Not even Mourinho escaped: Benfica repeat same flaw under Rui Costa | OneFootball

Benfica Benfica once again ended a season without winning the National Championship, and the numbers leave Rui Costa facing a scenario that is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. After yet another mid-season managerial change, this time with Bruno Lage leaving and José Mourinho coming in, the Eagles once again finished well short of the title and repeated a record that is already starting to worry Benfica fans.

Curiously, Benfica finished the last three editions of the league with exactly the same 80 points. In 2023/24, Benfica finished second under Roger Schmidt. The following season, with Bruno Lage taking charge of the team after the German coach’s departure, the Eagles once again ended the competition in second place, again with 80 points. Now, in 2025/26, the situation has worsened even further, with the Luz club dropping to third place despite the arrival of José Mourinho.

The managerial change therefore once again failed to produce the desired impact. While Bruno Lage still managed to improve the team’s performances when he replaced Roger Schmidt in 2024/25, José Mourinho was unable to repeat that effect this season. The Portuguese coach took over Benfica in the fourth round, at a time when the Eagles were in second place with 10 points, but ended up finishing the league with 80 points, thanks to 20 wins and 10 draws.

Since taking over as Benfica president, Rui Costa has already made several changes on the Eagles’ bench. Jorge Jesus, Roger Schmidt, Bruno Lage and José Mourinho all ended up leaving without managing to establish a truly dominant cycle in the league. The only exception remains the 2022/23 season, when Roger Schmidt led the Eagles to the national title with 87 points.

Now, at a time when José Mourinho is close to being confirmed at Real Madrid and the squad have officially gone on holiday, Rui Costa is preparing to make more important decisions for the future of Benfica’s football team. After three consecutive seasons without lifting the league trophy, the pressure is growing to find stability in the dugout and return Benfica to a serious fight for titles.

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