Benfica stalwart: Wind troubled us against Atlético, many issues | OneFootball

The match between Benfica and Atlético, for the Portuguese Cup, was marked by the wind present at Restelo. At the end of the match, the Reds’ coach, José Mourinho, acknowledged that the strong wind ended up affecting the team’s dynamics, especially during the first 45 minutes, as the Eagles were playing against the wind.

After the game at Estádio do Restelo, where the Eagles only managed to break the deadlock in the second half, the Setúbal-born coach began by recognizing the difficulties of playing at this particular venue: “OK, Estádio do Restelo is very windy, a lot of difficulties for those playing against the wind.”

Next, José Mourinho revealed what he said to the Reds’ squad during halftime in the locker room: “So bad in the first half that it made me tell the players at halftime that I was going to change four, but I would have liked to change nine.”

“In my mind, wanting to change nine means things were ugly. Not because I felt at risk of not winning, but out of professionalism, there are things that are hard for me to accept,” explained the Reds’ coach regarding his previous statement.

“In the second half the attitude was different, those four helped the team to be more dynamic and intense. It was just a matter of the goal coming in the 50th, 60th, or 70th minute,” acknowledged José Mourinho, in the aftermath of the match between Atlético and Benfica at Estádio do Restelo.

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