Roger Schmidt: "We always count on the fans, I know they'll support us"

PREVIEW

Benfica returns to Estádio da Luz at 6 pm this Friday, December 8, to face Farense on matchday 13 of the Liga Betclic. Speaking ahead of the match, Roger Schmidt praised the team's reunion with the Benfica fans in the Cathedral. 

What can we expect from this return to the Estádio da Luz against Farense? What kind of opponent are you expecting?

They're in a similar situation to Moreirense. They were promoted to the first division, they deserved it, and this season they've also shown that it wasn't a coincidence. They have a lot of quality, a different style of play to last week [against Moreirense], but also a team that has made games very difficult for their opponents. Furthermore, they've scored a lot of goals, almost as many as us, that says it all. They're a team with self-confidence, they've started very well in the Premier League, and they showed it on the pitch. We have to expect a team with nothing to lose in our stadium and playing to surprise. Our task is, as always, to play a good game from the first minute, show our good form and, of course, win the three points, because that's always important to us.

How are the team and the players feeling?

Of course we were disappointed after the last game, with the draw. I think we played a good game, it was possible to win, but we weren't able to score the decisive goal to get the three points. However, I saw that our players are doing everything they can to work for the goals and get the three points. That's part of it, but our task is also to keep looking forward. When we have these games where we don't score, and it's 0-0, we have to quickly forget this disappointment and focus on the next game. That's our job, and we've shown many times that we can do it. The players are fine, they've recovered a bit. Last week was tough, with three games. Now we have another chance to get the three points and work on our situation in the league. I've said a few times that, to be champions, we have to have a good season overall. There are 34 games to play, part of it is done, we have 29 out of 36 points, it's not perfect, but it's a good average. We have to keep going, and tomorrow [Friday] we have to score and win the game.

The fans weren't happy with your decision in the last game to take off João Neves at half-time. Do you think Benfica are stronger today than in the last match?

You're talking about the fans... some of them, perhaps. Not everyone has the same opinion. We can always discuss decisions, but we only talk about decisions when the team doesn't win. That's normal. As a coach, we get asked these kinds of questions, but it's my responsibility to make decisions during the game. In my opinion, Florentino and João Neves had intense games before, they were a bit tired, and I think it was good to have fresh energy with Orkun [Kökcü] and Chiquinho. They were good. We had enough chances to score the decisive goal, but it stayed 0-0, and we have to talk about these decisions... In the end, and even after the game, when the fans aren't happy with the team, I know that it's not the opinion of all the fans. Many of them are happy with what the players are doing now, a year and a half ago. If you look at the condition Benfica were in when we started and the condition they're in now, there's a lot of development. It was up to the players to change that, and they deserve all the appreciation they get from many of the fans. There are always negative people and they are always the loudest. It's normal in football, as it is in society. There are always people who criticize and use the space to show off when something goes wrong. I know that the majority of the Benfica fans are happy with our team, we always count on them, and I know that they will support us tomorrow [Friday] afternoon as they have for a year and a half.

What has changed from one season to the next? The first one was very good for you, this one is more difficult, with the Champions League and a few performances. What's missing at the moment at Benfica?

In fact, I also felt that last season was very difficult. When you're at Benfica, the only thing that counts is winning titles. That's always difficult, it is this year, and it was last year too. In the end, when we win, it seems a bit simple, but for me it wasn't. When we talk about the Champions League, it's completely different. We've talked about it many times, it wasn't our year in the Champions League. In the Portuguese league, we have 29 points after 12 games. 36 are possible if you win everything... It's still possible to have a better first round than last season. We have to be at the top, that's our focus. Of course, sometimes it's difficult, and we're not perfect at the moment. There are a few reasons, we haven't had very important players for a long time. David Neres, Alex Bah, Orkun Kökcü, Juan Bernat... They've been out for six/eight weeks, we've played without them. We lost very important players at the end of last season, great international players for a lot of money. When these things come together... Still, we managed to get 29 points out of a possible 36. We deserved every point and, in the other three games, we also deserved to win. The other teams weren't better than us, we were better. In fact, if you look at the whole picture, you can be happy. I really value what my players are doing. They're not complaining, they're always focused, they're always doing their best, and they're always coping well with the pressure of winning every game at Benfica. Seeing what they do on the pitch and how they fight and play football, I value it a lot and I know that many Benfica fans do too.

The team hasn't won three games in a row since September. What's the reason for this inconsistency?

We have different competitions to play in. If you don't win the Champions League games in between, then it's difficult to win three games in a row. To have many wins in a row and play reliably and consistently, we have to win the international games. Now, the important thing is not to look back. What makes sense is to focus on each next game, that's what we do. Even with the problems we've had in recent weeks, we're still in a good position in the league and in the other competitions. That's what counts, we can't change the season in the Champions League, because it's done. Next week we'll be fighting for the Europa League, but our focus is on tomorrow's game [Friday].