Mourinho on Amar Dedic’s return ahead of Benfica v Real Madrid | OneFootball

kicked off the reunion with Real Madrid. At the press conference, where he spoke about Amar Dedic and the significant returns, the Benfica coach was answering journalists' questions. Check below everything the Special One said.

What Real Madrid do you expect three weeks later? Do you confirm the availability of Aursnes and Dedic?

"I confirm the availability of both. Tomorrow morning there's training, and since there's training, there's always room for some unforeseen event. But based on yesterday and today, I would say they are both available. The Real Madrid I expect tomorrow is the Real Madrid that is the number one candidate to win the Champions League. Obviously, I expect an opponent similar to the one after Lisbon, where the coach had the ability to understand some things, to modify his team structurally, and had the ability to come out of a difficult situation, from an unexpected and heavy defeat to three consecutive victories in the championship."

About the influence you had on Florentino Pérez during your time at Real Madrid. When was the last time you spoke?

"The last time we spoke was when I signed with Benfica. He sent me a message saying 'José, I'm very happy that you're back at a big club.' That was the last time. When we played here, he didn't come, he wasn't in Lisbon, I didn't have the opportunity to greet him. I hope he's here tomorrow, and if not, that he's in Madrid next week. I have a great friendship with the president, with his family, and that's it. There's nothing to hide."

In a two-legged tie, will it almost take a miracle? Are Dedic and Aursnes set to start?

"My idea is that yes, they are set to start. And I'll say more: either they start, or they won't even be on the bench. If tomorrow, in the morning training, there's something negative outside... But yesterday's and today's training, the indications are good. At this moment, I consider them [fit] to start the game. I don't think it takes a miracle for Benfica to eliminate Real Madrid. I think it takes a Benfica at its maximum level. I don't even say high, I say maximum, almost touching the perfection that doesn't exist. But a miracle, no. Obviously, Real Madrid is Real Madrid, the players of Real Madrid are the players of Real Madrid, the history, the knowledge, the ambitions... The only comparable thing is that they are two gigantic clubs. Other than that, there's nothing else. But football has this power, and we can win."

Your connection with Real Madrid is clear. How do you feel when you hear people from there speak so well of you?

"I gave everything to Real Madrid, everything I had. I did good things, I did wrong things, but I gave absolutely everything of myself. And that's done. When a professional, whether coach or player, leaves a club with this kind of feeling, I believe there's a connection forever. In all these years, I've always had the feeling that people feel the same as I do: they know I gave everything, the maximum, that I also made mistakes, but that in general, there's a lot of affection. It's fantastic. With this, I don't want to fuel stories that don't exist. I've already said, before coming here, that the only thing that exists is that I have one more year of contract. It's a special contract because it was signed during an electoral period, and, according to me and the president, we wanted to protect a hypothetical new president. And it has a very easy clause for me and Benfica to 'break' the contract. But there's only a contract with Benfica. With Real Madrid, zero. And I'll say more: I would love to eliminate Real Madrid, but I would love for Álvaro to win the championship and stay at Real for many years. He's a very capable coach and a guy with a lot of madridismo and personality to coach the club. It's not for everyone."

Real Madrid was heavily criticized in Spain after the defeat at Luz, but Benfica players already know what it's like to win this game. What will weigh more?

"It's a good question, but I can't answer it. If winning once against Real Madrid is very difficult, winning twice is much more difficult. Winning three times or a tie, even more difficult. A big team that loses and is wounded is something I know practically forever, because I've been lucky enough to almost always coach big teams. But even more important is the motivation they have to win the Champions League, not to eliminate Benfica. That's their goal. And that's the strongest thing they can have for the game. On our part, we won and we know why. But on the other hand, we know the game won't be a copy and that they've had important development as a team in a short period of time. What I asked the players was to play with the joy of those who deserve to be here. They very much deserve to be here. Four games, zero points, having to make 9 playing against Real Madrid, Juventus, Napoli... The players deserve it a lot. And it's better, perhaps, to be here against the great Real Madrid than against a lower-level team. Let's enjoy tomorrow's game, we hope for a result that can let us go to Madrid to compete for qualification, and we'll go with joy. Without pressure."

