Laurindo Filho on Mourinho’s arrival: a warning for Benfica | OneFootball

José Mourinho is about to be officially announced as the new coach of Benfica, and Laurindo Filho is doubtful whether the manager will be the right fit for the Eagles.

After the dismissal of Bruno Lage, Benfica confirmed that José Mourinho is in negotiations to become the next coach. Despite his enviable track record, Laurindo Filho believes he may not be the best option for the Eagles, stating that it will depend on which version of Mourinho arrives at Luz.

"Mourinho would only be an option, whether for Benfica or any other club, if we see again the Mourinho who coached Chelsea in his first spell. That is, the Mourinho of Benfica, Leiria, Porto, and his first two-time championship run at Chelsea," said the coach and sports commentator on Bola TV.

Continuing to recall the early stages of José Mourinho’s career, Laurindo Filho listed his qualities from that period: "That Mourinho was exceptional on every level, far ahead of his time, not only in terms of training methodology, mind games, and communication, but also because he was clearly a transformational leader. A leader who could get into the players’ heads, who could shape everyone around him."

However, given the Portuguese manager’s recent performances, Laurindo Filho believes that Mourinho may not be the coach Benfica needs: "If the Mourinho we see at Benfica is the Mourinho of recent years, in my opinion, as a coach, he is not suitable for Benfica. He is not a coach who, at this moment, has a big club game philosophy. He is more of a highly strategic manager who has great difficulty getting his teams to play good football, he is ultra-defensive."

Finally, the coach admitted that if José Mourinho is at his best, Benfica could go far: "In the past, Mourinho’s teams defended very well, and right now they do not defend well. Benfica currently needs a coach with a vision of the game completely different from the one Mourinho has had in recent years. If the Mourinho who arrives is the one from the first ten years of his career, Benfica will have made an excellent choice and will be an extremely competitive team, capable of winning titles not only in Portugal, but also of having a good performance in Europe. If it’s the Mourinho of the last ten years, he is a coach who does not fit Benfica well, because of what he is and has been, and also because of what he has not been able to bring to the teams he manages."

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