José Mourinho has unleashed his wrath on his Benfica players after the club's crushing 3-1 defeat by Braga in the Portuguese League Cup semi-finals. The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager was visibly frustrated with his team's performance, which saw them go down two goals at halftime before a late consolation goal from Gustaf Lagerbielke secured victory for Braga.
Mourinho's post-match press conference descended into a heated rant, as he blasted his players for their lacklustre display. "The first half was awful, inexplicable," he said. "I can't find anything positive in the first half outside the first five minutes." He questioned whether a draw would have been a fair result, and declared that Braga did not win the game - Benfica's players lost it.
Mourinho also took aim at his team's mentality, suggesting that they failed to respond to his team talk after the break. "There was so much sadness," he said. "It ended up being a monologue." He questioned whether any of his players could be genuinely nervous about a League Cup semi-final, implying that they were not fit to call themselves Benfica players.
As part of his disciplinary regime, Mourinho has ordered his team to stay at the club's Seixal training base until further notice. While this may seem like a harsh measure, it is likely aimed at forcing the players to reflect on their performance and come up with new strategies for their upcoming match against Porto in the Portuguese Cup quarter-final.
Despite the setback, Benfica president Rui Costa insists that Mourinho's decision to keep his team at Seixal is not a punishment, but rather a precautionary measure to ensure they are prepared for their next games. The final of the League Cup will take place on Saturday, with Benfica not participating - and Mourinho has vowed to focus on preparing his side for their Portuguese Cup quarter-final against Porto next week.
As Mourinho sets about rebuilding his team's confidence and morale, one thing is certain: he will not be getting any sympathy from his players. "I hope the players sleep as well as I do," he quipped in a bizarre remark that has left fans wondering what exactly he hopes to achieve by keeping them awake.
Mourinho's post-match press conference descended into a heated rant, as he blasted his players for their lacklustre display. "The first half was awful, inexplicable," he said. "I can't find anything positive in the first half outside the first five minutes." He questioned whether a draw would have been a fair result, and declared that Braga did not win the game - Benfica's players lost it.
Mourinho also took aim at his team's mentality, suggesting that they failed to respond to his team talk after the break. "There was so much sadness," he said. "It ended up being a monologue." He questioned whether any of his players could be genuinely nervous about a League Cup semi-final, implying that they were not fit to call themselves Benfica players.
As part of his disciplinary regime, Mourinho has ordered his team to stay at the club's Seixal training base until further notice. While this may seem like a harsh measure, it is likely aimed at forcing the players to reflect on their performance and come up with new strategies for their upcoming match against Porto in the Portuguese Cup quarter-final.
Despite the setback, Benfica president Rui Costa insists that Mourinho's decision to keep his team at Seixal is not a punishment, but rather a precautionary measure to ensure they are prepared for their next games. The final of the League Cup will take place on Saturday, with Benfica not participating - and Mourinho has vowed to focus on preparing his side for their Portuguese Cup quarter-final against Porto next week.
As Mourinho sets about rebuilding his team's confidence and morale, one thing is certain: he will not be getting any sympathy from his players. "I hope the players sleep as well as I do," he quipped in a bizarre remark that has left fans wondering what exactly he hopes to achieve by keeping them awake.
he's always been fiery but braga just beat benfica 3-1? like, come on! 
i feel bad for the players tho, they must be so frustrated and demotivated after that match. Mourinho needs to find a way to lift their spirits instead of just yelling at them all the time 
i mean, i get it, he's trying to keep them accountable but geez, can't he just give 'em a break? 
out a bit. 2 goals down at halftime is not a great starting point, but at least his team managed to claw back with a late consolation goal 
. It's one game, and they'll bounce back from this 
. The fact that he's keeping them at the training base might be a harsh measure, but it's meant to shake things up and get them refocused 
. And honestly, I think his "punishment" comment about not being able to sleep was kinda mean 
. Still, Mourinho's one of those managers who gets results, so I'm sure Benfica will come out on top in the end 
.
and say they're not fit to wear the Benfica jersey? 
I'm just imagining him trying to motivate his players after that first half... good luck with that 
hopefully they come back stronger next match against porto. but seriously, seixal training base till when? that's just cruel 
i feel bad for those players, stuck there with no end in sight
so many times i've seen him get all fired up on tv and i'm over here dying laughing 
. can't wait to see what they come out with against Porto next week tho! 
.
. And that quote about players sleeping as well as he does? Gotta be kidding me 
.
! Mourinho went OFF on his own team 
. The guy's known for being hard on his players, but 3 days of sleep deprivation is ridiculous 
. It's like he's trying to create a culture of fear instead of building trust and rapport with his players.
.
his rant was wild even if its not gonna be easy to take but gotta respect the fact that he's willing to shake things up at the club 
. Sticking them at the training base for a week might actually work 
... they need to reflect on their performance and figure out what went wrong 
. Can't blame him for trying though 
️! #MourinhoRant #Benfica #PortugueseLeagueCup #TeamWorkMatters 
he's basically saying they're not good enough to call themselves benfica, which is just unfair 
but you've gotta respect the guy's passion and conviction