"Our energy and that of the fans will be decisive"

PREVIEW

Pleased with the response the Benfica team has been giving, coach Bruno Lage believes that they will once again perform “well” when they host Famalicão, this Friday, January 17, at 8:15 pm, on matchday 18 of the Liga Betclic.

Benfica will be playing their 5th game in 14 days, while Famalicão will be playing their 2nd in 13 days. Could this difference in the teams' match schedules have an impact on tomorrow's game [Friday, January 17]?

It's not about comparing the number of games with our opponents, but what it's like to play with only two days' break. However, the team has responded well. And the fact is that if we want a squad that gives us the guarantees to fight for titles - and we've achieved that recently - we have to be ready for it. As for the game, the team will perform well, because they've been able to recover well. We're playing a very competent opponent, with a new coach [Hugo Oliveira], who, oddly enough, knows the place. Both our own energy and the energy from outside will be crucial. The support of our fans is very important, and it makes a difference. It makes a lot of difference, and we've been feeling it. We felt it in the League Cup games, we felt it in the Portuguese Cup game, the support of our fans, pushing our team forward, and that gives us extra motivation and helps a lot.

Now we're back in the league, after the League Cup and Portuguese Cup matches, and the last game at the Estádio da Luz wasn't a happy one. And Famalicão have already beaten Benfica this season. Does that serve as a warning? Have you spoken to the players in any special way about this?

No, we spoke in the same way. We have to be prepared for anything. We have to look at every game and every moment of every game very assertively. What we talked about, and I can even touch on it, is that we can't concede two goals in a row the way we did from set pieces and corners. Our aim is always to do better and we're always very assertive with the players, so that they understand very well what we want. There's no room here, at least not for me... there's no room for anyone to take time off, the players have given good answers, the team has given good answers playing every two days. That's what I demand of them [the players], because I know that's what the fans demand of me and the team.

During the course of the season, there was a time when Aktürkoğlu was very much in the spotlight on an individual level. Then it moved on to Di María, and lately Schjelderup. Do you somehow fear that the team is a bit hostage to these individual highlights? The fact that, more than the team as a whole, one player stands out... Aktürkoğlu, at first, with those goals, then Di María, lately Schjelderup, breaking the deadlock two games in a row. 

I think what has unlocked games has been the strength of the team. That's my opinion, because if we look at the goals and the other teams in the league, we're always going to say that it's player A in that team and player B in that team.  I think the team has worked together. There are things we want to keep improving, and the thing we like most - and we're working on it, so that the team has consistency - is to put in great performances, because there's a curious thing about what you say, which is that we have lots of players who score goals and put in good performances. This shows that there is a team effort, that the team plays for the team, and that we are aware that we have very good individuals who, at all times, at their best, help the team to win games.

Can you tell us how long Di María will be out for? With the Argentine's injury, are you considering a change of system for the game against Famalicão, a return to 4x4x2?

According to the information we have, he came in today [Thursday, January 16] with no pain, so possibly, in the most positive scenario, depending on what the player felt, it will only be one game. Regardless of the system, what I want is dynamics, and the player who plays in that position will have to have dynamics, functions and movements that I understand should exist in that position.

I'd like to understand how another injury to Renato Sanches will be managed. To what extent can this injury give Rollheiser more minutes, for example?

It's with a champion's mentality. It's like losing. It's losing, and I have to look ahead to the next game. It's about falling and knowing how to get back up automatically, that's the only way to do it. And Renato [Sanches] has had that ability. It was a very happy moment for him, we saw him - a boy, who is now a man, from our youth team - lift a trophy again. I believe, and I'm sure, that his return to Benfica was to give that to our fans, to help win titles. He's injured again, it's about not thinking too much about what's happened and getting back to work to come back strong. Knowing that he has people on his side, the coaching staff, the coach and all the staff, who support him immensely. Renato's injury... Renato is a midfielder, Rollheiser is a midfielder who plays further forward. The former coach, Roger Schmidt, tried to adapt Rollheiser to a lower position, as a number 8, and he feels more comfortable playing further forward. So for Rollheiser, for Prestianni, for [João] Rego, they all have to understand what I, as a coach, want for those positions. I can give you the example of what happened in the last one, because it's happened with several players coming into the team and performing very well. With Álvaro [Carreras], Barreiro and, in the very recent past, Schjelderup... To understand very well what you want in each position, and on the part of the coach and the technical team, to look at the player and at every moment understand what is good about them to try to take advantage of it, and also to look at what are - not deficiencies - some less strong points for them to work on, and Andreas [Schjelderup] did that very well. To have a stronger attitude in defensive transition, to be more aggressive in pressing, to have a more attacking quality of play and not just, when they get the ball, to go against the world; to have a more adult game. 

Bearing in mind what you said about wanting a more mature, more adult game, and also bearing in mind that we're in the winter market, does the same apply to players like Beste?

I talked about being more grown-up when I mentioned Andreas [Schjelderup], about not... how can I explain this better? When I said adult, I meant not feeling like “I have to score a goal for the coach to look at me”. He [the player in general] doesn't have to dribble half opposing team, he doesn't have to dribble around three players, and he doesn't have to score a goal for the coach to look at him, either in the game or in training. He just has to be able to play the roles and make the moves that I like. Beste was a very good addition to our team and helped us a lot in certain games, especially when we played against a line of five. He's a player who plays on the wing and knows how to close down the corridor well, he can attack from the outside with a very good quality in his crosses. He's scored goals, he's scored important goals - I remember the goals in the Portuguese Cup [with Pevidém] - he's had assists, he's made contributions that have helped to consolidate results. Market offer? We look at the offer, we look at the player's performance, we look at the player's opinion on a possible offer, and we understand what's best, both for the club and for the player. 

After the whistles at the Estádio da Luz, you received huge demonstrations of support in Leiria and Faro. Have you completely dispelled the mistrust there was about you? In a conversation with the fans at the end [of the game], you were asked for a Cardozo-like striker, and you said that it wasn't up to you, but that Benfica had good strikers. Does that mean you didn't ask the President and also that Benfica don't need a goalscorer?r?

About the first one... If anyone knows what it's like to be at Benfica, it's me, I've been here for 20 years. In a conversation with the players after we won the League Cup, one player - I won't say which one - even said: “Maybe now the fans will be a bit more satisfied.” I said: “No, we have to win the Portuguese Cup on Tuesday.” That's why I'll never be satisfied with myself. My demand is for the team to play well again tomorrow [Friday], to win, because that's the nature and demand of the Benfica fan. So, regardless of what people think of me - and I feel that support from the fans - tomorrow [Friday] there's a game to play. It's just nature. No matter which coach is here, you have to win the next game, and that's the mentality I try to pass on to the players, especially those who don't know how big and demanding Benfica is. On the subject of the market, your question was very well asked. We always have to be on the lookout for opportunities in the market, whether it's possible departures or arrivals. I can assure you of one thing: regardless of the position, whoever comes must contribute quality and talent so that the team can continue to win.