Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has instructed his players to stay and sleep at the club’s training ground following their 3-1 defeat to Braga in the Portuguese League Cup semi-finals.
The loss came after Benfica were reduced to 10 men due to the red card shown to former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi.
Speaking on Thursday, Mourinho said the decision to keep the squad at the Seixal training base was intended to give the players time to reflect on the cup exit.
“Look, today, thinking we were going to play the final, we’re not going home, we’re going to Seixal,” he said. “The players will sleep in Seixal, and there’s training tomorrow and the day after. But there’s no game on Saturday.”
He added: “Upon arriving in Seixal, everyone will go to their rooms. I hope the players sleep as well as I do, which is to say, don’t sleep at all. That’s what I wish for them — that they think a lot, like I will.”
Mourinho revealed that he prefers dialogue over monologues with his players. “In the locker room, it was a monologue, and monologues don’t work for me. We’ll talk about the differences between the first and second halves and prepare in the best way possible,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mourinho said Benfica will face FC Porto next Wednesday, likely without Otamendi, Antonio Silva, and possibly Enzo Fernandez. “But let’s go, thinking we can win the game,” he added.
