Everything José Mourinho said ahead of Chaves v Benfica (Taça de Portugal) | OneFootball

spoke with journalists at the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash between Benfica and Chaves, scheduled for next Friday, October 17, counting for the third round of the Portuguese Cup. Read here, in full, the statements of the Reds’ coach - who took the opportunity to take a jab at Sporting, and confirmed that Richard Ríos will not play.

A new cycle begins. How were these days and what are you expecting from Chaves?

"Those who stayed worked well, those who arrived were integrated, and in the last two days, today and yesterday, we were able to work on the specifics of the game. It’s a typical Portuguese Cup match, with a team from a lower division, but not with lower-quality football. It will require seriousness from us, starting with me, and the ability to transmit it to the players. It’s respect for Benfica and the fans, and for Chaves, who have quality. We have to go in seriously. If we win, things will be seen as natural; if we lose, they won’t. We’ve been improving through matches, since we can’t do it through training. I know you’ll ask if I’m going to change the team; I’ll say I’m going to change very little."

What are the big risks Benfica will face? If you had to choose between the Champions League and the Cup? How was the kickabout with Aursnes and the other ‘lad’?

"It was good, we had a slightly bigger group than we expected. The group grew and it ended up being positive work for those who didn’t go. Those who weren’t used aren’t loaded with minutes; the downside is that often with national teams you don’t train much, and those who don’t play don’t train much. But yesterday and today we ended up with the conditions to work well. The risk is not playing well; it’s Chaves having a fantastic game, which is normal to happen. The game preparation was aimed at avoiding exactly that. We analyzed Chaves well and tried to work around their strengths and weaknesses. We have to play well."

In 2004 you lost the Portuguese Cup final. How do you view this return to the premier competition?

"I was going to say I was never knocked out, but I’d be lying. I was eliminated at U. Leiria. In the two following seasons I went to two finals and I’d very much like to go back. Benfica has one Cup fewer than it should have; last season it should have won. Benfica has a Cup tradition; I went to Jamor countless times with my father, it still stirs something in me. Having never coached Benfica in a Portuguese Cup final... I’d really like to. Today the Portuguese Cup is much more important than the Champions League; on Saturday it will be the opposite."

How do you describe the atmosphere among the presidents of the three big clubs?

"I limit myself to being a coach and looking at games with a coach’s eyes; even when I’m not coaching the teams involved I can’t look without a coach’s eyes. And last year’s Cup final was an unfortunate job by the refereeing team, including the VARs who are more important, sometimes more than the referees on the pitch. The problems between the presidents are almost historical, but when emotions fade, there comes the feeling that they have to be united for Portuguese football and to solve some problems. It’s nothing new or alarming. It’s good for you, it helps your work. Sometimes referees make mistakes and sometimes decisively. I look at it from a coach’s perspective: we all make mistakes, but when the mistakes lead to major changes to the truth of the game, it’s harder to accept. But I look at it with a coach’s eyes."

Will you rotate the goalkeepers? The attack hasn’t been scoring many goals; how will you solve the problem?

"Samuel will play tomorrow, but it’s not a case of one competition for him and another for Trubin. I hope we play Atlético or Felgueiras, but I don’t know who will play then. Samuel is an excellent goalkeeper, he’s never played under me, he deserves to play, we have total confidence in him and he will play tomorrow. In the last two games we didn’t score but we could have. We had enough chances to do it and to win. We scored three against Aves, two against Gil Vicente, which allowed us to win. It has to do with work we have to do, the players’ confidence levels also have to improve. We have to start from a stable base, which means being well organized defensively, the team never feeling dominated. My idea prevails: so far we haven’t been dominated in any game. Not by Chelsea nor by FC Porto."

Are you counting on Sudakov for this game? The 2004 Cup final — have you spoken with the player who scored that goal, who’s by your side on the bench, Simão?

"When he went to Barcelona, I was the one waiting for him at the airport. He was a boy going to a European giant and he had a Portuguese staff member waiting for him. I’d already been at the club for two years and I created with him not a father–son relationship, but almost that of an older brother. It’s a relationship of affection because it started there. We didn’t talk about that game because I remember the good moments more than the bad ones. But of course I remember. I remember going down the stairs as the loser, many Benfica fans saying ‘now you’re going to be European champion.’ I remember being positively encouraged."

Would you have preferred to play on Friday or Saturday?

"The mistake is that we should’ve drawn Águias da Musgueira, Oriental, Cultural da Pontinha... and we drew Chaves. It has to be Friday; we’ll arrive in the early hours of Saturday. I prefer to lose a day on the national-team players’ return and have one more to prepare for the Champions League match. Ríos won’t play tomorrow; he was the last to arrive, he didn’t train with the team, we have to make choices. I prefer to play Friday and Tuesday than Saturday and Tuesday."

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