Brazilian defender Maicon spoke to the media after playing 58 minutes of tonight’s friendly loss to Sporting CP. Rudi Garcia’s No. 13 gave his take on the match, speaking about his own form and analyzing the team’s progress.

It was a tough match tonight against an opponent with more preparation under their belts. Did that show?
“Definitely. I spoke with some of their Brazilian players after the match and they said they’ve been working for much longer than we have, so I guess they had a bit of an advantage tonight.”

You are now halfway through pre-season. How is it going?
“We obviously still need to grow. We saw tonight that we’re not yet able to play 90 minutes at a high tempo. We played well at the start of the match and that shows we’re on the right track and should keep working hard to be ready for the new season.”

How do you feel physically? You had a good performance tonight and looked fit.
“I would like to be able to train with my team-mates every day without any physical problems this season. Apart from that, it’s up to the coach and my performances on the pitch. I’ll try to give 100% to help the team when I do play.”

How are you finding it with Darcy Norman?
“All fitness coaches have their own ways of working and it’s down to us players to adapt. We’ve definitely been working differently to past years with Darcy. Obviously, players know themselves and have to apply the new methods by managing their bodies and giving 100%. I will do everything I can to be ready for the start of the season.”

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