Mourinho on Farioli chat, injuries and fans before Benfica v Porto | OneFootball

, coach of Benfica, held, this Saturday, March 7, the press conference previewing the Clássico against Porto, which will take place on Sunday at 6:00 pm at Estádio da Luz, for the 25th round of the Primeira Liga, with the Eagles having a starting player injured.

Perspective and importance for the league standings

“I don't know what to expect. Football is unpredictable. We can talk about intentions, but saying exactly what to expect is complicated. The league standings are calculated game by game, that's how it's been since the start and that's how it will be until it's mathematically impossible. Objectively, we are seven points behind the leader and, putting a dose of pessimism on the table that could turn that gap into ten points, it would be a misstep in the title race. But I don't want to be pessimistic or think about that. As long as it's mathematically possible, we will give everything we have.”

Farioli revealed admiration for Mourinho

“I've already thanked him. We didn't speak on the phone, but I already sent him a message. We've known each other for a good few years and have exchanged some words and occasional phone calls. If he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't say anything either, but since you asked… The last message we exchanged was at Christmas and now I felt the need to do it again. If he says we are the biggest rival, that's his opinion. If you ask me who our biggest rival in the title race is, I say it's Porto, because that's tomorrow's rival. But I consider Sporting and Porto to be our rivals.”

Analysis of Porto

“I don't feel very comfortable commenting on Francesco Farioli's words. They were nice words, pleasant to hear, but I don't feel comfortable commenting on them. I also don't feel I have to evaluate whether Porto is better or worse. We are going to have a tough game, against a team that is tough by nature. It's a team that's easy to analyze, in a good way... that's a compliment. They play in a very perceptible way. But it's also very difficult to play against them. They have other types of dynamics, they vary their game principles from match to match. There are teams where it's easier to understand what they do, but that doesn't mean it's easier to play against them. Quite the opposite.”

The role of the fans at Luz

It's always the same story. I often use this expression: going to the game to watch the game or going to the game to play the game. There are fans who go to watch the game, but there are others who go to play the game. When you have a lot of people who go to play the game, you create a different kind of atmosphere behind your team. We've been winning games for months thinking about this game. When we were ten points behind, one of the things that motivated us was being able to reach this game in a position to seriously fight for the championship. We managed to do that very well. The boys deserve that extra support, which was also the support Porto had against us in the two games at Dragão.”

Benfica has not yet beaten Porto and Sporting this season

“It happened because the coaches of Sporting and Porto are better than me. The fans can believe in what the team has done well this season. Even without winning against those opponents, we competed seriously. That closeness to victory is enough for the fans to go to Luz and trust that we can win.”

Are Benfica's players ready to win?

“The boys are not all ready. Some can't play, but those who will be there are prepared. We had a good week and prepared for the game day by day. It's a game of maximum difficulty. We have the known absence of Aursnes and we have some that are not known, because we had some setbacks in the last few days. There will be one or two more absences that are not yet known. It's part of it. We will go with those who are ready.”

Is Porto stronger in defense, midfield, or attack?

“I can't separate, nor do I like to do so. If they have so many points it's because they've been a strong team overall. They have a defined style, set by the coach and the management, and everything they did in signings in the summer and in January was to continue to feed that philosophy, which has led them to collect so many points, more than last season, which was an exception. If then Francesco speaks positively about the offensive process, he said what everyone sees, but not everyone wants to talk about. Benfica creates a lot, plays a lot in the opponent's half and exposes itself, it's true, but that's our way of playing. That's a demand of Benfiquismo. There are clubs where it's easier to be a coach because that level of demand doesn't exist. Benfica is different. Each one plays according to their ideas.”

Atmosphere of Portuguese football:

“I think mixing Benfica's statements with the exchange of words between the presidents of Porto and Sporting is a bit exaggerated. About those words, president is president and coach is coach. I will always avoid getting into conversations between presidents. They are hierarchically superior and it's far from me to comment on what they exchanged. I am a coach and what I can do is analyze what concerns the game itself. Exchanges of words between important directors are not for me.”

Absences:

“I give you investigative work. For some, just a phone call is enough, because there's always a mole out there... work on it. But in these things I don't mess around. We are struggling with a couple of players who are usually starters.”

Midfield battle

“In fact, Porto used at Alvalade a variant that, in a way, surprised me as an analyst. It creates different difficulties for the opponent. It forced us to work a little harder. After that we worked on that situation after the game with Sporting. But they may come up with another variant and we have to be able to read the game without sending the coach to the ground and me meeting with the boys.”

Game between Braga and Sporting:

“The Sporting game changes absolutely nothing. The result will have no influence at all. Tomorrow, during the game, more than thinking about that, we have to feel the game with the ambition we have. What motivated us to push hard was the fact that we fought without a single help, those ugly helps, and it's good we didn't have them. On the contrary, we even had some pushes in the opposite direction. We fought hard to get to this game in a position where we can still believe. And we believe it's possible against an extremely difficult opponent to beat.”

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