What do you expect from tomorrow's game? And how do you expect to be received at the Bernabéu in a week?

"I hope they forget about me and that the focus is on helping their team, Real Madrid, to qualify. It's the team's goal, the fans', to eliminate Benfica, move forward, and win the Champions League. I arrive there, and people forget it's me. The only thing I can say is that I expect a different game. I started by analyzing the Real Madrid game against Benfica, but shortly after, the analysis moved to Valencia-Real Madrid and Real Madrid-Real Sociedad. A different structure, a different way of being on the field, a different tactical mentality. The only thing I can say is that I don't want my team to play as Real Madrid wants us to play. We have to play as I want."

What can Rafa, Lukebakio, and Bruma add to a Benfica that gathers a lot of ball possession?

"Ríos and Bah also return tomorrow and are set to play both. We have everyone, they're all set to play tomorrow. Almost everyone. João Veloso is out, and Wynder too. The rest are all in. Ríos is in, and Bah too. What it means to me is that now I have a good squad, a balanced squad, with options, with youngsters who appear, grow, and are getting their minutes. Now we have a good, balanced squad that gives me many options. You're right, we created a certain style of play always adapted to who we had available. Now what we have is the ability to be more unpredictable and do different things. We spent a lot of time without available wingers, which made us play differently. Now we have other types of people. The speed of Rafa, of Lukebakio, who has just returned, we have the possibility to play with Barreiro in different positions, while now he has always played there due to the absences of Ríos and Enzo. Now we have a more compact group, which gives me more possibilities to be a bit unpredictable."

You said you were satisfied with everything you did at Real Madrid. What would you change, nevertheless, from that time?

"Nothing, because I can't change anything. If I can't do it, I'm not going to think about it. And I would stick with the fact that I gave everything. And when that's the case, even if you make mistakes, it's satisfying. I always tell my players: if you give what you have and what you don't have, there's no problem in failing. For better or worse, I gave everything. I'm at peace with myself."

You said Dedic would be an option, but surely he won't be in the best condition... Bah is back, but will he be ready to play 30 or 40 minutes if Dedic needs to be substituted?

"He spent 15 days resting and preparing, he's top... You're being pessimistic, and I don't want that. Now we have options. If Tomás [Araújo] had to play as a full-back and António as a center-back, I'd be thrilled. Bah has been working well for a long time. He hasn't had game minutes for a year. It would be much better, obviously, to have minutes before a game like this, minutes that, if he doesn't have in this game, he can have against AVS next weekend. But Bah is back and set to play, as is Ríos. I don't know if it was the effect of 'wanting to play against Real Madrid,' but everyone is back."

Real Madrid won their tenth Champions League here. Do you feel that title is also part of your history? Did you feel frustrated for not being able to fight for it?

"I'll be one of the few coaches who left Real Madrid without being fired. When you leave by your own decision, you shouldn't regret anything. I left Real Madrid with my soul completely clean. I never forget what the president told me when I decided to leave: 'now comes the good, the easy. The hard part is done.' But at that moment, I thought about what was best for me. My family is the most important thing that exists for me. And it was also good for Real Madrid to change after three tough, intense, almost violent years. We parted ways at the ideal moment. Everything Real Madrid did afterward only brought me joy. I don't feel like I'm part of anything. The credit goes to those who were there and who won. The Estádio da Luz, for Real Madrid, is only happiness. Losing 4-2 but not being eliminated... If they lost but were eliminated, okay. But they weren't. They simply didn't qualify directly for the 'round of 16' and will play the playoff. It's not dramatic. Dramatic would be losing now. I think Lisbon and the Estádio da Luz will always be, for Real Madrid, of great memories."

"Yes... You could say no."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.