Marco Silva on returns, Circati, Palhinha and market before Benfica-Aarhus | OneFootball

he was at the preview press conference for Benfica’s match this Thursday against Aarhus, from Denmark, in the first leg of the Europa League play-off round, at the Estádio da Luz. Check out everything the Benfica coach said before the European clash.

Fredrik Aursnes

"He will be in the squad. He is involved in the game. He has been improving. He is not perfect, he needs training and match time. He is not ready for 90 minutes, but he needs to build that up so that we can then get the best out of Fredrik."

Aarhus’ characteristics

"They were champions, and you do not become champions by chance. It is important to acknowledge that. They ended up dropping into this competition. They play with a back three, they are very physical, but they also have quality in their movement and in many of their players. They are a team with good principles on the ball, and if we are not competent, they will cause us problems."

Training time

"I would prefer to play from week to week so that those who arrived later can understand what we want. The players who arrived later need more training time. It is no coincidence that those who have been here longer have been doing things well. Right now it is important to cement principles, and without as much time to work, it is natural that it takes longer. We want a balanced team. An identity of what we want. To understand that the players are working very hard."

What he expects from Aarhus

"A difficult tie awaits us. They are a champion team and that brings good energy, positivity, and it was with that feeling that they started pre-season. They dropped into this competition after being eliminated, and we are expecting difficulties. They will force us to be at our best level. They like to take the game into a more physical direction. We have to be at our level to control the game. We hope that, with the impact of playing at home and all the other factors, we can get the result we want, which is to win."

A consistent opponent

"That has been one of their characteristics, there is no hiding it. When a team are champions, you have to acknowledge their merit and consistency. They still carry that stamp from last year, but this year it has not quite been like that. When we prepare for a match, we prefer to look at their best side. We look at their strengths and the things we want to exploit in areas where they have not been as strong. Compared to our other two opponents, this is a team that is one step ahead. A team that plays with a back three and drops into a back five. Their attacking players are quality. It is a match that requires us to be at our best level."

Aursnes’ role

"Fredrik has been improving his condition. When he returned from the break he felt some muscular discomfort, and we chose to work with him gradually and get him to a physical and confidence level. He has not played in any matches, but in recent days he has been fully integrated. He has shown good signs. Even though he has not always been with the team, he is a very attentive player and already understands part of the dynamics. He has that understanding that allows us to take steps forward even without having been involved. He has been very important at Benfica and this year will be no different. We place a lot of hope in him. He is very versatile, intelligent, will again be very important, and will offer different things to the team."

Alessandro Circati

"It is still not official. I will postpone the answer for another two days. Maybe tomorrow I can talk about the player’s characteristics. After António’s departure, we have been trying to strengthen that area. He is a young player who fits some of the profiles we are looking for. He has leadership and will have time to adapt to the country and the size of a different club. He comes from an important experience such as the World Cup, and that gives us confidence. He has characteristics we were looking for in that position. If it is confirmed, he is a player who will make the squad stronger. Centre-back was one of the positions we wanted to strengthen."

Is the squad complete?

"The squad is not complete. We have spoken about that. It is not an absolute certainty, but between now and the end some things will happen, departures and arrivals. It is always open. We are focused on the matches, with the players working hard and well. Some changes will happen in the squad, always with the aim of making the team stronger. There is no anxiety at all. It is about enjoying preparing matches, being with 60,000 fans in the stadium, something we missed and were denied a few days ago. Benfica are going through a not very normal process, having to go through six matches to reach the Europa League league phase. I said at my presentation that there was no point talking about objectives if we did not achieve the immediate objectives, and that is our focus."

Concerns about departures

"About Dedic, I said here that we did not want to lose him. Someone said that I did not want to lose him, but those are different things. It seems that ‘we’ is different from ‘I’. Naturally, nobody wanted to lose him, but I will not even talk about the financial conditions... I will not go into that. Dedic was not the only one who left. In last year’s defensive line, three are no longer here with us. In other positions, no one has left, that is true. It is difficult to say that no more players will leave. I know the market is difficult to control. I cannot guarantee it 100 percent."

João Palhinha

"To our fans, I will ask for what they can give. I will not talk about any player. The fans do not have to dream about A, B or C, but rather feel that Benfica’s players give everything so that they can be proud. That will always be our objective. That is my objective. We always want the 3 points and we are going to fight for that, but there has to be commitment and giving everything for the club we represent, and that will be recognized. We have to make the fans proud, that is our objective. Regardless of whether they want to see player A, B or C... the most important thing is what we want to control. As for the information that has come out publicly, I will not be making any comment."

Alexander Bah

"Last year was difficult for him because he was out for most of the time. That is always difficult. After coming back, he had a calf problem. We started the season earlier and Bah needed to be in good physical condition. He is understanding our idea better, creating a good connection with Rafa on the right side. He is one of the players with the most years at Benfica, who has experienced being champion here, and that is important. He is important for us and we want him to be in the best condition."

Impact in Denmark

"We see the opposing team as a collective, we do not look at individuals. It is not one of the best leagues in Europe, but nobody becomes champions by coincidence. They did good things and that is the first thing we see. I understand the question. We cannot compare the history of the two clubs and we have to be proud, because it means our history is huge, but that does not play tomorrow."

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