Mourinho and Lukebakio at odds? Ex-Benfica man recalls: This situation... | OneFootball

Dodi Lukebakio’s days at Benfica may be numbered. The Belgian winger did not like being substituted against Moreirense (4-1), threw his jacket to the ground, vented his fury on the bench, and argued with José Mourinho. "He said he did not deserve to be substituted. My response was more violent," the Setúbal native summed up.

Now retired from football, Carlitos recalls an old clash involving the Special One, at the start of his career as a head coach, also at Benfica. The former Clube da Luz winger witnessed the incident involving Sabry and José Mourinho in 2000. This came after the Egyptian gave an interview accusing the coach of not liking him.

"It is not easy for a coach to like a player who has an absurd average of offsides, who does not know that when the ball is in the opponent’s possession on the opposite side, he has to close the inside space and not stay wide, who does not know what positional play and balanced occupation of space are, and who away from home runs when they show him their teeth," José Mourinho replied at the time, referring to a "lying interview."

Signed from Real Madrid, Carlitos featured in nine of the 11 matches in which the Special One was in charge of the Eagles. Because of that, he says there was "some unease" in the squad after that clash. "With Mourinho, the ones who play are those in the best form, not whoever wants to," he stressed, in comments to the newspaper Record. "Sabry explained himself to the squad in a meeting in the dressing room and said he had been misunderstood," he added.

Almost 26 years later, Carlitos is certain of one thing. "What happened on Saturday is normal in football, although coaches’ reactions differ. However, unless there are other issues from the past, this situation, even though sensitive, is not enough to cause a rupture," argued the former footballer.

As in 2000, Carlitos underlined that Benfica’s coach was quick to "bang his fist on the table" and show who is in charge. "Mourinho gives everything to the players and expects it to be returned," he recalled. The Setúbal native and the 28-year-old Belgian international will come face to face this week to calmly analyze what happened at the Estádio da Luz.

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