Bruno Lage: "Create the same volume of goal chances, score and win"

PREVIEW

Bruno Lage knows he will find [Wednesday, at 7:15 pm] a Portimonense team with a "lot of quality", but the strategy of the Benfica coach is well defined.

What do you expect from Wednesday's game after the draw against Tondela?

It wasn't the result we expected, but it was a game in which the team produced six goal scoring chances, with only the goalkeeper to beat. I hope the team will give an response and score goals, because that's what we need right now. We have 27 points at stake... We must move on, create the same volume of goal chances, score goals and win against a very competent opponent. They have a squad with a lot of quality, specially in the attack. They are in a very difficult situation, and they got they points [in the last round] with the objective of avoiding relegation. They fight to avoid relegation and we fight to win the Championship.

 Benfica comes from four consecutive draws. This squad is practically the same as the first half of the Championship. What happened with Benfica? Is there fatigue? Lack of confidence from the players?

We had a three-month period in which we didn't play. If you do the analysis we made of the last game in which we had the record at the offensive level, if the ball went in, today this question wasn't being asked. This does not mean that we are not aware that we had to win this game and that we want to do more and better

Are you still confident in spite of the lack of efficiency revealed in the last game?

This is the way. We must always rethink, reflect and try to evolve. Thinking, training and playing take us on a direction everyday,from training to training, and from game to game. 

Text: Diogo Nascimento, Filipa Fernandes Garcia and João Sanches

Photos: Tânia Paulo / SL Benfica