"Our goal is to go through to the semi-final, we're going to give everything"

PREVIEW

Play a top game and advance to the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup! That's what the team led by Roger Schmidt is aiming for, in his preview of Vizela-Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, he praised the Reds' ambition to face up to the difficulties inherent in a match that is "very different" from the reality of the league. The match takes place this Thursday, February 8, at 8:45 pm, at the Estádio do Futebol Clube Vizela. 

What do you think of this Vizela team? What do you expect from this quarter-final of the Portuguese Cup?

There are eight teams left in this competition, and when you play a team in the quarter-finals, it means they've won all their games so far. I think the Cup is always a special competition, it has nothing to do with the league. If [the teams] are at this stage, in the last eight, it's because they've shown quality, but also mentality. It's because they take this competition very seriously, as do we. We're expecting a tough, difficult game, it's never easy to play in Vizela. We're prepared to play a top game, our aim is to go through to the semi-final. I expect a tough game.

Vizela are bottom of the Liga Betclic. After what happened in Leiria with Estoril [in the League Cup], are you wary of this Portuguese Cup match? Do you need to be very cautious?

We weren't overconfident in the League Cup. We created so many chances to score, as I've said many times, and it had nothing to do with underestimating the opponent. I don't remember us underestimating any opponent in the year and a half I've been at Benfica. My team always takes its opponents very seriously in preparation, and that's our task for tomorrow [Thursday, February 8]. That's why, as I said at the start, I'm not thinking about the league when I look at this game. I can see it's the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, all the teams still in the competition have invested a lot to get to this stage of the competition, and they're giving everything. They'll give everything in the 90 or 120 minutes, and so will we. We're ready to fight to reach the semi-final, we don't expect an easy game, we're completely committed to accepting the history of the game and in the end we want to win it.

You said after the match with Gil Vicente [matchday 20 of the Liga Betclic, February 4] that you decided to give Kökcü some rest, in a game in which you enjoyed watching Florentino. Are you considering playing with three players in midfield, or are you thinking of putting Kökcü in another position, for example?

I'm always thinking about the best approach for the next game, especially in these times when we have so many games in a row. With only two or three days between games, you have to think about everything. Last weekend in particular we gave João Mário and Orkun [Kökcü] some rest, also to share the load between all the players, and to give others the chance to get fit. We need the whole squad. For tomorrow [Thursday, February 8], it's the same. They've rested, they're fresh. Changing the system... I didn't change it much at Benfica, because I think our type of football is better in this formation. We changed it once when we had trouble with the full-backs. But we always played the same way with two central midfielders. João Mário, Orkun [Kökcü] and Fredrik [Aursnes] are players who can play in the center of midfield, but of course they can also play more in the middle, left or right.  They're flexible players. It can always be an option for them to play in these positions. How will we do tomorrow [Thursday, February 8]? We'll see. I'm happy that we have options, that we've built up options and that we have players coming back from injury and the new players more integrated with the others. Now we always have the chance to adjust a little for the next game.

Will Morato remain in the team to maintain a certain balance, or do you already feel that Álvaro Carreras is a player who can bring more intensity and pressing ability?

It's true, we always need a good balance in the team. In our style of soccer, we try to be active on the pitch, proactive with the ball, but also without the ball in moments of pressure, in high pressure. We have a different situation this year from last year. We have different types of players, of course we've tried to adjust the type of players in certain positions a little. Our full-backs are very important players for us in possession, in the final third of the field, in offensive terms. This year, but also last year, we created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities using our full-backs. That's why we need them in attack, because we don't use classic wingers. We have more interior players in attacking midfield, which means we have to use the full-backs in attacking moments. But our full-backs are also very important in situations where the opposition has the ball. When we want to play in high pressure, we also want the full-backs to defend further forward, to control the space behind the more attacking players. So the profile is to have attacking full-backs, but also with a lot of bravery in defending and in tactical positioning, because we have to be careful of counter-attacks. The task for the full-backs is very complex. We have players who have played these positions in different ways. Morato, for me, is a big surprise, he's been very good as a full-back, because if you look at him, he's more of a center-back than a full-back. But he's a very good footballer and in recent weeks he's developed at a top level. It was crucial for us to find this solution.With Morato at full-back we were able to play with a line of four defenders, because we needed Fredrik [Aursnes] at right-back. Morato's development has been very important for us, he's now a player who has some experience in this position [left-back]. Álvaro Carreras is a new player at Benfica, but he's been doing well, so I gave him minutes on Sunday [against Gil Vicente]. I think he's a different player too, but all these players have to respect this profile, which means having a lot of tasks in attack and defense. So they have to adjust, and the more they do that, the more they play. I'm happy because I have different options to use in the games coming up in the next few weeks.

This year, Benfica made the biggest investment ever in the winter market. Do you feel more pressure to win titles this season?

Pressure is always present in soccer, especially when you're at a club like Benfica. We signed four players and five left in the winter transfer window. Last summer and the one before that, and also last winter [2023], players of great quality were transferred. This is part of life at Benfica, which sells players for a lot of money. The club's philosophy is to make big sales to balance the budget, but we have to be careful because we have big ambitions, and we have to have a team capable of competing for trophies. Trying to have the best possible squad is a crucial mission for us. If we sell players like Gonçalo Ramos and Enzo Fernández, or, last summer, Darwin Nuñez, we have to invest and sign new players. You have to be balanced and sell more than you buy, and I think we've been smart in the market. The signings we've made are with the future in mind. If we look at the value of the team, of each player, we see that there is a lot of potential to grow, create value, and, who knows, make another big sale. We have a lot of youngsters with that potential, and that's great for a club like Benfica. I think the investment has been positive, the balance of the budget is very good, and it has nothing to do with pressure, but with professionalism.