Benfica’s coach, José Mourinho, said this Saturday, April 11, that the ‘reds’ “really need to beat” a Nacional who, he anticipates, will “play for the point” in the duel in the 29th round of the I Football League.
“I expect a team to come and play for the point, without losing sight of the possibility of taking points. We really need to win, for all the reasons. I read some of the most striking sentences from Tiago Margarido’s conference in which he says that he expects a reactive Benfica and, obviously, that is the intention”, he said.
In one of the few times that this Sunday’s game was discussed at the press conference, Mourinho highlighted that Nacional “need points” and that they “play for points”, having said that the Madeirans are “well trained, defend very well and are dangerous on the counterattack”.
Still with the coach’s statements after the defeat against Casa Pia (1-1) in the previous round ‘heading’, José Mourinho highlighted his desire to stay at Benfica next season and “fight for titles”.
Faced with his statement in Rio Maior, in which he said there were players he wanted to no longer play, he stated that it was the result of “frustration” and that it is “normal” for a coach to want to change something in his squad, especially after a “result that is difficult to accept”.
“Regarding what I said, it was frustration. There are only five coaches who wouldn’t change anything in their squad. These five are the only privileged ones. I’ve been there too, but it’s very normal for any coach to want to change something in the squad. Especially after a result that’s frustrating and difficult to accept”, he stressed.
The coach announced the returns of Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro and Dedic to the options, as well as the inclusion of young Gonçalo Moreira in the squad, from which Tomás Araújo will remain absent, due to physical problems.
Regarding Benfica’s chances of reaching the title of national champion, José Mourinho began by saying that his career is defined by “perseverance, work and resilience”, but also by “realism”, confessing himself skeptical about the possibility of FC Porto “losing seven points”, in addition to assuming that it “complicates” the accounts by the fact that the ‘eagles’ do not depend solely on their results.
“If my career reflects anything, it’s perseverance, work and resilience. But the sense of reality represents my career. The ‘mathematically possible’ stimulates me a lot when you depend on yourself. When you start to be in the hands of others, things get more complicated. Realistically, I think it’s difficult for FC Porto to lose seven points. It’s our obligation to fight for those 18 points that are missing and we have to wait for FC Porto to lose here or there”, highlighted the coach from Setubal.
Although they are undefeated in the I League, the ‘reds’ have already recorded nine draws, which led Mourinho to state that teams that play for “important objectives” have to have “urgency” and win games even if they are “poor”.
“This game with Casa Pia is what hurts me the most as a coach, because of the attitude we had. Analyzing, there are things that we must improve in this seemingly easier type of game. […] You have to ‘hammer’ and end the game as soon as possible. Once we score, we can’t suffer like we did. Teams playing for important goals must have urgency. Teams that play for big goals have to win games even when they are poor,” said José Mourinho.
Benfica hosts Nacional on Sunday, at Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, from 6pm, in a match refereed by Fábio Veríssimo, from the Leiria association.
The ‘reds’ occupy third place in the championship, with 66 points, two less than second-placed Sporting, which has played one game less, and seven behind leader FC Porto, while Nacional is 15th, with 25, the same as Casa Pia, which has one game behind.
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