"A fair win, a normal win"

POST-MATCH

Taking responsibility for the red and white display, José Mourinho expressed contrasting opinions regarding the first and second halves of Atlético CP-Benfica, a match in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup that the Eagles won 0-2 on Friday, November 21, at Estádio do Restelo.

At the beginning of his analysis in a brief interview with RTP, the coach praised his opponents for having “done an extraordinary job.” “I saw them play live in Mafra in their league game, and I realized that they were well organized, that they had quality players, and that they would be able to cause us some difficulties,” he added.

However, the coach admitted that the Reds also fell short of expectations: “Our first half was poor, and it was poor in the way that hurts me the most, which is when you are poor in terms of attitude. The attitude was poor. There were a lot of players who weren't serious, there were a lot of players who didn't take things as seriously as they should have.”

So, José Mourinho made four substitutions at halftime, but admitted that he “would have liked to have made nine,” since “there were two players who wanted to play and wanted to take the game seriously”—he later revealed that he was referring to Otamendi and Rodrigo Rêgo—and “the other nine weren't.”

"In the second half, we obviously improved a lot. In the second half, Atlético couldn't get out like they did in the first half, they couldn't get their throw-ins in—that kid has an amazing ability to put the ball in the box—there was no chance of them scoring against us. It was just a matter of time before we scored. If we had scored earlier, the result would certainly have been much more emphatic, but as it was, it was enough. I liked the second half because the attitude improved, the intensity improved, we were completely dominant, and I didn't like the first half,“ he said, adding that ”winning the tie is normal,“ but that his players did so ”with ease and merit.".

Regarding the change in tactical systems during halftime, the coach explained that “what didn't work were the players who were on the field,” and “in order to take out some of the players I wanted to take out, I had to change the system.”

"For example, when I took Tomás Araújo off, I had to switch to playing with four. I had noticed in the first half that the right back, Paulinho, was having difficulties with [Rodrigo] Rêgo and was already starting to tire. By putting Rêgo on the other side and Schjelderup on the left, I also thought that spreading out on that side and attacking with Schjelderup and Dahl could create problems and push them back, and we ended up pushing them back," he explained to Sport TV.

"I don't think the message is mine. I think it's a general message, it's a message from Benfica fans. In my case, I'm Benfica's coach, and the responsibility is mine, but the players have responsibilities not only to me. They have a fundamental responsibility to Benfica fans, and in terms of attitude, there are things that are non-negotiable. There are things that I cannot accept as coach, and I am sure that Benfica fans, in general, forgive a lot. They do not forgive a lack of attitude and concentration," he said when asked if his message has been difficult to get across to the team.

“There are players who, sometimes, leave the club without really understanding anything. It could happen to some. It could happen that some leave and, when they leave, still don't understand what Benfica is all about. It could happen,” he added.

José Mourinho also praised the debut of young Rodrigo Rêgo in the Eagles' professional football team: "Although he has only been at Benfica for a short time, I follow the youth players very closely. Regarding Rêgo, I couldn't predict whether he would play a great game or show a lot of quality, but I knew he wouldn't let me down. I don't like players who let me down – when I say let me down, I mean not giving their all, not playing to their full potential. I knew Rêgo wouldn't do that. He plays a very positive, very balanced game. Quite honestly, right now, I trust him more than anyone else."

NORMAL VICTORY AFTER ABSENT FIRST HALF

"It's the representation of the division they play in, they competed against us, they discussed the result for a long time. The players gave their all, but in a very correct manner, fulfilling what the coach said before the game, that they would try to maintain their identity, that they would try to play, and they did so for as long as they could. So, congratulations to them. And for someone born in 1963, I have a very strong desire for Atlético to return to what it was during my childhood. In the first half, Benfica didn't play, and worse than not playing, Benfica wasn't on the field, and worse than not being on the field was having so many players with an attitude that is not acceptable even in training. Because in training we compete so much that I can't even remember a single training session where the attitude was what we had today. Right from the first minute, there were absolutely ridiculous turnovers. OK, the Estádio do Restelo, which I know well, is very windy, especially at this time of year and at night. Many difficulties for those playing against the wind, but the ball coming out from the back, a lot of misplaced passes, the midfielders not getting involved in the game, the forwards dropping back to support and immediately losing control. The first half was so bad that at halftime I told the players I was going to change four—I wasn't going to change five because I couldn't play 45 minutes without a substitution up my sleeve—but I would have liked to change nine. For me, as a coach, to want to change nine, it means things were really bad. Not bad in the sense of feeling any risk of being eliminated, feeling any risk of not winning the game, but things were bad because I have a concept of professionalism that some things are hard for me to accept. In the second half, we didn't change nine players, but we changed four, and those four gave the team a completely different attitude. They helped the team to be much more pressing, much more intense, much more dynamic. And then it was a question of whether the goal would come in the 50th, 60th, 70th, or 80th minute, but it had to come as it did. So, I think that, ultimately, it was a fair victory for us, a normal victory for us, and congratulations to Atlético, once again, may they return to being the Atlético we know."

