Estoril had three coaches during the ending season, which is never a good sign of how things went. However, the team managed to end in a respectable 10th position, but not without spending the biggest part of the season in a near relegation position. The first coach, coming from last season, Brazilian Fabiano Soares lasted 13 rounds, leaving the club in the 11th position, with 15 points. The following man, Spanish Pedro Carmona, would have a much worse performance, having collected 8 defeats, two draw and only one victory while at Amoreira. When he was finally hired as Estoril’s third coach of the season, Pedro Emanuel picked the team in the 15th position, only four points above relegation zone. The change had an immediate effect and, eventually, in the last 10 rounds of the season (the total period with Pedro Emanuel in charge), the team collected only two defeats (one of them with league winners Benfica), and grabbed 5 victories in the process.
One of the positive aspects that Pedro Emanuel brought to the team was that he picked some players that were having little to no participation at all in the season until then. Midfielder Allano and forward Carlinhos were two important names in this phase of the season. Kléber had an intermittent campaign, due to constant injury problems, but still managed to have a relatively good season, scoring 8 goals in the league (plus two in the Cup). Goalkeeper Moreira showed some safe hands during the entire season, while a trio of new January signings had also some influence in Estoril’s good ending: defender Gonçalo Brandão, forward André Claro and a returning man, winger Licá. But unquestionably the man in focus for most of the season was Brazilian creative midfielder Mattheus. The left footed vision and passing quality granted some goals to Canarinhos, and his performances good enough to motivate one of the earliest signings of next season, as he will be a Sporting player for 2017-18.
