From Hjulmand to Otamendi's new deal: Mourinho on Casa Pia-Benfica | OneFootball

José Mourinho returned to the press room after the end of the latest international break. In the build-up to the match between Benfica and Casa Pia, valid for the 28th round of Liga Portugal Betclic, the 63-year-old coach answered journalists’ questions, making several comments about the players away on international duty, the “open war” between Porto and Sporting, as well as Nicolás Otamendi’s future. Check out everything the Special One had to say.

“Of the players who came back from international duty, only Barreiro has returned with a problem. At the moment I still can’t confirm whether he can play on Monday or not. The reason why we held the press conference now is not to avoid any question of that kind, it’s simply because we train tomorrow, but many of you probably don’t work tomorrow. Barreiro still hasn’t trained since he came back. He’ll go onto the pitch today for the first time and obviously with limitations. And tomorrow, after training, we’ll decide whether he is fit. Casa Pia have recovered very well since the new coach arrived. They have a very clear playing identity, capable of causing problems for the stronger teams. Even before his arrival, I know that in a strange way, like so many strange things that have happened in this league since the start, not just recently, Casa Pia managed to take points off us despite it being a game with strange things in it. And obviously at home, even if it is a borrowed home, they will surely fight hard for the point, I’d say, but given their characteristics and the way they play, even for the points. They are capable of handing control of the game to the opponent and then punishing them. So we are expecting a difficult match. But once again, we will try to win.”

Your opinion on what is happening between Sporting and FC Porto. How do you think Benfica can benefit from it?

“Benfica benefit? Since the start of the season, have you seen Benfica benefit from anything? I still haven’t. Sometimes I hear people talk about breaths of fresh air, and I was getting ready to try, in one aspect, to be a breath of fresh air. That would be my team winning with refereeing mistakes and me coming out and saying ‘we won 3 points’. But mistakes in our favor? It still hasn’t happened. And I hope it doesn’t happen. But if it eventually does, I’m laying down the challenge. And then I will come out and say Benfica benefited. But up to now I can’t understand in what way. That situation between the presidents of Sporting and FC Porto... I already said a couple of weeks ago that situations between presidents, I am just a spectator. Between coaches, yes; between presidents, no.”

After Sporting-Santa Clara, Benfica published a post talking about the refereeing. Do you agree with the phrase ‘There isn’t even any shame anymore’?

“In a world of suck-ups, I’ll be one too. I’ll say I’m 100% in agreement with my president, which is what the others do.”

Benfica lost their last league game precisely against Casa Pia. Will this unbeaten factor this season be a source of motivation or extra pressure?

“That factor is pride. And it means, or has meant, the character of a team that tries to respect its history, the suffering inherent in bad results that any fan feels, and even in extreme situations we have always fought to get good results. And sometimes a draw ends up being the lesser evil. If you ask me whether I would rather have two defeats instead of eight draws, obviously. Even though defeats, especially when they happen in games where they are not expected, hurt our pride a little. Of course we play to win and any draw we get ends up not being a good result. Even against FC Porto and Sporting, and even Sp. Braga, top teams, we did not consider the draws good results. Imagine the ones we had against Santa Clara, Casa Pia... That is not the objective. But we still haven’t lost so far and that means something in terms of our quality and professionalism, as well as respect for Benfica.”

Otamendi did not guarantee whether he would stay at Benfica or not. As a coach, do you think this is the right time to let him leave? Is Aursnes fit again?

“No, Aursnes is not fit again. ‘If’ does not exist. Either [Otamendi] leaves or he doesn’t. And right now that does not exist. It is something that is more in the player’s hands than Benfica’s. And would Benfica be prepared for the departure of a player like Otamendi? Yes, in the sense that they have two great center-backs, António and Tomás, young players, internationals, with a lot of Benfica experience, wearing the captain’s armband when the others are not there, and they are two players in whom I have the utmost confidence. If next season there is no Otamendi, António and Tomás provide guarantees. But obviously Benfica would have to go into the market to make up for the departure of a player with Otamendi’s ability, experience and leadership.”

Hjulmand commented on your words... How do you view the latest refereeing cases?

“Regarding Hjulmand, the statements he made were extremely polite, there is no personal issue at all. But it really is a case that makes you think a lot about the next foreign players who may join Benfica next season. Because normally, when a player arrives in a foreign country and wants to learn the language, and that is something we as Portuguese praise... It was something I always cared about when I was a coach abroad, but the goals are normally better social integration in a new country, doing our job better in our relationship with our colleagues. Better communication not only with the people of the country, but also with those on our ‘side’. But the reason why we want to learn a language is to communicate better with referees... It is truly fantastic and something that maybe, when Benfica’s players arrive here next season, that will be our motivation to try to force them to learn Portuguese quickly. I think it is a fantastic situation. Refereeing cases? Today I happened to arrive here and, as always, there is only one person who gets here before me, which is Gonçalo. And I saw the front page of the two most traditional and historic Portuguese sports newspapers, and when I saw the front page I thought, ‘nothing is going on’. Beautiful front pages with a kid who played, had a birthday and scored a goal, but they make anyone who didn’t watch the game think that nothing happened. And it is on this basis of ‘it seems like nothing is happening’ that we have seen things since the start of the season. And that is the problem. We forget the Nacional match, in Famalicão at Alvalade, a lot of things that have been happening since the beginning of the season. I’m not quite sure what I should say to you, but focusing only—and only so as not to go any further—on three matches with Santa Clara... It’s all there.”

Rui Borges said that maybe people need to grow up a little for Portuguese football to improve. Do you agree? Do you expect to keep António Silva and Otamendi?

“Of course [regarding the second question]. They have contracts, they are both important for Benfica. As a coach and not as a manager, obviously I want to have the best players possible. Would I like them both to stay? Obviously yes. The president knows, director Mário Branco also knows, but I know what year we are in. We are not in 1960 or 1980. I know what year we are in, I know what markets are, financial fair play, all the situations in modern football. And as a coach, I cannot lock myself in an area that is mine and fail to understand others that are not directly mine. If we eventually reach a situation where Benfica has to, or wants to, sell a player whom I consider important for continuity, it will not be a drama. I will obviously have to accept it and then try to reorganize in another way. But would I like to keep them? Yes. As for Portuguese football... Rui is very intelligent. More than people think.”

Daniel Banjaqui’s renewal. It is a position where Benfica are well covered, with Dedic and Bah. For you, is it also a challenge to manage the use of these three players?

“Easy to manage. Difficult is when we don’t have them. And if you notice, right now, because I consider both Banjaqui and Neto first-team players, we have five full-backs for two positions. Very objectively. One of them is 17 years old, the other has just turned 18. We have three men and two kids. Two kids with great potential. I didn’t develop them, but I was the one who gave them the confidence to. Having these five players, three of whom are men and two of whom are kids with enormous potential, is not a problem, it is a privilege. And under normal circumstances—of course, there are always abnormalities that can happen in today’s market—if you ask the coach and he is only a coach, I think this is the ideal situation for Benfica next season. The kids are less and less kids and more and more men. And eventually, at the end of next season, Benfica may look at that group of five players differently.”

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