“It was a consistent display”

POST-MATCH

Praising the fairness of the result, against a tough opponent, at the culmination of an exhausting competitive cycle, Bruno Lage was satisfied with the victory against Farense, 1-2, on matchday 10 of the Liga Betclic, in a match played this Saturday, November 2, at the Estádio Algarve.

HARD-EARNED VICTORY TO END A DEMANDING CYCLE

"We knew it was going to be a very difficult game because of Farense's quality, which doesn't justify their position in the table at all. We knew it would be difficult, because we've seen Farense grow and the way they play, the way they press and also the difficulty of this cycle of Rio Ave, Santa Clara and Farense, with only two days between games. We knew that this could also create some problems for us. The team actually came into the game very well. We made some changes in search of that, freshness, different dynamics and putting pressure on Farense differently. I think it worked very well. We had a really good spell of pressure at 2'/3', when Di María won the ball back in the central area, outside the box, and we could have done better. We always tried to find space, and then we conceded the goal. We could have been stronger in individual situations and crossing, but it's worth highlighting the team's ability, after conceding a goal, to quickly create chances again and, in the first half, score the equalizer. Then we had to make some adjustments and try to surprise our opponents again. I think we succeeded. The second half was even better, because of what we did, the way we pressed, the changes we made, both on the pitch and with Beste coming on, and the way we started to press. It's only natural that we scored 1-2. At one point or another, we could have scored another goal. From watching it live, I can understand all the opinions about Farense's goalkeeper. He made two very good saves and, in the end, at 1-2, we didn't score, and the game was divided. I think we could have had more control of the game. Farense changed, they went from a five to a four. It's easy to admit that, in the final minutes, with the game divided, Farense have a ball that crosses our entire area, but I think we could have scored the third goal. In my opinion, it's a fair result. But the most important thing is to look at this run of three games, in which we played Rio Ave, two days apart, Santa Clara, two days apart, and Farense, and scored 10 goals, conceded one, picked up six points and went through to the final four [of the League Cup]. We closed this cycle satisfied, and now we have four days to prepare for the game with Bayern Munich."

DIFFICULTIES DUE TO THE OPPONENT AND THE CONTEXT

"[Was the display a reflection of the demanding cycle or Farense's merit?] Exactly the two things. I said it in the preview, and I've said it now. Firstly, credit to Farense, because they've made very good progress. I know the quality of the coach [Tozé Marreco] and I think he'll do a good job. Then there's the sequence of games. That's why we started this cycle with just two days. If you look around Europe these days, how many surprising results there are from teams that play from week to week, and teams that play midweek, with such short breaks... Four days would be ideal, but it's not possible. Still on the subject of the display, it wasn't a brilliant display like, for example, the one we put in against Rio Ave or the second half, with goals, against Santa Clara, but it was a consistent display, growing from the first to the second [half]. We appreciate that it was another comeback. At one point or another, we could have scored the third goal and, when we took the score to 1-2, we always gave the opposition hope to try and score the equalizer."

HALF-TIME SUBSTITUTION

"The player [Bah] felt a slight discomfort, and we had to change. We started the game with three midfielders, and our intention at half-time was to play with just two midfielders. We tried to make the defensive shifts shorter and the pressure a little more intense, and I think it had an effect. Knowing Bah's discomfort - nothing special, but two or three players were feeling very fatigued today, especially those who had been playing longer - we made that change, realizing that Fredrik [Aursnes] could close down and then attack inside. As we felt comfortable with Fredrik [Aursnes] doing that very well, we started defending practically as a three, with Tomás [Araújo], Nico [Otamendi] and [Álvaro] Carreras, and having dynamics on the right, inside and out, with Di María, and on the left, with Beste and Aktür [Aktürkoğlu]."

INDIVIDUALITIES TO SURPRISE

"[Unpredictability] That's what we're aiming for with our daily work, looking at the characteristics of our players. We tried to surprise Farense with the starting eleven, to try and cause some uncertainty in their pressing. As I've always said, coaching Benfica offers the talent we have in individual terms, and then it's up to us, with the players, to have the nuances. We've been fortunate to have competent people on the bench who can change some nuances and always bring energy. Once again, that's been the case: guys who come off the bench help build the display and the result."

INITIAL CHOICES WITH LITTLE REST TIME

"It's about looking at the individual management of the players. At the moment, the way we want to play, pressing, and the way we want to play with the ball, at speed, it's almost impossible to do three-game cycles with just two days' break at the level we want. With a squad like that, we have to choose the best eleven, depending on the game, the tactics and the strategy we think is best to win the game."

CHALLENGES AHEAD

"We're about to start another cycle, in which we'll have another day of recovery. As we've been doing, it's about preparing for the game in the best possible way, with the ambition of winning. That's our spirit. I've just congratulated the players. They ran, they fought, they turned the result around, and they put in a performance that leaves us satisfied. That's three points, and now we have to look forward to the next one with the same ambition as always."