Bust-up with Lukebakio? Mourinho admits Benfica tension: My reply was... | OneFootball

One of the moments that stood out in Benfica's 4-1 thrashing of Moreirense was when Dodi Lukebakio was substituted. From what could be seen, the winger did not like the decision and decided to vent his frustration on the bench. At the end of the match, José Mourinho confirmed that he had a 'heated exchange' with the Belgian.

"He didn’t like being taken off. The bench seat is not to blame for the frustration of a player who doesn’t like being substituted, and we had the kind of exchange that I like — honestly, I do like it," the Portuguese coach began, in the press conference where he analysed what happened on the pitch at the Estádio da Luz.

"He was taken off, even though he didn’t deserve to be, that sort of thing. My response was a bit more aggressive, but it’s nothing, we move on," explained José Mourinho, when asked whether he knew the reasons behind the frustration of the number 11, who left the field to make way for Gianluca Prestianni.

"I think the main reason why he hasn’t played more is Prestianni. Prestianni is the one most responsible. Players have their characteristics and coaches have theirs. I’m not the kind who says the coach has to have the same ideas as the player, but I’m also not one of those who says the coach has to change his own nature because the player has those characteristics," pointed out the Special One.

"We have to meet each other halfway. Schjelderup and I were very far apart, and right now we couldn’t be closer. There are aspects of Lukebakio’s game that I’m not particularly fond of, and he has to come closer. Sometimes I think that maybe, if Diamantino Miranda’s knees are okay, with the ball at his feet he could also tear this up, but tracking back and putting in the hard yards... you need physical capacity and, above all, you need to want to do it. Look at the goal we conceded and you’ll understand what I mean," he concluded.

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