A GIANT THAT CAN'T PLAY AROUND

"[Response against Ajax] When I criticize the players, I am implicitly criticizing myself, because the responsibility is mine. So, the fact that I'm not here saying it's my fault, my fault, my fault... my fault is implicit every time I criticize the players. It was a surprise to me, because we train well. When we can train, which isn't very often. But yesterday [Thursday] and the day before [Wednesday] we trained well, we trained really well, with a good attitude, with intensity, with concentration. So, for me, it was a negative surprise. We already know that in these games, the main reason for the giant's downfall is that the giant fell asleep. History is made up of sleeping giants. I remember, for example, a game between Caldas and Benfica... Benfica went to penalties, which happens a lot, but the reality is that the giant should not fall asleep. The giant has a huge fan base, the giant makes a lot of money, the giant has many perks, the giant has great working conditions, the giant cannot play around in football and cannot behave like we did... some players did in the first half."

RODRIGO RÊGO DRAWS ATTENTION FOR HIS ATTITUDE

"[Rodrigo Rêgo's performance]

I liked him, I liked him, he didn't disappoint me at all. My interest in Rodrigo started in the early days after I arrived at Benfica, when I hadn't yet fully understood the potential of each young player I saw, but I could clearly see the attitude each player had. And he immediately caught my attention because of his attitude, because of the data he has in every game, in every training session, he works at very high intensities, he has the ability to repeat high-intensity actions and to repeat, and repeat, and repeat, he has a lot of character. He can play in different systems, he can play on the right, he can play on the left.In recent games, [Nélson] Veríssimo has played as a number 5, while we played with a 3, but playing as a winger in a 3-man system, he not only has the legs to run, but also technical quality and crossing ability. So he was a kid I was almost certain wouldn't let me down. I'm happy, so he stayed on for 90 minutes. If he were old enough to play in the Youth League—we like to do well in the Youth League—I would let him play on Tuesday in Amsterdam [for the U19s], but he's not old enough, and since he's not old enough, he'll stay with me and be ready to play.  I don't know if it will be from the start, I don't know if it will be on the bench, but he will be playing. And then, those who don't take advantage of opportunities and see kids passing them by, don't come knocking on my door asking why." 

THREE DEFENDERS REQUIRE WORK

"[Keep the system?] Every game is a game. As I said, playing 5 is easy. It's one of the easiest systems to play, playing 5. Playing 3 is very difficult. And playing 3 requires work. I don't like playing with five. I like playing with five when I'm winning and there's little time left, and we're in trouble, and it's time to close the door. Playing with three requires work. I honestly don't believe that between now and Tuesday, we can have a solid team to interpret the system in a high-level game like the Champions League game."

RICHARD RÍOS IS “VERY IMPORTANT”

"I think he always has an impact on the team, even when he doesn't do the things people expect him to do, or when he doesn't reach the level of quality people expect him to reach. But there is a foundation with him that seems non-negotiable, which is his commitment, his physicality, the area of the field he occupies, the pressure he applies, the transition, whether offensive or defensive. So, I think he has always delivered, even with a few mistakes in his build-up play, even with a few mistakes here and there in tight spaces, he lacks that finesse... I'm not sucking up to my president, but let's not compare Ríos with Rui Costa, just to give an example, but he gives us a lot. If scoring a goal makes him happy and gives him more confidence, great. But Ríos, for me, since I arrived, is a very important player."