Mourinho on Benfica-Moreirense: Prestianni ovation, Lukebakio row | OneFootball

On the day Benfica paid tribute to all the Club’s Casas, Delegations and Branches, the Eagles hosted and thrashed Moreirense (4-1). However, José Mourinho, despite highlighting positive aspects, was not entirely convinced by the Reds’ performance. See what the Special One said at the press conference.

A GOOD BENCH WITH GOOD OPTIONS

"We could have been better. We weren’t consistent in our level of play. But, looking at things from an individual point of view, it goes a little in the direction of what you’re saying. There have been good individual responses, there are good players, there is a good squad, there is a good bench. For some time now, I’ve been able to try to change the game and bring in new things. Because there is a good bench, there are good options".

PRESTIANNI’S FANTASTIC WORK

"Look, the applause—if I were in the stands, I’d be applauding too. Because he’s had a good league campaign, he’s done a fantastic job, he has improved in an incredible way. Right now, from a tactical point of view, he is a strong player, he knows how to position himself defensively, he knows how to read the game. Then, obviously, he has his key qualities, which are his creativity, his technique, his one-on-one ability, his bravery in the game, but he wasn’t a player who was ready when I arrived, and he has had an evolution that I think is why the fans applaud and like him. For example, the way he closed the inside space and intercepted a high inside pass that led to the third goal. Not every winger can do that, not every winger has that tactical intelligence and that heart to work defensively for the team as well. So, I think the ovation for him comes from a stadium that likes that player, and that’s what it is. As for the suspension, I heard so, so, so much at the time when we played against Real Madrid that right now I’m absolutely waiting to see, hear and read comments from people who had so much to say back then. Right now, I’m in a position of expectation and curiosity to also see the comments from those same people. That’s why I’m refraining from commenting. I’m in a position of expectation".

IVANOVIC IS GROWING

"Ivanovic is also a young player who comes from a league [the Belgian one] which—with all due respect—is a good league, but it’s a different league. It’s a bit like the Dutch league, which is also completely different from ours. And he obviously had to learn things, he had to adapt. Physically, he is extremely well prepared. In terms of willpower, he loses to absolutely no one. I think my work with him has been more about making him understand what he is good at and what he is bad at. What he is good at, he has to do often. What he is bad at, he has to avoid doing. Because he is such a young player, one of my assistants has been doing individual work with him from a technical point of view, to improve certain aspects. He is also a player who is growing. It’s a shame this ends in three weeks. As I said in the flash interview, with all due respect to my colleague [Zlatko] Dalic [Croatia head coach], the decision is his and only he knows, but I would really like him to be called up [for the World Cup], because he’s a kid who really deserves it".

LUKEBAKIO’S SUBSTITUTION

"Lukebakio didn’t like being substituted. The bench seat is not to blame for the frustration of a player who doesn’t like being taken off, and we had a little exchange that I like. Honestly, I like it. [What was said?] Why was I substituted? I didn’t deserve to be substituted. That kind of thing. My reply was a little more aggressive, but it’s nothing, we move on".

PLAYER AND COACH HAVE TO MEET EACH OTHER HALFWAY"

"I think the person most to blame for his limited use is Prestianni. It’s a bit like what I was saying a couple of weeks ago. With the same number of points, last season Benfica were fighting for the title, and now we are 4 points behind—which could become 5 or 7—also because of FC Porto. With players, it’s a bit the same. I think Prestianni is the one most responsible. In any case, players have their characteristics and coaches have theirs. I’m not the type who says the player has to have the same ideas as the coach, but I’m also not one of those who say the coach has to change his own nature because a player has those characteristics. We have to meet each other halfway. And, so as not to go further back in my long career, I’ll focus only on Benfica’s specific case: Schjelderup and I were very far from each other. And right now, we couldn’t be closer. Lukebakio has some aspects of his game that I’m not in love with, and he has to come closer. Sometimes I think that maybe Diamantino Miranda, if his knees are okay and with the ball at his feet, would tear this up too. Now, to run back and put in the hard yards, you need willpower, you need physical ability and, fundamentally, you need to want to do it. Go and look at the goal we conceded against Moreirense and you’ll understand exactly what I’m telling you".

GOING FROM A RESPECTABLE LEAGUE CAMPAIGN TO A WINNING ONE

"I didn’t receive the badge because I was either playing or training, and I couldn’t go. They handed my badge to a Benfica staff member, who forgot it on his desk, but they’ll get it to me in a couple of days. As a coach, as a fan, as an analyst, as a commentator—put me in whatever position you want—I’ve been saying this for many, many, many years: your success and your failure depend on you, but they also depend on the success or failure of others. FC Porto last season were the worst FC Porto in many, many years. And this year, in the league, they have more points—I don’t know if it’s the most ever, but they have a lot, a lot of points this year, and they must have around 15 or 20 more than last season. The league campaign Benfica are having also has our own shortcomings, because we drew matches we couldn’t and shouldn’t have drawn, but it is a respectable campaign. Obviously, Benfica fans do not want respectable league campaigns, Benfica fans want to win. It could even have happened that Benfica, this year, with 80 points, would be champions in Portugal. It’s not enough. FC Porto have had a campaign built on winning games consecutively. In some match they might not have won, some mistakes by the opponent happened that allowed them to win. I remember, for example, the goal at Santa Clara that gave FC Porto a 1-0 win. I remember the game against Arouca in which this referee, Vasilica, awarded a penalty in the 90th minute and something, but it is a campaign of merit, in which they are putting up and will put up a very, very high number of points. Benfica’s campaign is a respectable one, which obviously satisfies no fan, much less ourselves. Benfica’s objective is not to have respectable league campaigns. But the reality is that our league campaign is not being a disaster. There are many big clubs in Europe that go through more difficult periods; they are clubs built to win titles and they fail to do so for some time. Let’s hope that next season Benfica can go from a respectable league campaign to a winning one".

DYNAMICS IN THE WIDE AREAS

"It’s easy. Rafa plays more inside, Dahl has to play more outside. Schjelderup plays more outside to receive the ball and be able to take people on, and Dahl plays more inside and offers inside passing lanes. It’s very simple. In the same way that Lukebakio prefers to play wide and receive the ball wide, and Bah played more inside. Then, with the introduction of the other two [Dedic and Prestianni], the situation tends to reverse, with Prestianni playing more inside. It’s just a rational occupation of space and nothing more than that".

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