Sporting managed to snatch a draw against FC Porto (2-2), last Sunday, in a Clássico where, once again, Nuno Santos jumped from the starting lineup to the bench, ending up entering the last half hour of the game, with the right to an assist for the first goal of two goals by Viktor Gyokeres. The trend, however, was confirmed: the 29-year-old left-back can't handle more than 45 minutes against any of the rivals this season. In six big games this season (two against FC Porto and four against Benfica), Nuno Santos was a starter only once and, otherwise, the habit is to jump from the bench throughout the second halves, except for a derby in which he didn't even add minutes. The only time he entered Rúben Amorim's eleven, something that happened in the draw (2-2) against Benfica, at Estádio da Luz, culminating in the passage to the final of the Portuguese Cup, the truth is that the Portuguese footballer only played until halftime. But let's pull the tape back. In the first derby of the season, marked by the epic comeback of the eagles (2-1) in the discounts, Nuno Santos entered at 73 minutes to replace Matheus Reis. Then, in the victory against FC Porto in the I League (2-0), the defender went into the game at 61 minutes, facing the exit of Eduardo Quaresma, in a Clássico that preceded the derby for the Portuguese Cup against Benfica (2-1) in which he was only an option at 86 minutes, for Geny Catamo's vacancy. Last April, Nuno Santos was then a starter at Luz (2-2), four days before the triumph (2-1) against Benfica, in the accounts of the championship leadership, in which he didn't even play. Last Sunday, the left-back jumped from the bench at 60 minutes and showed Rúben Amorim with an assist at 87 minutes, starting the epic recovery of the lions, with two goals in about a minute bringing the team closer to the 20th national championship.

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'The rest is landscape'?

The tactical nuances, according to Rúben Amorim, led Nuno Santos to be part of the list of substitutes in five of the six high-caliber games against Benfica and FC Porto this season, even giving the example of Paulinho's positioning on the field when justifying the absence of the 29-year-old athlete in the eleven he chose for the Clássico.

"He understands the dynamics that we do. Mainly when there is a full-back on that side, who plays lower, like Geny [Catamo], this is no longer very natural for him. I think he understands that. Like all players... Paulinho, today, played a bit on the left and had to defend as a winger. It's not something natural for him. It will happen once or twice. It's a lot like that. The players know that I know them well," he began by saying at a press conference.

"In the middle of this season, I was asked if I was going to let Nuno Santos rest because he came from a very long sequence of games. It is related to their moment and what we are looking for the game. I don't want to put a player in a completely uncomfortable position in a game, I thought it was for him. Being very low [on the pitch] and then having to attack like a winger. There's no big explanation. The players understand," he added next.

The truth is that, this season, Nuno Santos participated in 46 games and was a starter in 33, which shows, from the outset, a preference of Rúben Amorim to put him in the games from the beginning, although the history in the big duels is another. With a record of six goals and 13 assists, this is already one of the seasons with the best numbers in the service of Sporting.

Leia Também: Amorim: "Ruído da viagem? Nada. Mexeu mais comigo do que com eles" (Portuguese version)