Roger Schmidt: "We must do a top-level 90 minutes"

PREVIEW

Roger Schmidt explained the "special motivation" that the working group has for playing again at the Estádio da Luz, in the preview of the Benfica-Boavista game, from matchday 21 of the Liga Bwin, scheduled for this Monday, February 20, at 9:15 pm.

One of the doubts surrounding this game is whether Boavista will present itself with a line of three or four defenders. How will you prepare your team?

We never fully know what the opponent's approach is. Boavista has played with three players behind, in the last match they played with four defenders... We will see, we are prepared for both possibilities. We had the same situation last Wednesday [against Club Brugge], we didn't know if they were going to play with a line of three or four defenders, we are used to this. We know Boavista is a good team, we played a great game against them a few months ago, and we deserved the win. Tomorrow [Monday], we will also have to perform with excellence, we are prepared for that.

Some of the squad players call Chiquinho "Zizou". Has the coach discovered a new Zidane? How do you explain the player's tactical evolution?

To be honest, I hadn't heard that nickname yet, I'll have to ask the players the reason for it. Still, there are some similarities, especially when it comes to retaining the ball, Chiquinho is very good at that. It was one of the great qualities of Zidane, who was one of the best midfielders ever. What I can say is that I am very pleased with Chiquinho. At the beginning of the season he had already shown quality, had some minutes, but few, and, for him, it was difficult to be a starter. As I always say, if the players have a positive attitude, if they stay fit and take advantage of the training to develop, they can get their chance and be rewarded for all the good work. He is an excellent example of this.

FC Porto is two points behind Benfica and beat Rio Ave with controversial refereeing. Does this create additional pressure on your team? Do you fear that refereeing errors will have an impact on the end of the season?

I didn't see the game, but we are under pressure all season long. It's normal when you are in competition with several good teams. It's not easy to be national champion, I've always said so, even when we had a greater point lead. There are many games to play. I expect a tough race, until the last round. We are prepared for this. We are always focused on ourselves, not on our opponents' results. At the moment we are in 1st place, but we have to play a top-level 90 minutes in our stadium against Boavista. We must be disciplined, focused, play forward and defend very well. That's what's in our heads and nothing else.