So, What's the Current State of the New Sporting?

Sporting concluded the last season in 2nd place in the league, securing direct access to the Champions League, thus continuing their strong performance from the previous year. However, they ended the season without silverware, losing the Cup final to Torreense, a Second League team.

The Lions felt it was time for an abrupt end to the previous cycle, even with the same coach, Rui Borges, who renewed his contract before the end of the last season. When a revolution occurs, it's natural to gain renewed vitality, but also to lose some key figures. In the case of the green and whites, this overhaul affects almost all of those foundational players who typically form the backbone of a team.

The team structure underwent changes across all sectors: Diomande added physicality to the midfield axis and was crucial in the build-up phase. Hjulmand and Morita form an excellent partnership, not only in ball recovery and pressing but also in creation, much like Pedro Gonçalves, Trincão, and Quenda, who were instrumental in both creation and clinical finishing. The team's vital organs were far from failing, yet the squad was taken to the operating room for a perhaps unprecedented, futuristic surgery, where older parts were replaced with newer ones to rejuvenate the entire body.

The Alvalade club will now have to establish new leaders. Whether they've done this well or poorly so far is something that cannot be confirmed in pre-season. True leaders emerge primarily in the most challenging moments, when they are forced to step up and carry the team. Their responsibility isn't measured by talent, which I believe has arrived in significant quantities.

Frederico Varandas has also stated that there will likely be more arrivals and departures. Within the squad, there's a noticeable vulnerability on the left side. In the central defensive position on that flank, there's only one left-footed player, Gonçalo Inácio. While the Portuguese international is undisputed, his absence could complicate matters, particularly in ball distribution – Eduardo Felicíssimo shows composure with and without the ball, but the risk remains.

At full-back, Maxi Araújo is present, but currently lacks real competition, especially after Nuno Santos' prolonged absence. And the attack, which has been spearheaded by Flávio Gonçalves and Doumbia, hasn't produced as effectively as the right side.

It's also quite clear that, due to the revolution undertaken and the results of last season, which weigh heavily on a coach who hasn't yet won over all the fans, the start of the season must be unequivocal and assertive. This is crucial for the supporters, who are always present, to truly get behind the team. There's no doubt that, sooner or later, Rui Borges will be under pressure. He has no margin for error, unlike all the new players joining the squad.

On the pitch, pre-season results – where analysis requires greater caution – suggest that the transition, executed with remarkable speed in the transfer market, is progressing well. The Lions faced three different caliber opponents: Celtic, Strasbourg, and Monaco, and dominated.

The team's DNA is also clearly defined. Sporting aims to disrupt the opponent's build-up, forcing errors or long balls, and bases its pressure on a medium-high block. Here, the idea is to win the ball back and launch vertical attacks towards goal. Almost all transitions are geared towards finishing. The Lions don't recycle possession when they see the opponent has repositioned. It's all about aggression, speed, and total directness.

Altimira acts as the pivot, tasked with guiding the team to what it needs at any given moment. He's not yet consistently able to absorb all the team's requirements, especially under pressure, but that will come with time. Doumbia aids in recovery and immediately stretches play, much like Zalazar, Flávio, and Geny. Nel has grown, and while not a cold, lethal striker, he makes good decisions and can become increasingly useful. Obviously, this isn't enough to replace Suárez and what is still expected from Ioannidis, the striker who excels at playing with his back to goal and linking attacks.

The Uruguayan attacking midfielder adds a dynamic that can prove very useful when he drifts to the right. With Geny and Fresneda/Vagiannidis, and the potential proximity of the striker, overloading the flank can easily draw in rival players and then exploit the empty spaces.

This Sporting team still seems to lack composure. The ability to push the opponent back through possession. To create different problems by besieging the penalty area. To link attack to attack by stopping the rival more with counter-pressing. It remains to be seen how they will attack the low blocks of the league, which they didn't encounter in any pre-season opponent. And perhaps Jesse Derry's technique could be part of the solution there. There's also discomfort when they can't immediately win the ball back and the opponent manages to string passes together in their own half.

With so many changes, it's natural that some elements are still missing. Even if everything seems to be going well. Nothing is won in pre-season. At least, nothing truly important.