View attachment 90369
As i have found out by doing this story it is very easy to slip into bad habits by referring to the team as Sporting Lisbon but that is wrong. Don't do it. Also if anybody wants to see this story told differently please tell me how. I am nearly at the end of the season and feel perhaps the story doesnt engage enough. Now without further ado let's get on with the March to the top...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The year was drawing to a close and as December hit Sporting found themselves facing a busy fixture schedule.
View attachment 90368
Sporting 1-2 Moreirense
Not a great start to the month and this result has allowed Porto to close the gap at the top to just a couple points but there were positives, in particular a brilliant solo effort from Bas Dost.
Sporting 1-0 Atletico
This win really came too little too late and was a surprise to me as i rested all my starting XI. Sebastian Driussi popped up to score in this one and Lass hit the post late on but Atletico rarely threatened in fact 5 shots all game with 1 on target perhaps reflects the surprise of what happened.
Sporting 3-0 Maritimo
Back to league business and Porto played first and drew 1-1 with Benfica allowing us a huge opportunity here. Campbell, Dost and Oliviera all scored in the first half to make this game simple. A late penalty save from Rui Patricio really helpe the confidence however the game was marred by a red card for Schelotto.
Taca de Portugal 5th Round
Sporting vs SL Benfica
View attachment 90367 View attachment 90366
Big match reports are reserved for league games at the moment (and cup finals) butwhat a performance by the lads in a cup match. Before the match the team talk was based around channeling the energy from the first match and it seemed to work. That's 2 wins vs Benfica now and this was nothing short of dominant.
Carvalho (18) Jefferson (61) & Castaignos (83)
Arouca 1-1 Sporting
The league campaign was basck and rotation brought some faces back into the fold and saw others rested. A much needed second half goal from Adrien Silva saved what was an error prone performance.
Sporting 2-0 Rio Ave
The group stage of Taca de liga saw us move onto 6 from 6 with a comfotable win over Rio Ave. Peruzzi surprisingly opened the scoring with a free kick and that was followed soon after by Driussi. The competition isn't even close to a priority but the performances are leading us toward our first trophy of the season.
As we head to January we will face Porto in a hotly anticipated game and also the transfer window opens. SPorting have a lot of players loaned out and so the squad will need trimming before the summer but i expect to sell a few players in January as there have been A LOT of issues with playing time hence a lot of rotation. Some are happy others are still an issue. There is also one surprising departure based on reasons i will explain in the next post.