"If the Stadium wants to play, I think we'll win"

PREVIEW

In the preview of Benfica-Bayer Leverkusen to take place next Wednesday at 8 pm, on Matchday 4 of the Champions League, José Mourinho challenged Benfica fans to play the role of the 12th player, on the way to the first victory in this edition of the competition.

Before the press conference shared with Dahl, in statements to BTV and Sport TV,  the Eagles' coach spoke about the importance of Inferno da Luz (Hell of Luz) for the outcome of an “important” match in the qualification for the next phase.

"I expect an extraordinarily difficult game. We are struggling in the table, and so are they. We have had an extremely difficult calendar, with truly strong opponents. It is an important game for us. If we don't win it, we would still have 12 points to fight for, but things would get a lot more difficult, because it would truly put us on the verge of error. But we're fine, we reacted well to the Newcastle defeat: we won three games in a row, playing well, scoring, not conceding, where we were balanced. We're playing at home, the first time I play here for the Champions League [2025/26]. I always say that it's one thing for the stadium to be full of people who are going to watch the game, but it's another thing for the stadium to be full of people who are going to play the game. If the stadium wants to play, we'll make it happen", he stressed. 

Looking at Bayer Leverkusen, who were champions in 2023/24 with Xabi Alonso — in the meantime, the coach has changed, it was [Erik] Ten Hag and now it's another coach [Kasper Hjulmand], several players have changed too — and for those who aren't so familiar with them, which Bayer Leverkusen is this?

Similar, very similar from a tactical point of view. Very similar in the formations they use in terms of offensive organization, with some players who are different, but who have been replaced by players with very similar profiles. It is a team that defends with five, but then, from an offensive organization standpoint, builds with three, builds with four, lots of player rotation, both in the three and the four. A physical but fast striker, and then lots of people appearing in the inside game between the lines, Poku more open and more vertical. It's a difficult team, a team that had a complicated start to the season, then changed coaches, then this coach also took some time to find his feet, and they found each other. This latest result, against Bayern [a 3-0 defeat], is a little out of context, because: first, it's Bayern, currently one of the strongest teams in Europe; second, because they were coming off a [German] Cup game and rested some players: for example, Grimaldo doesn't play with Bayern. And then, looking at the Champions League and looking at the table, both teams need points. It's not just us, it's them too. So we expect a difficult game for us, a difficult game for them. And, as I already told you when we spoke there [One to One] to BTV, I repeat my words, because they are words I have been using for a long time: the stadium may be full of people who are going to watch the game, or the stadium may be full of people who want to play the game. If they want to play, I think we'll win. 

Obviously, at Benfica there is always a culture of winning, but is it better to work on victories, and does this decisive moment in the Champions League come at a time when you are better placed to win the points you haven't  yet managed to get?

Obviously, Benfica has a winning culture. I can't say whether it's easier to work after winning or losing, honestly. Because sometimes things vary. Sometimes winning brings relaxation, sometimes a negative moment brings a great desire to win again and change the state of things. We've already been through the negative moment of defeat in Newcastle and the reaction was very good. We managed to win three games in a row. I hope that tomorrow [Wednesday], those three victories, the goals we scored, the goals we didn't concede, the way we dominated and controlled all these games — obviously, the Champions League is a different context, the level of the opponent is completely different... But I hope it brings a confident team, a team that feels greater empathy with the stadium and eventually less pressure. And I think the players will rise to the occasion, I think things will go well.

In Newcastle, you said that you still didn't think it was an all-or-nothing game in the Champions League, but looking now at the calendar, at the games that are still to be played, taking into account that Benfica will host the team that has won the Champions League the most times, that will play against the Italian champions, that will play against Juventus, if this is not already an all-or-nothing game, obviously taking into account the opponents and the math that I believe you also do with the other opponents.

