I watched the game and mostly liked what I saw. My biggest concern is the backline. Overall, it was a good win and most importantly, Sporting has won two in a row and that can only mean that their confidence is building and that they are growing as a team.

Their biggest weakness is definitely the backline, as they sometimes put Patricio in some compromising positions. This can only be remedied by the CB's playing together often, both in practice and during games. Paciencia has to stick with a starting pair and allow them to become used to each other's tendencies and game play in order to develop repoire and consistency. It appears that Carrico is out of favor and Polga hasn't played, and Paciencia has put his faith in Rodriguez. As much as I like Carrico, including the fact that he is Portuguese and very talented, he has shown weaknesses in the back and Paciencia has made a decision to stick with other players. If Paciencia is going to trust Rodriguez and Gooch, then he needs to stick with them game in and game out and allow them to become a solid unit. Give them time. Also, keep an eye out for the future as Sporting have Eric Dier and Ilory developing. I hope those two kids turn out to be good options for Sporting two maybe three years down the line.

What I did like during the game and in general is the burgeoning relationship between Insua, Capel and Wolfswinkel. If Insua and Capel keep developing their relationship and playing the way they are, Sporting will have a killer left attack. Capel is an excellent winger, he drives the left side attack with great pace, dribbling and pinpoint crossing. Insua, is a great complement to Capel on the left and his crossing is excellent as well. Wolfswinkel is showing tons of promise and he is a finisher. I love how he is playing with Insua.

A very pleasant surprise that I saw during the game and also against Pacos is the play of Bruno Pereirinha. I love that instead of sending him back on loan, Paciencia has given him a shot and not only has he made the team, but he has started the last two games. His crossing and dribbling has been good and he has been playing well with his teamates. I thought he had a really good game against Zurich and I hope he keeps playing. It is good to see Sporting keep putting their faith in one of their own Portuguese products.

Rubio is another player that I like and he should keep coming off the bench, but I feel that Wolfswinkel should start. Rubio is only 18 and he definitely needs more time to develop. He can score and he has boundless energy and drive, but Wolfswinkel is 22 and I feel he is a bit more polished. If Paciencia opts to play both Rubio and Wolfswinkel together as he did against Pacos in the second half, I feel that the two can complement each other really well. Bojinov needs to adapt more. I haven't seen enough of him to have a definite opinion yet.

This is truly a completely different Sporting than last year, from structure, management, coaching, players, attitude and this adaptation and development period is a natural and necessary part of the process. I am happy with the last two results and I hope to see further success, both domestically and in Europe.

Dare I say this is still no different than least year for Sporting. First domestic win and now a solid Euro victory so I hope this is the beginning of some much-needed consistency, but we'll need a few more good results from SCP before we can definitively say they've moved on from the inadequacy of last season.

I did not get to watch the game, but from the reviews I have read, the team seems tobe uniting more...which is great news. I'm still concerned with the central defense though as perhaps Onyewu is not the best choice. Perhaps he should be given the benefit of the doubt and allow him and Rodriguez to settle.

Overall a solid win on the road and it looks like the win last week did them the world of good. Looks like Capel and Insua as well as Wolfswinkel turned out to be quality signings. Anybody aware of whats happened to Jeffren? I think the kids got talent and will be a great asset down the right flank.

On a side note: What happened with the Djalo transfer. Last I heard it was in fact denied,is he sitting on the bench?

Forca Sporting! Continua a lutar e os resultados vao melhorar!

What a great week for Portuguese football! 3 wins and a draw against Man U! after our average start its good we are back, watch out France we are coming for you. Unfortunantly to my knowledge i think france had a decent week to so they saved themselves for now.

Sporting are finally showing signs of form i think they will improve from here and get more confidence however i still think they need much more time to challenge Benfica and Porto who are looking world class at the moment. Still going around beating the smaller clubs is good for Sporting since a) they will be getting wins and b) they will get a huge confidence boost by the time they start to verse better clubs.

Again good job boys im very happy this week.