Mourinho and Rui Costa at odds? Experts assess Benfica now | OneFootball

The fiery press conference that José Mourinho gave at the end of the match against Casa Pia is still making headlines. In recent hours, Rui Costa responded to the Benfica coach’s remarks and ended up contradicting the Special One’s point of view, stating that this is not the time to give up. Some journalists are raising the question of whether the two key figures are fully in sync or at odds.

Valter Marques began by stating that Benfica’s board has not yet thrown in the towel, noting that there are still six matches left until the end of the league season, which must be approached with 'aggressiveness and intensity'. The journalist goes on to say that the President believed José Mourinho had shown an 'incorrect attitude' by throwing in the towel.

Rita Pedrosa goes further and says that Rui Costa’s words were meant as a message to José Mourinho, for 'not agreeing' with the Benfica coach’s point of view. She adds that the constant criticism the Special One has been making of the Reds’ squad has left the Eagles’ top official 'uncomfortable'.

Luís Avelãs, meanwhile, made a point of stressing that mathematically the title is not yet lost, saying that José Mourinho’s position does not align with what the board is thinking. In addition, the journalist points out that Rui Costa’s words served to 'remind Benfica’s coach and players'.

It should be remembered that, with the draw against Casa Pia, Benfica missed an opportunity to close the gap at the top of the Liga Portugal Betclic, wasting Porto’s slip-up. With six matchdays still to be played, the Lisbon club sits in third place with 66 points, behind Sporting (69 points and a game in hand) and the Dragons (73).

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