Roger Schmidt: "We have a great team spirit"

PREVIEW

Roger Schmidt previewed the match between Benfica and GD Chaves, on matchday 10 of the Liga Betclic, scheduled for 3:30 pm on Saturday, November 4, at the Estádio Municipal Engenheiro Manuel Branco Teixeira. 

What kind of match and opponent do you expect in Chaves?

It's an away game again, a similar situation to the one we experienced on Tuesday [against Arouca]. Of course, it's a different competition. I don't think Chaves started the season well, but in recent games, with a new coach, they've gained a new energy. I expect the team to fight for their chance, just as they did last season. We have memories of that, so it's important for us to focus on ourselves. Analyze the opponent and play a good game away from home. We need points. We're in good shape. I expect a tough game, we've got three away games coming up, and that's never easy for the players. We showed on Tuesday [October 31] that we're ready, and tomorrow [Saturday, November 4] we'll be ready again.

This week a photo was published of the players having dinner. Do you think the group needed to show that they're united?

Honestly, I haven't seen the photo, but it's something they [players] do often. It's always a good sign if the players do things together, not just in matches and training, but also in private. I like these situations. I've been here for over a year, and I've always felt that the players are very connected and have a great team spirit. I have no doubt about that. I don't think the meeting was motivated by any particular situation, but rather because the players enjoy being together.

Gonçalo Guedes played as a striker against Arouca. Are you counting on him more for that position this season than for the wings?

The first objective was to get him back physically and get him into the game. Now that he's in a good position, he's still not at his best, but he's shown that he's back. He's an athlete who can play in different positions. On Tuesday, Petar [Musa] was ill, and we had different options, so I decided on a player who can provide depth. He can take on that position, he's shown it. Of course, he's more used to playing on the left, he can also play as a second striker, but he can always adjust [in tactical terms], depending on my ideas and tactical approach to the game. It's very good, I like that, because he's a player who isn't fixed in one position, he has the experience and intelligence to play several positions.

Do you plan on repeating the system with the three defenders in the next few games?

First, I'm completely focused on tomorrow [Saturday] and I'm not thinking about the next games. I think the first rehearsal was good. In our situation, with the players we have available, this system allows us to control games better. It's also an advantage to have Morato on the pitch because he's a top player, and in a system with two central midfielders, it's harder to give them all playing time. It's an option for tomorrow [Saturday] and the next few games, but it's also an option to play with another formation.

Given the importance of the upcoming matches, is next week the most decisive since you arrived at Benfica?

I was expecting this question because it's asked at every press conference. This means that Benfica's goals are very high because everything is important, every game is important. We want to become champions this year, and in international competitions, we want to achieve special things. We didn't start well, that's clear, but first, we have to focus on tomorrow's game [Saturday] and work on our situation in the league. We want the three points to have a chance of fighting for first place in our next home game [Sporting]. Then we switched our focus to the Champions League, where we feel we're not playing at our level. We're not happy about that situation, but, I repeat, we'll think about it step by step. We're in the middle of three games for three different competitions, and we started well on Tuesday [Arouca], getting into a good position in the League Cup. Tomorrow [Saturday], we need the three points in Chaves, and we're completely focused on that. Then we'll talk about the Champions League.