Mourinho on Santa Clara v Benfica: Reveals starter request, "I asked him…" | OneFootball

One of the big surprises in Benfica's lineup Benfica, against Santa Clara, was the use of Tomás Araújo as a right-back. At the end of the match, in the flash interview, José Mourinho explained his decision and also provided some information regarding the defender's physical condition, after the victory against the Azoreans.

"Under normal conditions, Santa Clara's winger would be fast, and for very fast players, very fast full-backs. Tomás is very fast", the Portuguese coach began by saying, in statements to Sport TV, explaining the decision to bet on Benfica's number 44.

"Total confidence in Banjaqui, but putting the kid in this tough away game... we preferred to go with Tomás. When we prepared the game, we thought the pitch would be worse. In direct play, he could also help us. These are 3 points we needed", added José Mourinho, in the flash interview.

"I hope not. I asked him and the medical department to hold on until halftime. At halftime, I thought he would have to come off, but he said no", admitted the Special One, when questioned about the physical situation the defender presented during the match against the Azoreans.

It should be noted that Benfica managed to secure three more important points, keeping the Eagles in the fight for the Liga Portugal Betclic title. After 22 rounds already played, the Clube da Luz is in third place, with 52 points, the same as Sporting (second place) and four points behind Porto, however, the rivals will still face Famalicão and Nacional, respectively.

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