Ivanovic to start in Sporting-Benfica? Mourinho explains: he... | OneFootball

One of the big surprises of the derby was Franjo Ivanovic’s inclusion in the Benfica starting eleven. In the aftermath of the Eagles’ win away to Sporting (2-1), José Mourinho, in the flash interview area, explained the decision and the role the Croatian had in the match against the green-and-whites.

"Sporting play really well. They put a lot of players between the lines. Trincão and Pote sometimes form a square with Morita and Hjulmand," José Mourinho began by saying, speaking to Sport TV after the match as he discussed a little of the playing style shown by Rui Borges’s team.

"I know full well that Sporting hit the post twice, but we had several very good chances to score. We produced a very accomplished performance," added the Benfica coach, visibly pleased with the display and, more importantly, the result achieved at their rival’s ground.

"He is a player who looks to attack in behind and gives us a great outlet, especially against teams like Sporting, who press high," admitted the Special One, revealing a little of the strategy behind the decision to start Franjo Ivanovic, who took Vangelis Pavlidis’s place.

"He stretches the play a lot and has tremendous physical and mental energy. I think everything went very well," concluded José Mourinho, in comments to Sport TV, praising the qualities shown by the number 9. It should be remembered that Benfica won 2-1 thanks to goals from Andreas Schjelderup (27') and Rafa Silva (90+3').

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