Mourinho: Ajax couldn’t score a goal even with 150 people; I won the Champions League last time when someone outside the top five won it

Hupu, November 26th: Benfica head coach Mourinho attended the UEFA Champions League post-match press conference after defeating Ajax 2-0.

Talk about the game

"The last ten minutes of the first half were a bit chaotic. We lost control a little bit and lost the ball as soon as we got it. In the second half, we really had no threat and couldn't break through the half, but they only had one chance, Klassen's shot, and then the game was completely under our control.

The performance in the last fifteen minutes made me feel that even if there were 150 people on the field instead of 15, they would not be able to score. The unity and fighting spirit shown by the players, and the joy of the team after the victory, are really beautiful."

In the second half, the team was not so much taking the initiative to attack, but waiting for the opponent to make mistakes. Is this related to distrust caused by recent record?

"I said yesterday that it is one thing to want to win, and it is another thing to have to win. These are two different pressures. We don't have many fast players on the offensive end, so the counterattack threat is not great;

We must change the way we play. The players have done a very good job, and they deserve blessings Congratulations. They played to their strengths and we also knew how to defend and stay solid. Barreiro's goal ended the game, but even without this goal, the feeling on the bench was that the game was under control."

Why did Sudakov be replaced by Thomas Araujo in the second half?

"If I had a winger on the bench who could seal space and score on the counter-attack, that would be every coach's dream. But at the time they were fielding two strikers - one 2 meters tall and the other 1.90 meters - which meant they could have a lot of crosses and set-pieces. Yes.

If I can protect Antonio Silva and Otamendi from getting into a two-on-one situation and use Thomas to create an advantage... then my goal is to win."

Then, Mourinho once again expressed his views on the public criticism of the team by TV commentators.

"In a country where the comments are overwhelming - I don't want to exaggerate, but yesterday there were 23 and a half hours of talk about this on TV every day, just kidding...Benfica gave everyone something new to talk about because they had nothing to talk about.

The coach briefly mentioned at halftime, He didn't hesitate to talk about it publicly, but it made a big fuss. Today I saw a great Portuguese coach like Sergio Conceicao saying that he is 52 years old and at this rate, he should play now... What's the fuss about it?

I don't see it. I hope he wasn't angry when he said that. As a father, I'm not always nice to my kids.

After 25 years in the coaching chair and more than 1,200 'halftime speeches,' I should believe that what I say has a positive impact because the team takes it seriously. 3}

They did it, they gave me support and they knew how to turn things around when the game went in a direction we didn't want. We also knew how to hold on to the victory at the last moment. "

Will Ajax's style of play affect their prospects in the Champions League?

"This is not the way Ajax wants. It has to do with those 'sharks' in European football. Ajax has a great history, but I don't think they are a 'shark' financially.

They are more like a Portuguese club than Real Madrid. Champions League winners It is already out of reach for Ajax. When was the last time a club outside the top five leagues won the Champions League?"

Reporter: "Porto (2004, when Mourinho was coaching)"

Mourinho: "Yes (nods)"