“ Let’s play to win, it’s very important for our team”

O coach of the National, Alexandre Santos, said today that it is “very important” to score on the ground of Rio Ave, asking for a team “focused and determined”, in preview to the game of the eighth day of the Portuguese League of football.

“ We'll play to win, but we'll actually want to score a lot. This is very important for our team at the moment,” said the technician, at a press conference, at the Madeira Stadium in Funchal.

The pause for the commitments of the national selections allowed the ‘timoneer’ of the islanders to gain time to work, after taking over the technical command of the team about a month ago, following the resignation of João Gião.

According to the coach, players have been “very receptive” to the new ideas implemented, namely the change from a five to a four line defense.

Some players “were easier than others” with regard to the new principles of play, and the team is now “ready to be stronger” in the face of a championship start below expectations.

“ It was a ‘mini’ pre-season very important for me, for all players and for the entire technical team, because we know better the potential of each and have tuned many things. [...] And it was possible to work with more consistency and with less pressure of the game and strategic issues for the game, to solidify more our principles ", assumed Alexandre Santos.

Like the National, Rio Ave also won only once in the first seven days, in a set of bad results that precipitated the resignation of the Greek technician Sotiris Silaidopoulos, replaced in office by Vasco Seabra, hired to Arouca.

Alexandre Santos admits that this “changed a little” the preparation for the game and that he sought to “warn players to what can happen”, leaving praise for the new coach Rioavista.

“ Over the years and with the experience he has, in addition to the success he has had in the I League, my colleague Vasco Seabra will certainly want to modify some things and put the team in his image as soon as possible”, he noted.

Léo Santos, Ulysses Rocha, Wesley Gasolina, Filipe Soares and Igor Liziero remain injured and should not travel with the team to the north of the country, as well as Matheus Dias, suspended for a game after expulsion on the last journey, before the Famalicão.

The National, 15th ranked of the I Liga, with four points, visit on Sunday the Rio Ave, 16th and antepenultimate, also with four, from 15:30, in the Stadium of the Ave FC River, in Vila do Conde, under arbitration of Carlos Macedo, of the association of Braga.