"To show our unity, we really want to progress"

PREVIEW

At the press conference ahead of Juventus-Benfica on matchday 8 of the Champions League, Bruno Lage highlighted the unity, ambition and belief of a team determined to win in Turin and continue their participation in the current edition of the competition.

I wanted to ask you about a piece of information that has only recently come to light, published by [the newspaper] Record, which also has to do with the conversation in the garage. The identity of one of the fans who was there is Diogo, one of the fans convicted of stoning the bus. Did you know who he was?

We're here to talk about the Champions League match. We scheduled a press conference a few days ago [Sunday, January 26] to talk about it. We could have asked every possible question, we were there to clarify the matter. I didn't want to bring this up today [Tuesday], because we have a game to prepare for and win. I just want to say this about what happened on the night [of Saturday, January 25]: everything that was said, was said in front of 30 fans, and it was with the intention of defending the group. I didn't hide, I got off the bus, the fans were calling for the players, and it was me who stepped forward to speak to the fans, in order to defend the players. I didn't speak softly, I spoke in the tone in which the conversation was taking place. I had to speak loudly to make myself heard. I used the same language that was being used in the conversation - street language, I also use street language. And next to me, so that there's no doubt, was the whole entourage that had arrived from the game with Casa Pia. I passed the police barrier, I was in front of the fans, and I had Dr. Lourenço Pereira Coelho next to me. Slightly behind me, I had my coaching staff, the Benfica staff were behind me, Ricardo Lemos was also near me at the time. The players and the captain were about 20/25 meters away from me. Nobody left. There were policemen, there were security guards. In a football ground, there were more than 100 people listening to this conversation. That's what I have to say on the subject. Eventually, because the conversation was so long, about 30 minutes, I won't be surprised if new audio files emerge about the conversation. I'm completely relaxed about that. Regarding the name, the person was calling me by my name, I asked him what his name was, and he said Diogo. Curiously, the same name as a member of my coaching staff. I don't know who he is, I've never seen him, I understood that he was a Benfica supporter, and I have nothing more to add on that subject. We have a very important game to prepare for. I held a press conference on the subject, and I was at your disposal to answer any questions.

Juventus have the 3rd best defense in the Italian league and one of the best defenses in this stage of the Champions League. The defensive organization of their Italian opponents is one of the team's strengths?

They're a team that's worth it as a whole, both defensively and offensively. They're a very competent team. We have to do our best. We have one more chance to secure points that can take us further in the competition. We've prepared for the game to win, we still have today and tomorrow [Wednesday] to finalize small details, define the team, but what we want is to put into practice everything we know, what we've already shown, the quality of our players, the quality of our team, the competence of everyone, show our unity, show our determination, because we really want to progress in the competition. 

Given the importance of the match for Benfica, given the difficulty of playing Juventus at Juventus' ground, and even given the fact that we're in Italy, I ask you: how are Benfica going to get out of this?

It's about looking at what we've done well. There was also a record that Benfica hadn't beaten Monaco for a while, and the team went there, was determined and won. That's what we have to do tomorrow [Wednesday]. We know that tomorrow [Wednesday] is the last game of this phase. We had an excellent chance, given the display we put in and the four goals we scored in the last game, to have the points we need to advance. We didn't manage it, several factors played a part in why we didn't pick up any points and were already in a privileged position to have secured them. Tomorrow [Wednesday] we have that opportunity. We have to play a great game, we have to put in a great display, that's our mission, to play better than our opponents, to create the chances, to score our goals, so that we can progress, because we really want to do well in this Champions League.

You've just spoken about the importance of this game. Only a win will make what Otamendi was saying earlier happen, hat is, turn this situation around and solve the problem internally? Listening to the team captain's words, do you regret what happened in the garage, after all the noise it created and causing you to have to talk about it when you didn't want to?

I repeat what I said at the last conference. I talked about certain situations that we, as a team, can't do. We've been training hard to resolve that issue. That's what we have to do. Problems are solved on the pitch. In training, practicing, making the team grow and then showing the work we're doing in the game. That's how I feel. I know what I have to do, I know what steps we have to take to be more consistent. There are issues that we have to take the time to train for, to make the team grow, but there are details that can't be solved by training alone and, as I said, they can't be solved overnight either. It takes a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of dedication. We have to know how to make the team grow in that sense, so that we can be more and more consistent. I have a clear conscience, what I did was in defense of the team. Nobody left... As I said, a conversation, and there were 100 people in a football ground. I did it in defense of the group.

Possibly, but I'll take this as an opportunity: you said you wouldn't be surprised if more audios came out. Is there any specific content that could emerge and increase fan protest? You also said here, for example, that Lourenço Pereira Coelho was with you, that the delegation was with you - you didn't mention that on Sunday. And, by the way, if you don't qualify [for the next stage of the Champions League], will you make your place available?

We have a game to prepare for and win! If you've made the trip from Portugal to Italy to see if I'll make my place available, you've wasted your time. I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about preparing for the game. I know what I have to do, and I know how to do it. We've already proved that. As a coaching staff, and the players as a team. We have to keep working..