Specialist issues brutal warning to Benfica: poor season all but certain | OneFootball

Nélson Feiteirona paints a blunt and straightforward picture of Benfica’s current situation. José Mourinho’s press conference ahead of the derby with Sporting, according to the author, was far from dramatic or rebellious, instead being marked by pragmatism and an awareness of reality.

"José Mourinho’s pre-match press conference ahead of this Sunday’s decisive game against Sporting was not that of a defeated coach, nor of someone who had thrown in the towel". Nor was it a press conference from a Mourinho irritated by what he sees as injustices that harmed the team throughout the league campaign, namely refereeing errors. Above all, it was a very pragmatic conversation with journalists, marked by an awareness of the moment", he began by writing in the newspaper A Bola.

Even so, the competitive outlook is not encouraging. "However meaningful the fact that Benfica have still not lost a single league match may be, the nine draws and the gap to the second- and third-placed teams make the situation very complicated for the Eagles. Even if mathematically everything is still possible, few, very few, will believe that Benfica’s rivals will stumble as many times as the Eagles need them to", it reads.

The assessment is harsh, but Nélson Feiteirona does not completely shut the door on hope for the Eagles. "A poor season is practically guaranteed, but it is still possible to chase what may warm the hearts of the fans and the players", he points out.

Finally, the issue of Mourinho’s future also entered the equation -. "As for his future at Benfica, although he is becoming irritated by journalists’ insistence on asking about the subject, Mourinho ended up admitting that he is not in a position to guarantee that he will stay next season", he concluded.

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