José Manuel Capristano clear on whether Mourinho should stay at Benfica | OneFootball

José Manuel Capristano defends the continuation of José Mourinho and said he agreed with the criticism made by the coach after the game against Casa Pia (1-1). In his opinion, the team’s problems are evident, stating that there are players who do not have the quality to be part of the squad.

“The criticism he makes is the same criticism I make, and all Benfica fans make. At Benfica there are many players who do not have the quality, and others who do not have the fighting spirit to play for Benfica,” he told the newspaper 'Record', placing responsibility on the Club’s scouting department: "It is doing a terrible job for Benfica. Porto and Sporting made more targeted and far more accurate signings.”

In the former vice-president’s analysis, Benfica has been forced to use certain players not because of their sporting performance, but for financial reasons: “The coach has to play certain players to try to sell them at the end of the season with as little loss as possible. Basically, that was what José Mourinho was saying after the match.”

Despite agreeing with the substance of the criticism, Capristano raised doubts about the way it was expressed publicly: “Whether he should have been the one to say it? I don’t know about that.” The frustration with the team’s current situation is clear, and he even admitted that “games like this make you want to cry.” Even so, he stressed that, although there are reasons to complain about the refereeing, “that alone does not justify Benfica’s performances, which are dreadful.”

Finally, he criticized the team’s overall display, saying that “the team plays without fight, it does not play the Benfica way” and that “the players do not know what that shirt means to most of the Portuguese people. Coaches are always punished for results, but Mourinho has mitigating factors. He did not oversee pre-season, he was not the one who chose the players. Besides, I am not in favor of changing coaches every season. Especially when it is a coach with a unique résumé in our country".

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