting for this side to be found out. Thumping Estoril, Boavista, Casa Pia and so, so many other clubs is great. Yet measure yourself against those on a footing closer to your own stature to try and find a more definitive answer; Atalanta – Gasperini won out but they’ve made it to the Europa Final. See I said they’d go far after we played them in the opening game. Porto – Ask me after the cup final. Benfica – Did he the equalling or better of Schmidt? Tough one. I’d probably say any points of success were down to the players on the pitch following tactical reshuffles when Amorim hadn’t got it right. But that’s true for not only games against Benfica but Porto and Atalanta too. He did at least react so there’s a tick in the negative columns. Could also argue in the opening league game it changed on the sending off and we only won in the dying seconds.

You can’t wed yourself to the 3-4-3. You will get found out eventually by teams with better players and better coaches. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. If I started dating a superstar Hollywood actress and she said I don’t believe in sex before marriage but I’ll give you one off the wrist, at the start I’d still be thinking this is great. However at some stage the novelty will wear off; The grip won’t be right, the speed of the hand movement… Only I could equate the failure to have more than one formation to one off the wrist by a Hollywood actress and moreover fail to name one as an example. What do I know about current movie stars? Not a lot. For those of you saying what do you know about Sporting, well touché. But I’d bank that I know a lot more than writers in England who never sit and watch a game and then comment on the futures of players and the coach alike as if they were qualified experts.

I guess the jury is out until Amorim goes to a bigger league than Portugal. He has worked minor miracles and come the New Year I could only hope we’d win the title. I didn’t expect it but I’m incredibly grateful to Ruben Amorim, the coaching staff and the players who left it all out on the pitch. When all is said and done we couldn’t have asked for more. If we lose the cup final, well OK then, it’s the league we all wanted. If Amorim leaves then he has the right to make me fly to Portugal and have me carry him on a piggy back. Let’s hope he goes to manage Casa Pia again that can’t be that far a distance to carry him.

Back to Estoril. No Adán, no Israel and so duties will fall to either Diogo Pinto. Usually I’d say no pressure Diogo meaning the reverse but I can now say genuinely no pressure and mean it. Like the Rock said – it doesn’t matter! The job is done. Shake off the pre-game nerves and enjoy yourself. We battered them at home with the game ending 5-1. However this is a team that have beaten Porto twice, once in the league and once in the Taça da Liga. Unlike us they got to the final of the Taça having beaten the neighbours in the semi final and it took Braga penalties to beat them. On their day they can beat us. If they do then it’s no big deal. Look at me Mr OCD going into a game without a Care Bear in the world. Let Gyökeres have the evening off. He’s six goals ahead of Banza as he chases down the top scorer award. Let Neto play before he hangs up his boots. Give some of the youngsters some valuable time on the pitch. Next week you hope we can secure a record of a full 17 games at home with 17 wins but if they don’t then fuck it they’re still champions. Save all the focus and energy for Porto in the cup final.

The money markets

Estoril 5/1= 16.66% probability chance of winning
Sporting CP 4/9 = 69.23% probability chance of winning 

Pointless statistic

Luís Neto has been booked once every 18 minutes and 15 seconds in the league. For context he’s featured for just 73 minutes.

Team News

Diogo Pinto makes his Sporting debut in for the injured Israel. Morita comes in for Hjulmand and Gonçalves moves forward in place of Paulinho with Bragança coming into midfield. Geny, St Juste and Quaresma haven’t travelled with the squad.

First Half

Yellow smoke billows across the pitch from the far corner of the stadium as Estoril welcome champions Sporting CP for tonight’s game. Words of encouragement from captain Coates to the youngster Pinto. Estoril get us underway. Sporting will attack left to right

2 A moment of confusion at the back from Sporting as Coates clears for a throw but Pinto clatters the forward with his follow through having raced out to collect the ball. That won’t have helped his nerves

10 Gonçalves with the first chance of the game. Unmarked he shanks the ball high and wide from 25 yards. The glorious weather hasn’t been matched by the football on the pitch so far

13 Shot of Varandas in the stands with his shades on head down. Not sure if he’s checking his phone with his hands hidden from view or he’s fallen asleep

14 Free kick to Sporting 23 yards out as Trincão hacked down from behind

15 Gonçalves ball to the far post evades everyone and out for a goal kick. A third of the game in and we’ve not seen one real bit of quality from either side

20 TV editor cuts to Amorim sat on the bench looking deep in thought. I wonder what’s going through his mind? ‘Did I lock the back door before I left?’

