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The times, they are a-changing: How Sporting Lisbon have put together their first great team since the days of Mario Jardel
The cross-town derby will be key for the Estadio de Alvalade outfit to prove they are title contenders, but significant improvements in recent months are undeniable
26 Nov 2011 14:12:00
PROSHOTS
ANALYSIS
By Luis Mira | Portuguese Football Editor
Going into Saturday's Lisbon derby against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz, Sporting CP fans have plenty of reasons to rejoice. After all, their team have a realistic chance of claiming their first Portuguese Liga title since 2001-02, when Mario Jardel's 42 goals in the league gave them a decisive edge over Boavista, Porto and Benfica.
When you have money, you have options, and once the zeroes started adding up in their bank account, Sporting adopted a new policy when it came to building their squad.
The fact is that Sporting had relied too much on homegrown talent for too long. The club may be known for producing, among others, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Luis Figo and Paulo Futre, but all these examples show is that the Estadio de Alvalade is a good place to bring quality wingers to life.
As far as the other areas of the field are concerned, the players that have emerged from Sporting's state-of-the-art academy have not nearly reached the same heights, which has had a disastrous effect on the quality of the senior team. So when the cheque finally cashed, Sporting looked outside their own garden to prepare for the new season.
In total, Os Leoes signed 16 players in the summer - and not one of them was Portuguese. This put an end to the idea that Sporting are the most Portuguese club of the 'big three', which had been their greatest, and only, pride in recent years.
Carlos Freitas, the new sporting director, has earned favourable reviews for his work in the transfer market, as the club were able to sign players like Diego Capel and Jeffren Suarez in cut-price deals. The big-money transfers of Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Elias have so far paid off too.
The lack of ambition which had been shown by their directors in the last decade is finally gone as they no longer seem obsessed with just outdoing rivals Benfica. The sleeping giant seems to have finally awoken and is ready to make his presence felt.
However, it seems premature to say that Sporting can go all the way in the league. While Saturday's derby is not decisive, it will be key for them to prove that they are on par with Benfica and Porto as it poses their first real test of the season. But one thing is certain: Sporting's resurgence has rekindled talk of a three-horse race for the title, and that can only be positive for Portuguese football.
Follow Luis Mira on
By Luis Mira | Portuguese Football Editor
Going into Saturday's Lisbon derby against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz, Sporting CP fans have plenty of reasons to rejoice. After all, their team have a realistic chance of claiming their first Portuguese Liga title since 2001-02, when Mario Jardel's 42 goals in the league gave them a decisive edge over Boavista, Porto and Benfica.
Since then, the club have been little more than a shadow of their domestic rivals, with two Portuguese Cup crowns and three Super Cup titles the only trophies added to their cabinet; not enough success for the fans, who are desperate to avoid the repeat of the 18-year league title drought which lasted from 1982 to 2000.
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This season, though, things are different. It began on March 27, when Godinho Lopes was elected the new president of the club. The 59-year-old had assured fans that he would not break from the past, but changes have been abundant since he took over from Jose Eduardo Bettencourt.
The most pronounced difference, and perhaps the most important one, is that Sporting now have the financial resources which they had been lacking. In recent times, the club had operated on a much tighter budget than Benfica or Porto, which was reflected when it was time to go to the market in search for reinforcements. An example of that is missing out on signing David Trezeguet in the summer of 2010 by some €100,000.
With Godinho Lopes, Sporting were able to raise €30 million to invest in the summer, which allowed them to rebuild a squad which lacked depth and, especially, quality, in most areas. Meanwhile, the club launched their own €15m investment fund, called Sporting Portugal Fund, and have sold part of nine of their players' economic rights to third-party owners.
| Benfica and Porto want to buy someone and they can buy, while Sporting cannot. I could not buy Trezeguet for a figure just over €100,000. He preferred to go to Hercules - Costinha, former sporting director
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When you have money, you have options, and once the zeroes started adding up in their bank account, Sporting adopted a new policy when it came to building their squad.
The fact is that Sporting had relied too much on homegrown talent for too long. The club may be known for producing, among others, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Luis Figo and Paulo Futre, but all these examples show is that the Estadio de Alvalade is a good place to bring quality wingers to life.
As far as the other areas of the field are concerned, the players that have emerged from Sporting's state-of-the-art academy have not nearly reached the same heights, which has had a disastrous effect on the quality of the senior team. So when the cheque finally cashed, Sporting looked outside their own garden to prepare for the new season.
| SPORTING IN 2011-12 |
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| Matches played Victories Draws Losses Win Percentage Goals Scored Goals Conceded |
18 13 3 2 72% 36 13 |
Carlos Freitas, the new sporting director, has earned favourable reviews for his work in the transfer market, as the club were able to sign players like Diego Capel and Jeffren Suarez in cut-price deals. The big-money transfers of Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Elias have so far paid off too.
But if Sporting fans are currently ecstatic with the team's form, the truth is that 2011-12 has already been a rollercoaster at the club. Confidence ran high after they scored 19 goals and conceded just one in their first five pre-season matches, but defeats to Valencia, Malaga and Udinese quickly raised doubts about their title chances.
Two draws and one defeat in the first three league matches rang alarm bells all over the Estadio de Alvalade, but since then, the club have won all their nine domestic matches, while they are already through to the Europa League knockout stages.
Under the stewardship of Domingos Paciencia, enjoying his first coaching experience at one of the 'big three' after guiding Sporting Braga to runners-up finishes in the Portuguese Liga and the Europa League, Sporting are a reinvigorated side.The lack of ambition which had been shown by their directors in the last decade is finally gone as they no longer seem obsessed with just outdoing rivals Benfica. The sleeping giant seems to have finally awoken and is ready to make his presence felt.
However, it seems premature to say that Sporting can go all the way in the league. While Saturday's derby is not decisive, it will be key for them to prove that they are on par with Benfica and Porto as it poses their first real test of the season. But one thing is certain: Sporting's resurgence has rekindled talk of a three-horse race for the title, and that can only be positive for Portuguese football.
Follow Luis Mira on
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