Very good game, Estoril and contract: Mourinho after Benfica v Braga | OneFootball

Benfica made life more difficult for themselves in the race to qualify for the Champions League after conceding another draw at the Estádio da Luz, this time against Braga (2-2). At the end of the match, José Mourinho gave his post-match press conference, where he analyzed the clash against the Minho side, lamented the Eagles' lack of finishing, and also addressed his future. Check out everything the Special One had to say.

What feelings do you take away from this game?

"Those feelings, that Benfica played a good game — I just won’t say a very good one because we didn’t win. A game we deserved to win, but finishing matters. I think they had 2 shots on target, we had around ten. We had many scoring chances. I think it was a good game collectively and individually. Against an opponent that is good at not letting itself be dominated, we were much stronger but didn’t win. You almost, almost lose an objective. My feeling is one of satisfaction regarding the effort. I’m not leaving here disappointed".

On March 1 you said you wanted to stay... After everything that has happened, would you sign now?

"No. Because March 1 is March 1, and the final week of the championship is not the time to think about the future, about contracts — it’s the time to think about the mission we had, which was to work a miracle. I think you understand what I mean by miracle. From the moment we entered this final stretch, I decided that I didn’t want to hear anyone, that I wanted to be "isolated" in my workspace. As I said a couple of weeks ago, there’s a game against Estoril and from Monday onward I’ll be able to answer what my future as a coach will be and what Benfica’s future will be",

Angry with the players?

"I think it’s very difficult to do what they did. They never lost their commitment, professionalism, or resilience. I think the fact that with one matchday to go the team hasn’t given up reflects the team’s character. We had a couple of games where it was our fault; there were a couple of games neither I nor the players liked. We had extraordinary games, the game against Sporting was extraordinary, and today I think there were periods where they pushed Braga back. It’s difficult to feel things and keep fighting. It’s not easy, and I give them credit for that. Obviously there is criticism, there will be negative adjectives directed at the team and the players, but one thing is what people say and another is what we feel. In terms of attitude, I repeat, also in terms of quality and humility, this is an untouchable group, a group I really enjoyed, I always went to training happy. It’s a good group of men".

Will the result of the next matchday influence the decision about your future?

"No. I’m talking about Benfica, you’re talking about Real. The work we’ve done, for me, won’t change whether we finish 2nd or 3rd. That’s not what will influence it. Of course Benfica wants to play in the Champions League and I’d prefer that too, but it won’t have any influence",

Dahl in the Sweden national team, squad announcement tomorrow...:

"I don’t know. That’s not for me. It’s for Potter. He has evolved greatly. He’s not Sweden’s Roberto Carlos, but he’s a good player, a good man, one of those players coaches always respect, but the decision is Potter’s".

What affected Benfica the most today?

"The difference in efficiency between one team and the other. Andreas [Schjelderup] played a devastating game, but we weren’t efficient in turning what we created into goals. I don’t want to say we were perfect defensively, but we conceded a goal from outside the box and from a cross where I don’t know if we could have done anything more. I didn’t hear it, but it’s hard for me to believe Carlos said anything different from what I said. He’s a fantastic lad. He must have emphasized the effort of his players. Under normal circumstances Benfica would have scored 3 or 4 goals and would have won the game".

Don’t the fans deserve an answer about your future, or is that for someone else to give?

"Of course it’s up to me to give the answer. Have you ever seen me hide from my decisions? Now, no one should force me to communicate decisions, because I decide the timing. I’m not in a position to answer you. In my head, since people started talking about possibilities, there was only winning and doing the best possible. The respect Benfica deserves, the respect my profession deserves. No one should go there, unless it’s some idiot who does. No one should go there. I had the right to isolate myself. I haven’t spoken to anyone from another club. I haven’t spoken to anyone from any club. It made no sense to do anything other than focus. It doesn’t sound like a farewell, it sounds like the respect I have for them, it sounds like a preemptive defense. Football has these things — them being criticized today seems terribly unfair to me. When I criticized them after Casa Pia, it came from the soul. Today, when people think Benfica will finish third, is the day I have to defend them because I think they deserve it. I don’t want to start next season suspended. I’ve decided to stop here. I’m going to stop here. It already happened to me at Roma, starting a season with a suspension from the previous one. It’s not a good situation. It’s not good. For me and for my club, calm down. There’s only one week left..."

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