The situation is very clear: when the game ends tomorrow [Wednesday], there are still 12 points up for grabs. Even if we have 0 points tomorrow, we can still get 12. And with 12, we qualify. Now, if we look at 4 games, 0 points, we have to be very, very, very optimistic to say “look, in 4 I got 0, but now in 12, I'm going to get 12 and I'm going to qualify.” So tomorrow's game is obviously an important game. If we win tomorrow, we're right in the thick of the fight, we're right in the thick of the teams that are going to fight for qualification. If we don't win, the situation obviously becomes more difficult for us, but I think it has to be a game played with the soul of someone who really wants to win, and at the same time, without being afraid of that kind of responsibility. And, as I said before, if the stadium was with us in a League Cup game, which I already realized that in this country people give very little importance to the League Cup, and the stadium was there with us, I can imagine that they will be there tomorrow, and that tomorrow they will be there to play too, and I think the players have the greatest motivation for tomorrow's game, and I believe that things will go well.

Bayer Leverkusen's top scorer at the moment is Álex Grimaldo, a full-back that Benfica knows very well – and I believe Mourinho does too – and who is particularly strong at set pieces from free kicks. Is this something you paid special attention to? Did you warn Benfica's players to avoid committing fouls at the edge of the box?

Obviously, Grimaldo is excellent in that very specific situation, but in practically every game there is a warning not to commit unnecessary fouls, but there are fouls that inevitably have to be committed. They are also strong at set pieces, crosses from the wings, and corner kicks, with four players over 1.90 meters tall. We are not exactly a team of giants, but I can't tell the players “don't take corners because they are dangerous at corners”; we have to play with balance. Then, Grimaldo is a player who is not only important for that reason, he is a player who is very important in their offensive dynamics. Sometimes he plays wide, other times he comes inside and plays as a midfielder to try to play more inside and to try to have superiority in the center of the field. He is indeed an excellent player to whom we must obviously pay the utmost attention.

I have two questions about the team. Leandro Barreiro's influence or greater influence in recent games is undeniable. Is this a warning sign for Sudakov? That's one question. The second is: how have you seen António Silva react recently, after losing his starting position to Tomás Araújo in central defense?

António [Silva] has not lost his place in the starting lineup, not at all. With three center backs of that quality, I would never make the mistake of making one of them feel like he is third choice, or that any of them feel like they have lost their place. Take next Sunday, for example, when Otamendi won't be playing, and in a normal situation António and Tomás [Araújo] will play. The same thing happened last week: Otamendi didn't play, and the other two did. In Guimarães, Tomás and Otamendi played. The other day, at home, Tomás was left out, and António played. I have three center backs of the highest quality. There are other positions where I might have more difficulty rotating players, but there, it's a fantastic guarantee. They all work very well, they have different personalities. In training, António is more exuberant than Tomás, but they are both fantastic players, players of great quality, and both still young. I think it's a privilege for them to have Nico [Otamendi] alongside them and to be able to learn from him, so there's no problem there, no problem at all. Barreiro has been playing well, he played well when he started, then in Guimarães, obviously, he came on and did well, but I don't consider Barreiro or Sudakov, one or the other, because they can both play perfectly well, and it may even happen that they don't play at all, but they are different players. Sometimes there are players who occupy similar positions on the field, but then, in terms of their roles, they are players with different profiles. My joy right now is that when I arrived, I focused on a smaller group of players, and the range has been gradually getting bigger. I'm starting to look at some players differently, with more positive eyes, and that helps me, as I said to your colleague earlier, OK, some doubts may arise as to who I play, what is the best option, but these are good problems, and I'm really happy because my squad has been growing, it has been growing in options.

I wanted to confirm, because you mentioned Dedic's probable return, whether he is ready to start, or if his minutes are limited.

At the moment, the players don't know who will play, which is something I don't normally do, they don't know. Tomorrow [Wednesday] we have training in the morning. The advantage of playing at home, for me, is that it helps a lot to be able to train the day before the game, and the players will know only tomorrow, and even regarding Dedic, tomorrow I may also have a little more information. What I can say about Dedic is that he has committed himself very well to his recovery, the medical department has done an extraordinary job with him, and lately, sports science has done exactly the same. He showed up at training with us for the first time today and seemed completely unrestricted to me, but in a couple of hours they'll be able to give me some more data on how the training session went, but my feeling is that he's ready to play.