Arouca has secured five points from their first four Liga Portugal Betclic matches, marking a calm start to the season. This comes despite a heavy defeat suffered at Alvalade. Coach Vasco Seabra recently made statements to Sport TV, clearly outlining the club’s goals for the current campaign. His message shows a strong alignment with the club’s leadership.
Seabra explained that the team isn’t “obsessed” with their final league standing. “We always want to finish as high as possible,” he noted, highlighting Arouca’s significant ambition. While a better position is always desired, he stressed it’s not an “obsession.” Their approach is to keep “their feet firmly on the ground.” He also pushed back against a certain label sometimes given to his teams. “We want to put on a quality game,” he stated, “not because we are romantics, but because we have a strong desire to win, and we believe this is the best way to play to achieve victory.”
Building the Team
Seabra expressed satisfaction with the squad, saying he was “happy with what we have built.” He noted that the club worked closely with their administration. Together, they pinpointed exactly what they needed in the transfer market. They then assembled a group precisely as they wished to “tackle this difficult championship.” He sees “a lot of talent” within the team, believing it can grow in value. This talent, he explained, helps Arouca reach their goals: to “do better than last season” and to “continue to value the game.” They want to “promote quality football that people enjoy watching.” Seabra emphasized the need for balance, saying they should “neither fall into euphoria when we get a good result, nor into depression when we get a bad one.”
Squad Stability and Strategic Sales
Looking at the transfer window, Seabra shared his confidence. He believes that Joel Pinho, Arouca’s general director, and the President will not allow any more players to leave. He pointed to “an excellent sale” earlier in the transfer window with Chico Lamba. The squad is quite young, with “many individual talents.” Most players are under contract with Arouca. He feels the players are “happy to be here,” and the staff is “happy with them.” Right now, he feels “calm.”
The sale of a player like Chico, for instance, led to a direct request to the President and Joel Pinho. Seabra asked them if they could “improve our stadium pitch.” He confirmed the pitch “was improved,” which now provides “better conditions for us to play the game that enhances our value,” as they often discuss. He insists they “do not despair over departures.” While it “hurts,” he said, “we move on, always with great enthusiasm for the players we have.” They work with the goal of being “happy again at the end.”
Learning from Losses
Seabra reflected on the recent Alvalade game. He called it “the game that cost us the most in terms of result.” He felt the penalty and subsequent expulsion, which made the score 2-0, “took us out of the game and hurt us.” However, he added that the team deals with such moments “with a certain naturalness.” This approach, he said, “fortunately allows us to keep our feet on the ground, whether we win or lose.” He concluded, “We know our reality, and we move forward with conviction and confidence in what we do.”
A Competitive Season Ahead
Looking at the broader league, Seabra believes there were “many good signings” across most clubs. He foresees “a very demanding, very difficult championship” because “teams have strengthened considerably.” Arouca also made their own improvements. So, he said, they “take on our share of responsibility to do well,” especially given “the quality of the players we have, because we believe in them very much.”
The top clubs “made a very large investment,” which “may have created a slightly bigger gap,” he admitted. However, he believes that “we, as mid-sized clubs, will still fight” and “manage to reduce the differences a bit.” This, he suggested, “will always make the championship more appealing.” This year, “mid-sized teams truly tried to make a larger investment” to “get closer and become more complete.” As the season goes on, he expects it “to become balanced again.” He concluded, “I believe it will be an even better championship than last year.”
Stability as a Foundation
Seabra spoke of feeling this “stability last year.” When they first arrived at the club, “things didn’t go well right away.” Yet, he felt “a very great trust” from the President and Joel Pinho. They “started to propose a renewal” even before the team had secured a single win. “We ended up renewing because we truly felt we needed this stability,” he explained. This stability allowed them “to start the season with our players,” with whom they share “an incredible relationship,” to “be able to build what we want to build.”