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Statements by Paulo Turra, coach of Vitória de Guimarães, after the 1-0 defeat against Tondela, at Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, in the second round of the League Cup
Apology to fans: “Once again, I apologize to our fans, to our association mass. Since the first day I was here, we have improved in our process. We have an obligation to give a dignified response to our fans and ourselves in the next home game , against Portimonense (on the fifth round).”
Passivity: “We didn’t play a good game. In the first half, we were very passive. We made a lot of passes to the side and back. We’ve been here for three weeks. We would like to have more intensity throughout the game and the understanding of our athletes. We can’t be a passive team.”
Injuries: “We are facing some injuries (Afonso Freitas missed this Saturday’s game), but that is part of football. It wasn’t because of that that we didn’t win the game. It was because of other factors that we didn’t win.”
Analysis: “Duels are very important. We won few duels. We were prepared for an opposing team that set up a line of five defenders from the beginning. We only had two players on that line. We made the opponent’s job easier by playing the ball to the side and behind. We had a single opportunity in the first half. In the second half, we improved, but we conceded the goal. We failed to press into the opponent’s area. There is still a very strong impulse to get the ball from the central defenders. We had three opportunities to score in the second half, but it’s very little for Vitória.”
Praise for the team: “We have a great team, which always fights to be among the first. We have a spectacular structure, with all the conditions. We have to know how to deal with this situation. We don’t need psychological support. We are not poor things. We were eliminated. The only responsibility is wow. We have to think about our next opponent, Portimonense, so that we can give a small answer. Let’s roll up our sleeves. We have to be an intense team with ideas in the 90 or 100 minutes to avoid going through situations like today ( Saturday).”
