Warnings, 2nd place and Real Madrid: Mourinho on Famalicão-Benfica | OneFootball

José Mourinho laid everything out clearly ahead of the match against Famalicão. On the afternoon of this Friday, May 1, the Benfica coach previewed the clash against the Minho side, issuing several warnings to his squad, speaking about Rui Borges’s contract renewal and also playing down the Eagles’ presence in second place, without it being mathematically secured. Check out everything the Special One said.

Are the warning signs active within the group?

"It’s a fact that after fighting so hard and after so many points won, we reached a situation where we depend only on ourselves, but it may seem strange or even hard to understand, yet I would rather need all 9 points to qualify. You’ll ask me why. Because in seemingly less difficult situations, or easier ones, we slipped up, and after good things we slipped up. The draw in Tondela after beating Real Madrid... A run of excellent results and then we drew with Casa Pia. It was only after the win at Alvalade that we didn’t slip up and won again at home. It may seem hard to understand, but I’d rather be forced to win the 9 points. Whoever is strong becomes even stronger. I’ve already spoken to the players about this. I don’t want a team thinking that 7 points are enough. I don’t want a relaxed team, I want a team under pressure. Famalicão have been a good team since the start of the league season; people are only talking about them now, but the reality is they’ve been a good team since the start of the league. Being in 4th place, behind the big four, is only a surprise to those who haven’t been paying attention. They are genuinely a good team with the ambition to qualify for one of the two European competitions within reach, and a team that certainly has the ambition to beat Benfica. A difficult game for us, a difficult game for them".

On the day of Rui Borges’s renewal, do you feel that at this stage this is already your Benfica, that the club is entering a process of stability, and do you feel there are conditions to maintain that stability at the club with you at the helm?

"Rui Borges’s renewal... he is happy and I am happy for him. I can’t say much more about that. Benfica has been mine since I arrived, but obviously I understand your words. The longer a coach stays at a club, the more the team is his, the squad is his... it’s a normal process. You see examples like Arsenal and Manchester City, who have had the same manager for six or seven years; obviously all the details belong to their coaches. Coaches who come in and out, it’s normal that it’s harder for them to leave their fingerprint. We’ll see".

Could you also imagine yourself in the same situation as Rui Borges by this point? In a week when there was a lot of talk about Real Madrid, was there any contact with you or the club?

"No, nobody from Real Madrid spoke to me, that I can guarantee. I’ve been in football for too many years, just as you’ve been in journalism, and we’re already used to these things, but nothing from Real Madrid. Ceremonies? I’ll tell you honestly, my time for ceremonies is over. I only do what I’m required to do; even my presentation at Benfica was here in a ceremony that wasn’t even really a ceremony, it was a very quick presentation and then straight to work, I didn’t even go to the Estádio da Luz. I’m not into that anymore, I don’t worry about those things anymore, I worry about giving my maximum, more for the club and the players than for myself. Right now it’s Famalicão, then Sp. Braga and then Estoril, and then keep working a little more, and only after that will the holidays come".

The newspaper 'As' reported that you will have a meeting with Benfica next week to assess your future. What can you tell us about that situation?

"Nothing. I can’t tell you anything. I already told your colleague that as far as Real Madrid is concerned, nothing, and as far as Benfica is concerned, you already know the situation. I have one more year on my contract with Benfica, and that’s it".

Do you acknowledge that Benfica are favourites to finish in 2nd place? A week ago, would you have imagined being here in this situation?

"Benfica are just as much favourites as Sporting were favourites a couple of weeks ago. The team that is ahead and depends on itself is always the team that has the advantage of not having to worry about the opponent. Benfica haven’t suffered any defeat so far, there were weeks and weeks when we kept adding points, and it was extra wear and tear seeing Sporting and FC Porto win, not slipping up, almost slipping up but not slipping up, and us having to win again. It was a kind of extra strain that wasn’t positive. The fact that we depend only on ourselves... As far as I’m concerned, Sporting’s result on Monday against V. Guimarães makes no difference now, but we have to win. But that focus only on our own result is the advantage you’re talking about. But if you look at the three games Sporting have and the three Benfica have, we play the 4th-placed team, the 5th-placed team, and the 7th- or 8th-placed team. If we look at it that way, our schedule is tougher for us than theirs is for them, but if we look at the numbers, we have the advantage because we depend only on ourselves. If I expected Tondela to draw at Alvalade, I’ll be honest, I didn’t, especially after it was 2-0 not long before the end. But it’s football, sometimes it happens, and when it comes to results, nothing can surprise us anymore because football is fertile ground for unexpected situations".

How do you see the clash between two three-man midfields with great dynamism, and whether this Benfica trio could be the formula to take strength away from Famalicão’s inside game?

"You’re already assuming that we’re going to play with a three-man midfield and that we’re going to play with the same three players. Maybe yes, maybe no. But I understand the question in the sense that Famalicão have three quality midfielders who complement each other very well and give the team excellent dynamism. I always say that even when you’re on the stronger side, you have to respect the other team, and I have enormous respect for Famalicão’s midfield. Starting from the assumption that those three play, they are three lads with a lot of quality, each one very well adapted to the roles they perform in the team, and we go in with the ambition of being Benfica and winning. But for that, we have to respect the quality of the opponent".

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