Paulo Fonseca makes Sporting debut against Moreirense on Saturday, 7 November

A debut with defence at the top of the list

Paulo Fonseca will make his debut as Sporting coach on Saturday, 7 November, when the club hosts Moreirense at Alvalade in the 11th round of the Primeira Liga, with kick-off at 20:30. He spoke at the Alcochete training ground on Friday, 6 November. Fonseca, 53, brings 110 European matches, 32 of them in the Champions League, and almost seven consecutive seasons at the top level of Europe's big leagues. His recent posts include two seasons at AS Roma in Serie A, two at Lille, a spell at AC Milan and two seasons at Lyon in Ligue 1.

His first priority is defending. Sporting have conceded 16 goals in 15 official matches this season, and Fonseca said the club cannot chase titles without defending well.

“If Sporting does not defend well, it is impossible to fight for titles.”

He said he prefers winning without conceding but insisted that this does not make him a defensive coach. He wants the ball, arguing that the best way to defend is to have it.

A tribute request for Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Thursday, 5 November, in a video shared on social media, that he is ending his career with the Portugal national team. On Friday, 6 November, Fonseca asked for a tribute to the 41-year-old and offered Alvalade as the venue, saying the stadium was the one that launched Ronaldo into the top tier of international football. He said the idea was his own and that the club had never discussed it before.

“Cristiano Ronaldo deserves a tribute that makes him feel truly welcomed by all of us.”

Ronaldo holds the world record for international appearances, with 234 caps and 146 goals. His career highlights with Portugal include Euro 2016 and two Nations League editions, in 2019 and 2025. On 30 September he left the camp on the eve of the Nations League match against Denmark, at the start of Jorge Jesus's spell as coach. Ronaldo said Jesus had broken his word more than once. He served a 30-day ban and paid a fine of 255 euros. Jesus announced his first Portugal squad without Ronaldo on Friday.

Goals conceded and a demanding playing style

Sporting have conceded 11 goals in 10 Primeira Liga matches, four in four Champions League games and one in the single Taça da Liga quarter-final. Fonseca said many of the young players signed this year were not used to positional play, which he says needs time to teach. He cited Issa Doumbia, who came from Italian football, as an example of how hard the adjustment can be. Fonseca said Sporting play 80% of their matches in planned attack and that the players must learn to do so.

Primeira Liga (10 matches)11

Champions League (4 matches)4

Taça da Liga (1 match)1

Primeira Liga (10 matches)

11 goals

Champions League (4 matches)

4 goals

Taça da Liga (1 match)

1 goals

Data from the article text

Fonseca also praised Académico de Viseu and Gil Vicente for their courage in playing man-marking (HxH, homem a homem) and said his side must be able to switch between high pressing and positional attack.

Moreirense's view and the referees

Moreirense coach Vasco Botelho da Costa said he could not easily predict how Fonseca would change the team. He praised Fonseca's flexibility and said the Sporting squad allows him to do essentially what he wants.

“He is a coach who changes a lot, he is quite versatile.”

Asked about rivals Marco Silva at Benfica and Farioli at FC Porto, Fonseca called both excellent coaches. He also said he will try to avoid commenting on referees and does not believe Portuguese referees are of lower quality than those in the top-five leagues. The match is on Saturday, 7 November, at 20:30 at Alvalade.