Seixal talent, future and derby: all Mourinho said after Benfica-Nacional | OneFootball

A week after what happened in Rio Maior, José Mourinho was back at a press conference, this time after the win against Nacional. Speaking to journalists, the Benfica coach acknowledged that it was a good performance, but stressed that the result does not reflect what happened on the pitch. Check out everything the Special One said.

Does the result fit what happened on the pitch?

"There were 24 shots, 8 on target and well on target, 15 corners, a lot of dominance, a lot of pressure. A fast game, lots of quick ball recoveries. It was a well-played match, even if it was sprinkled with a few moments where the intensity dropped, but overall it was a good game that had everything to end with very different numbers. In the first half we had good chances to score the third goal and we had the whole second half to score the third. Nacional, intelligently, understood that it was difficult to turn the result around, but that it was possible to stay compact, hold on, keep things balanced and avoid leaving with a heavier result than this. It was us who played a good game and pushed Nacional into being unable to compete with us in the match".

At one point the fans were a bit more impatient because Benfica couldn’t score. Was it because you felt the same way that you made four substitutions at once?

"The fans felt the same as I did. All Benfica supporters and everyone who works for Benfica, including the players on the pitch, wanted more, felt they deserved more, but that extra goal wasn’t coming. I see that as natural. Anyone who saw the start of the game, the way we suffocated them, was surely thinking by the 15th or 20th minute that they were going to see more goals. I was thinking the same. We’re all together in that feeling [sentiment]".

What impact did the returns of Barreiro and Aursnes have?

"Barreiro and Aursnes are two very important players in our team. Not having one... ok... not having two starts to border on drama for us. Not having both is close to dramatic. Today we were already able to have Barreiro for the full match and Aursnes playing for some time. I was going to make three changes, not the fourth one, Enzo for Rios was late on. But they are natural substitutions. Prestianni had a great game, but he was obviously starting to go into decline, with Lukebakio, who had a good week of work, ready to come on. Ivanović, hard-working, intense, good in the press, also made sense at that point. Bringing on the kid [Gonçalo Moreira] is not one of those situations that helps his development as a player. You help when you start Neto and Banjaqui, when you bring on Anísio with 15/20 minutes left. The contribution of coming on four minutes from the end to his development as a player is zero, but it’s a reward he deserves".

What place will Gonçalo Moreira have in the first team?

"Gonçalo will definitely be with us in the next pre-season. Pre-season will start with the World Cup still going on, which means several players won’t be there at the start of July. He’ll be there, as he is in what I don’t define publicly but do define internally. Within Seixal’s elite, there is a small elite. Gonçalo is part of that small elite and he will definitely be working with the first team in the next pre-season. This year he has done everything, he has played for all the teams. He is essentially a player for the B team, where he works with Veríssimo, who has given him the ability to grow so much against very experienced men who play in those teams in a difficult league like Liga 2. From time to time he comes to work with the first team, which obviously gives him a completely different pace at physical and technical level. And I hope to be able to give him an opportunity for growth before the end of the season. Today it was just an opportunity for him to be with his parents, have a little beer and celebrate because he has now made his debut for Benfica’s first team, but I want to give him chances to play and develop. Not a small opportunity like today to play and enjoy it".

Can Tomás Araújo recover in time for the derby?

"I’d say he’s unlikely to recover, but I’m not saying it’s impossible. The situation is difficult, he hasn’t even done any work on the pitch yet, much less joined in fully. I find it hard to see him recovering, but we’ll see. There’s still a week to go".

Benfica kept pressing hard after the two goals, unlike what happened in other matches against teams in the lower half of the table. Could Benfica’s situation at this stage be different if they had switched on this mindset earlier?

"That’s obviously what we want. There haven’t been many games where we started very well. There have been more games where we didn’t start well than games where we did. If today was down to chance? I wouldn’t say so because this week we really insisted on things we don’t do well and that we have to do better. In fact it has to be like that, but on the other hand we also have to have the ability to win ugly games. Sometimes ugly games have to be won and if we look at the teams in first and second place, they have won many ugly games. You can’t concede a goal like the one we conceded against Casa Pia and many others we conceded here at home throughout the league campaign that cost us points".

Does your desire to continue depend on any condition such as investment in the squad?

"It depends only on the club’s will, it does not depend on any condition on my part. Investment in the team doesn’t matter".

What can you say about Ríos’ physical condition?

"I’m not too worried, I thought it was muscular, it isn’t. Muscle injuries always scare me, even if only a little, ankles don’t scare me much. It’s an ankle sprain that doesn’t seem very serious. I would be surprised, especially given the player’s own personality, if he wasn’t available".

What kind of message do you want to send to Pavlidis after he missed a penalty and is going through his worst spell of the season?

"The best thing I can say about Pavlidis is that there are strikers who are only good when they score goals and when they don’t score, their contribution to the team is zero. Pavlidis is not that type of striker. Even without scoring, his contribution is good in other aspects of the game, he continues to do his job well. Now obviously he and I expect a striker to score goals. He is clearly not in his best moment, but wingers have to score goals, attacking midfielders have to score goals. Schjelderup used to score few, now he’s starting to score plenty. Rafa had seven or eight months of holidays. He is also now in a process. Prestianni is also getting his little goal from time to time and that is very important in a team. You can see it and there’s no hiding it, even on penalties where he is fantastic, you could sense that little touch of low confidence and low self-esteem right now. But Pavlidis, I really like what he means to the team".

Were you pleased with the Barreiro-Ríos partnership? Is it here to stay?

"We’ll see how Aursnes develops, but there’s no hiding that Benfica with Aursnes is the best Benfica. I’m happy with this balance between Ríos and Barreiro, this combination of qualities, because they give us the chance to jump, press high and push the two more attacking men onto the opposing centre-backs. On the ball, the decision-making was ok. Neither of them is Zidane, there’s a misplaced pass here and there, but it’s a good combination. But there’s no hiding that if Aursnes is fit, he plays".

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