22 Midway point of the half comes and goes and still neither side has had a shot on target. Nothing suggests we’ll see a repeat of the 5-1 home win on this evidence

28 Trincão dribbles past four defenders but his final ball is knocked behind for a corner which comes to nothing. Still, the most exciting thing that’s happened so far as we near the half hour mark. Sporting have scored in every game so far this season in league and cup games

32 Gyökeres shot centrally from 22 yards deflects out for a corner

34 Trincão attempts to bend a shot into the bottom left hand corner from 25 yards or more – it didn’t miss by much

36 Trincão with the run again down the right passes to Gyökeres inside the area who sharply laid it back to Bragança on the edge of the 18 yard box only for the midfielder to fire infuriatingly high over the bar

38 Shot on target from Cassiano. Well a cheap imitation of one anyway. Bobbled effort from 20 yards was almost at a standstill by the time it came to Pinto. He’s not had an easier save to make in his professional career in the top flight. I mean sure it’s the only save he’s ever had to make but my point still stands

43 Gonçalves with the first shot on target for Sporting as half time comes knocking. Fires straight at the keeper centrally from 12 yards out

44 Gomes clean through, smashed the ball onto the left hand post from 8 yards.

Plus two indicated

Half time

Estoril 0 Sporting CP 0

Well that was a half that probably owed much to the celebrations well into Monday morning having secured the title. Apart from the odd flash of quality from Trincão Sporting have offered nothing of note in the opening 45. Given Reis and Esgaio have started wide on each flank you imagine Amorim will try to change it up in the second half introducing Nuno Santos from the bench. It has meant Trincão has been able to operate more centrally though from a deeper position, something regular readers will know I’ve been advocating for most of 2024 to happen. 

Second half

We’ve not had a 0-0 year all season so it’s hard to believe we’ll have one now especially after six goals in the reverse fixture but Amorim has resisted making changes at half time all the same. Sporting get the game back underway.

47 With nothing happening on the pitch I’ll take the opportunity to mention Chaves’ relegation was confirmed last night and that of Vizela earlier on today despite them winning 4-0. Portimonense scored a 97th minute equaliser at home to Rio Ave to break the hearts of the Braga based club

55 Handball on the edge of the 18 yard box, came up off the defenders body and onto his hand outstretched hand but nothing awarded. Paulinho and Nuno Santos are set to come on

56 Bragança and Reis make way for the pair

57 Nuno Santos and the Estoril coach enjoy a tender little embrace on the sidelines. You’d be telling them to get a room if you were there as the mister Seabra cups his face with both hands and looks longingly into Nuno’s eyes

61 Rasping drive from the edge of the D flies towards the top left hand corner but the keeper palms it to safety from … Ricardo Esgaio. Day dreaming earlier I wondered if they got a penalty would they let him take it as he’s not scored this season then decided pretty quickly I was being daft

62 Gyökeres fires a shot from 18 yards which the keeper parries again to safety. Sporting have finally woken up after an hours play

69 Diomande header probably going wide of the right hand post from 8 yards out however the keeper takes no chances and is quickly down low to his left to save 

72 First a shout for a penalty from Sporting before the ball deflects to Gyökeres five yards out but somehow he contrived to dilly dally on the ball and eventually just managed to shoot at the keeper who had been on the far right hand side with an open goal to aim at. The defender did enough to put the Swede off and the keeper remarkably got all the way back to make the stop. Carne looks like another keeper auditioning for a job next season as the Sporting number 1 after Nakamura for Portimonense last week

76 Another fine save by the keeper as Trincão bent a shot from the edge of the box which was going into the bottom left hand corner

80 GOAL Finally the deadlock is broken as Paulinho starts his perceived farewell tour with a goal to make it Estoril 0 Sporting CP 1. Nuno Santos cut a ball across the six yard box which evaded the defenders and found Paulinho just beyond the far post. He drove it back from a tight angle and it deflected into the net off a defender. That’s his 20^th goal of the season in all competitions

87 Double substitution for Sporting as Esgaio and Gonçalves are replaced by Fresneda and the second debutant of the day Miguel Menino. That’s at least 22 academy players Amorim has given a debut to in the first team during his tenure.

90 Morita replaced by the ex Estoril midfielder Koindredi

Plus five shown

+1 Yellow to Zanocelo. I was about to say that was the first of the game shown but I was clearly paying so little attention I’d missed the yellow to Garcia on 76 and apparently Coates in the 80th minute. Top reporting as always never missing a moment.

+4 The Estoril players have been trying to wind up Gyökeres all night. Nothing wrong with my lip reading in English as he tells the Estoril player to fuck off

Full time

Estoril 0 Sporting CP 1

The Final Word

Well it won’t take me long to pick through the bones of that game. I started by suggesting that Gyökeres should be rested and given he didn’t score and spent 90 minutes getting kicked left right and centre it probably would have been the better option.

Man of the match – well there wasn’t much choice. Goes to Trincão because what little there was worth watching all came through him.

Diogo Pinto comes away with a clean sheet. Apart from the rush of blood to the head in the second minute when a combination of eagerness and nerves got the better of him and the effort which hit the post just before halftime he had as easy a debut as he could possibly have hoped for.

Debut for Menino too. Not on the pitch long enough to make any contribution to the game but just travelling and being around the first team will be of benefit and it gets the monkey off your back completing the debut and a marker to aim at in seasons to come.

Domestically that’s now a run of 19 unbeaten. The last defeat came in the Taça da Liga semi-final to Braga. In the league the last defeat was the 3-2 away to Vitória on December 9th. Sporting remember have only lost two all season. We won’t mention the other one.

Three points and another clean sheet. Just for prosperity purposes – that’s Sporting now 11 points clear at the top of the table with one game to play. Did I mention at any time that they’ve been crowned Champions already? I did? Oh my sincere apologies.

So just Chaves at home remains next Sunday to try make it 17 wins from 17 at the Jose Alvalade and the Taça de Portugal final the week after that against Porto. Then we can all put our feet up for another summer and have a nice cup of tea.