Not even Mourinho spared: Benfica repeat Rui Costa-era pattern | OneFootball

Benfica has once again finished a season without winning the National Championship, and the numbers leave Rui Costa facing a scenario that is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. After yet another mid-season managerial change, this time with Bruno Lage leaving and José Mourinho coming in, the Eagles once again ended far from the title and repeated a record that is already starting to worry the red fans.

Curiously, the Reds finished the last three editions of the league with exactly the same 80 points. In 2023/24, Benfica finished second under Roger Schmidt. The following season, with Bruno Lage taking charge after the German coach’s departure, the Eagles once again ended the campaign in second place, again with 80 points. Now, in 2025/26, the situation has worsened even further, with the Lisbon club dropping to third place despite the arrival of José Mourinho.

The coaching change once again failed to produce the desired impact. While Bruno Lage still managed to improve the team’s performances when he replaced Roger Schmidt in 2024/25, José Mourinho was unable to repeat that effect this season. The Portuguese coach took over Benfica in the fourth round, at a time when the Eagles were in second place with 10 points, but ended the championship with 80 points, thanks to 20 wins and 10 draws.

Since taking over as Benfica president, Rui Costa has already made several changes on the Reds’ bench. Jorge Jesus, Roger Schmidt, Bruno Lage and José Mourinho all ended up leaving without managing to establish a truly dominant cycle in the league. The only exception remains the 2022/23 season, when Roger Schmidt led the Eagles to the national title with 87 points.

Now, at a time when José Mourinho is almost set for Real Madrid and the squad has officially gone on holiday, Rui Costa is preparing to make more important decisions for the future of Benfica football. After three consecutive seasons without lifting the league title, the pressure is growing to find stability in the dugout and return Benfica to a serious fight for trophies.

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