José Mourinho spoke to the media today in his pre-game press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Benfica vs Real Madrid clash, addressing the unpredictability of football, his mindset for the match, and several
topics related to former players and colleagues. Below are Mourinho’s full quotes from the press conference.
On the challenge of predicting the game and Benfica’s objective:
“It’s difficult to predict. No matter how many things can happen, one thing remains undeniable: you never know what might happen. You analyze, you develop your game plan, but there’s always an element of unpredictability. We have to respect the nature of football and prepare as best we can. We have to play with respect. We know our opponent, but we also know ourselves. We’re not interested in other results. Only by winning can we consider whether they’re favorable or not. There’s only one objective.”
On the Negreira case:
“I’m not interested in the Negreira case, honestly. I live my career day by day. What happened, happened.”
On comments involving Spalletti, Arbeloa, and former players:
“I greatly respect that you try to steer things in the direction that suits you. The question was about Spalletti, and my answer is about him — not Arbeloa. In 2000, Benfica called a coach who had never coached anyone. That coach didn’t respond because he thought they wanted him as an assistant. It’s happened to me. The Spanish have used it to talk about Arbeloa, and the Italians to talk about Chivu. Both are like boys to me, former players of mine, and special. From a human perspective, he’s one of my favorite players. He wasn’t the best, but perhaps he was one of the best players Real Madrid ever had. I hope everything goes very well for Arbeloa and that he has a fantastic career.”
On Xabi Alonso:
“Xabi Alonso is another one of my boys. I only have positive memories. I felt the same excitement I’ll feel tomorrow against Álvaro. I played against Xabi and I was thrilled. What he did at Leverkusen was a great joy, and so was his arrival at Real Madrid. What happened afterward and why it ended doesn’t interest me. Anything can happen. Now he’ll be very happy because he’s shown the level of coach he can reach.”
On wishing Arbeloa well as a coach:
“I wish Arbeloa all the best. He can coach any club in the world. Real Madrid can be coached by any coach in the world, and I want him to do well. Except tomorrow. I love Arbeloa and Real Madrid. I can’t give him advice. The important thing is that he’s happy. Being a coach is a difficult task because there are many people who criticize you and talk about you every day. They create influencers in the world of football. It’s important that he enjoys it.”
On whether he has spoken to Arbeloa and the stakes of the match:
“I haven’t spoken to him. My phone number is very complicated because the only one that’s always available is the club’s. And my family’s. My other number changes. Some people lose my contact information, and I lose it too. There’s no need for us to call each other to wish each other luck. He already knows that. Then… It’s simple. If we don’t win, we’re out. Draw or defeat. If we win, we’ll know in the locker room.”
On Benfica’s mentality against Real Madrid:
“We have nothing to lose. We’re playing against a great team and great players. It’s kill or be killed. We’ll try to achieve that tomorrow through balance. Without balance, Madrid will punish us.”
