Official: Rui Costa parts with Lage, eyes winning Benfica manager | OneFootball

Rui Costa announced the dismissal of Bruno Lage. The President of Benfica communicated the decision to end the relationship with the Portuguese coach, by mutual agreement, at a press conference in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday. The news comes just moments after Benfica's defeat against Qarabag, 3-2, in the Champions League.

"I wanted to inform all Benfiquistas that we have just reached an agreement with Bruno Lage, who as of today is no longer Benfica's coach. I want to thank Bruno for everything he did, the commitment he showed throughout this year, but unfortunately the time has come for a change. We expect that on Saturday we will already have the next coach on the bench against AVS," Rui Costa began, before answering journalists' questions.

What is the profile of the next coach?

"The profile has to be a winning coach. We've had a tough week for Benfica, and I'm sorry for Saturday's game and today's game, because they are far from the goals we have, but we haven't lost anything. But it's time to make a change, and the coach who comes in has to be a winner, someone who represents a club of this size, and a coach with the ability to put this team at the level we want."

Will it be José Mourinho?

"It's pointless to talk about names, there is no coach at Benfica at this moment. The only thing that happened was the conversation with Bruno Lage. Now, we are preparing so that on Saturday Benfica already has a coach on the bench."

How do you explain Benfica's current situation?

"It's been a tough, heavy week for all Benfiquistas, but we haven't jeopardized anything. But the week left a mark, and we have to immediately lift our heads and think about the club's objectives. But it's hard to explain, even though, and this is not an excuse, this has been a very atypical season for our club. It's worth mentioning the rest period, the time we had for the Super Cup and Champions League, and since then the team hasn't stopped. But the fact is that these two games left a mark and, unfortunately for us, we have to change."

Why did you keep Bruno Lage at the start of the season?

"Right or wrong, I am a supporter of project continuity. Last year we didn't win, but a week before the end we could have won everything. In the Club World Cup we reached the round of 16, eliminated by the world champion. I considered it irresponsible to jeopardize the season right from the start – to go into the Super Cup without a pre-season, with a new coach, seemed irresponsible to me, and the results proved me right. That was my decision, besides the confidence I had in Bruno Lage. I think it was the best decision at the time to achieve the immediate goals we had."

About the elections:

"I'm not here to save positions, I am the President of Benfica. I haven't campaigned yet, because the goal is to ensure the best future for Benfica, regardless of elections. And this decision is about Benfica's future, so as not to jeopardize Benfica's future, and I'm far from thinking about what this could mean in terms of elections."

If you have already spoken to any coach:

"There has been no contact with any coach, I only spoke with Bruno Lage."

About Mário Branco and his links to José Mourinho:

"Mário Branco is Benfica's general football director, not because of Mourinho or anyone else."

Do the players share responsibility?

"Everyone shares responsibility. No one is exempt from blame, including myself. We have to analyze what happened this week, not forget the tough games we've had, and analyze what happened. But also not forget that the two goals we had, we achieved. We lost points that penalize us, but do not take away our objectives. This is what we have to work on, and turn things around as quickly as possible."

Did you speak with the players?

"I spoke with the players at the end of the game, yes."

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