"We need to win"

PREVIEW

In the preview of Benfica-Arouca this Saturday, October 25, for matchday 9 of the Liga Betclic, José Mourinho assured that the Newcastle chapter is closed and that the team is motivated and prepared to collect the 3 points.

What kind of Arouca are you expecting tomorrow [Saturday] at Luz? How is Benfica's squad doing at the moment?

We need to win. We are not in first place in the league, we are four points behind and need to make up one point. We need to win games. In the last league game, we drew away, and the last home game was difficult, but we got the three points. We have to try to continue on the path of good results, because those behind us don't have much room, so to speak. It's important for us to win the game, it's important for us to keep the pressure on the two rivals ahead of us in the league, and that's the goal. Regarding the last game, we have Dedic's injury, which rules him out of this game, but the team is doing well. We must have the mentality that we are capable of closing chapters. And the Newcastle chapter is closed. I would say, quite objectively, that the Champions League should be forgotten for a couple of weeks. And remember, just between us, that there are 16 or 18 teams with 0 points, 1 point, 2 or 3, which means that we are 3 points away from a qualifying position. Clearly, there is a significant gap between the teams that have won all 3 games, or that have 6, 7, 8, or 9 points, which we can easily control by scoring points and winning games in the upcoming matches. Your question was also directed at tomorrow's game [Saturday], which is indeed the most important one. What kind of opponent can we expect? We expect a typical opponent from what I call the comfortable positions in the table. Opponents who have the quality to have comfortable seasons, who have the peace of mind to be able to develop good play, good soccer. Teams that don't feel any kind of pressure, neither the pressure to play for the title nor the pressure to play to avoid relegation. Good teams, good players, well-trained, who obviously come to cause us difficulties. But I believe in my team, I believe in the little but good work we did, especially today [Friday]. I apologize for you only being here for 15 minutes, but we needed that space to work. We worked well, we know what we have to do, and with all due respect to Arouca, their coach, and their players, I believe we will win.

Tomorrow [Saturday] is a special day because it's election day. Do you expect the stadium to be buzzing and that this could also help the team, given that Arouca is a team that, as we know, plays good soccer, has the same coach, and is well-trained? Last season, for example, they stole a few points from Benfica there that may have been decisive for the title.

It's like I said: they are teams that play well, teams that don't have that pressure that sometimes catapults teams to be better, but most of the time, pressure stunts the development of teams, especially in terms of quality of play. Arouca is at that level of tranquility. As you said... well-trained, with good players, they already stole points from Benfica at Luz last season. They are definitely coming with that intention. I believe we will win. And, in your reference to election day, I believe it will be a day of great Benfica spirit, a day when everyone who goes to the stadium will go to experience Benfica. To experience Benfica at the electoral level and at the game level. Obviously, many, or most, are frustrated, like us, with the result of last Tuesday [the game against Newcastle]. Personally, I think we are too great to be happy about the misfortune of others. I think we're too big for that, but the reality is that the teams that played against English teams in this Champions League round all took a beating. Because, effectively, they are big teams. I didn't want to go back, but I'll go back to say, very succinctly, that we played a very good first half, with personality, as a team that wanted to win, that could have scored first, and that was equal to a more powerful opponent. Then, in the second half, we effectively collapsed mentally and organizationally. And that's what we were working on today [Friday], on that discipline of play that we have to maintain. It will be a difficult game tomorrow, but I believe that, with Benfica spirit at its highest level, the team will respond and we will win the game.

At the end of the game in England, you said that Benfica had difficulties in the transition. You've also said that Leandro Barreiro was the grandfather on the bench, and you've also said that you were putting pressure on Benfica when you said that Benfica had a good squad, that Bruno Lage was a coach who was happy with the squad. Rui Costa responded and said that José Mourinho had praised the squad. Is the squad good or not?

I liked Benfica's squad so much that I wanted to take an important player away from them, and I did everything I could to take an important player away from them. Perhaps one of the reasons why I ended up leaving Fenerbahçe so early had to do with the frustration of not being able to take a player away from Benfica who I considered fundamental to my way of thinking about the game. It was with great regret that I indirectly contributed to Benfica's squad being different. It was my fault; I did everything possible to have that player with me. In the end, I didn't have him with me at Fenerbahçe or Benfica. It's true that I like Benfica's squad, I like many things. It's also true that—and I think you know me and my characteristics as a coach, as a communicator—obviously, when playing against Benfica, I also wanted to take a little pressure off my side and put a little more pressure on Benfica, even taking into account the history, tradition, size, and familiarity with what Champions League games are like. But it is also true that I think—and we all think: I think, the structure thinks, the other candidates think, the fans think, I think we all think—that we are missing something. And that something is not 10 players, nor 15 players, nor 5 players, because often all it takes is one player with a certain profile, or one player because they are more experienced, or one player because they have characteristics that others do not have. Often, all it takes is one or two players to improve a team, to improve the whole dynamic, to allow for different dynamics. And I think that in January, Benfica will certainly have one or two players who can help improve our team. There was talk of a very young bench, in which Barreiro was almost the grandfather, so to speak. If there is anyone who likes to launch young players, I am one of them. If there is anyone who has players like Rafa Varane, aged 18, Scott McTominay, Petr Cech in their history... If there is anyone who has a history with players like that, I am one of those people. I completely agree that there are young players like this in our squad, some of whom will go on to achieve great things, others not so much, but I totally agree with that, there's no contradiction there. That's why I'm optimistic, I'm optimistic that internally we'll be there, until January, as close as possible to our rivals, eventually ahead of our rivals, we don't know, but we'll be there fighting for the Championship. And I am absolutely convinced that when we get our first three points in the Champions League, and I hope that will obviously be against Bayer Leverkusen, but we have Leverkusen and Ajax, and I am absolutely convinced that by getting points in these games, we will be in the fight, and that we will fight until the end to qualify. That was a very long answer, we can leave now. Shall we leave it there?

Today [Friday], we saw Prestianni in training. What did you think of his performance in the World Cup? I don't know if he'll be an option for tomorrow, but what can he bring to the team? Are you feeling any relief, because there was a lot of noise surrounding the elections, and tomorrow this election period may come to an end? Do you feel you can work more calmly with the team?

No, we have always worked calmly. Honestly, I think the pre-election period must have been exhausting for the candidates, because that's how Benfica really is, and it must be exhausting. With all the love they have for Benfica, it must be exhausting. Not for us. In terms of our work, our day-to-day lives, here, internally, we have always managed to keep it separate. At home, we, the staff, the players, all of us—some more than others—obviously hear bits and pieces, but honestly, it didn't have any kind of negative influence. We did our job as best we could, so at that level, I don't think there's any problem. I think it was a good decision on our part to let him [Prestianni] go. We didn't have him for three or four games, but I think it was good for us to let him go. It's hard to say no to a player who wants to leave. We also thought he should go for exactly this reason, to develop, to play, to compete—obviously against kids his own age, but competing is important. Feeling responsibility is important, feeling the pressure of playing for your national team—in this case, a great team with a great tradition—feeling what it's like to play in a semifinal, feeling what it's like to play in a final. I think it was a great decision for him to go. He came back, trained yesterday [Thursday, October 23], trained today, has been called up, is in the squad, and could be an option for us tomorrow, especially as he comes back with confidence and joy—sadness at losing, but joy that things went well for him. He's a kid who will definitely get some playing time tomorrow and who can help us.