Mourinho: Benfica’s defence needs courage to improve | OneFootball

José Mourinho previewed the Benfica - Gil Vicente match for the upcoming round of the National Championship. When asked why he placed Fredrik Aursnes as left-back against Rio Ave instead of Rafael Obrador, the coach assured that the Spaniard needs to "lose his shyness".

"Obrador? I need to get to know him better, I analyzed the game he played against Tondela on video, but I need to know him better. I knew that Aursnes gives us guarantees in all positions," the Benfica coach began, justifying the choice of the Norwegian.

"If you ask me the player I know the least, I would say it's Obrador. He's a reserved, introverted guy, and that also translates to his training level. I have to help him lose his shyness and be able to show more of his potential," José Mourinho stated.

In the 24/25 season, while at Deportivo, Rafael Obrador - currently valued at 500 thousand euros - was featured in 33 matches for the neighboring country's team: 32 in Spain's second division and one in the King's Cup. In the 2,232 minutes he was on the field, the new Benfica defensive signing did not score any goals, ending up with just one assist.

Benfica returns to the field next Friday, September 26th, at 8:15 PM, at Estádio da Luz, against Gil Vicente. The match corresponds to the seventh round of the Liga Portugal Betclic and will be played against the team led by César Peixoto.

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