Very good interview with the Sporting coach with insights on how and why he took the job and what the future holds but to me this was the best sequence in the interview. Below the link I posted the current breakdown of SCP plantel. RECORD – Numa perspectiva de futuro? PAULO BENTO – Basta olhar para a média de idade da equipa para percebermos que o tempo corre a nosso favor – e tenho muito claro que o futuro é do Sporting. Isto sem perder de vista que há metas claras para esta época. Ser campeão nacional continua a ser o nosso grande objectivo. Bem como a vitória na Taça de Portugal. Que isso fique bem claro. Full article: http://www.record.pt/noticia.asp?id=692716&idCanal=24 Plantel do Sporting actualizado: Entradas -Romagnoli, Caneira e Abel e saídas -Edson, Rogério, Paíto, Pinilla, Wender, Silva, Varela e Hugo , Beto (? )e Semedo ( UL ?) . GR: Ricardo, Nélson e Tiago DD: Miguel Garcia e Abel DE: Tello e André Marques DC: Polga, Tonel, Caneira, Beto e Semedo MD: Custódio e Luís Loureiro MO: João Moutinho, Carlos Martins, Sá Pinto, João Alves, Nani e Romagnoli AV: Liedson, Deivid e Douala 17 portugueses e 6 estrangeiros 9 que jogaram nos escalões de formação do Sporting (39 por cento) 11 internacionais AA média de idades - 23,4 3 com 30 anos ou mais 3 com 21 anos ou menos Rogerio is the only starter that left the team but Abel should be a competent replacement. Caneira will be a much better option than Beto or Polga in the middle and could also play trinco or either side at FB. Romagnli, who knows??? He will start out blocking Martins (once again) but could be the wilcard we needed in the midfield or he could be a bust. Of the players we let go I'm sorry to see Semedo and Varela not stick around but they will be back soon enough. Pinilla showed flashes of brilliance but seemed to me too weak mentally for a team like Sporting. According to Bento we are still looking for a physical type forward (Marcel ???). I like this team better than when he took over but another CD (Castro,Alcantara) is needed. Tonel/Caneira is good enouch but not deep enough...
Bento needs to look at the average ages for other clubs as well. After the exit of Jorge Costa, Porto's average is around 23 yrs as well. We also only have 2 over the age of 30, Baia and Pedro Emannuel. Benfica's average is only slightly older at around 24. Where Sporting has the advantage is that the bulk of it's youngsters are Portuguese and from within the organization. For that I applaud them.
I posted that. Not Bento. I wanted to emphasize his point. And like you said. although Benfica and Porto are also young teams Bento seems to want to make portuguese players the base of the team and isn't that what we all want to see??
I like to think that BENTO is the same name of the man who put the Sporting's rink-hockey team in the bankrupt