The Benfica coach ahead of the clash with Conte: “Not having De Bruyne but having Mc Tominay is the same thing. I have some big absences but I don’t want to cry about it.”

Years and teams come and go, but José Mourinho remains unique in his press conferences, still as sharp as ever. On the eve of Benfica’s Champions League clash with Antonio Conte’s Napoli, Mou attacks in his own way. “Is it an advantage to know Italian teams? I don’t know, maybe it will take me less time to analyze them than another team or a culture I don’t know,” explains the Portuguese coach. The fact that I know them well doesn’t mean that the difficulties are any less or that their qualities are inferior. They are a very strong team, which has won two championships in a short time and plays differently than at the beginning of the season, unfortunately for us… I much prefer the way they play now to the way they played before.”

long bench—  “We played well against Sporting,” continues Mou, “we were stronger against an opponent that has won two championships in a row. We were penalized at the start of the game by an individual error by two of our players, something that has happened to us in recent games. We played an excellent game against Chelsea, but we lost due to an own goal, just like in the league. We always lose because of individual errors. The team is stronger in terms of tactical organization. Napoli doesn’t have Lukaku? Don’t make me laugh about missing players, because not having De Bruyne but having McTominay is the same thing. I have some significant absences, but I don’t want to cry about it. Napoli’s bench is different; if you see who’s playing, you forget who’s missing. By changing their system of play, they’ve become a better team.”