"The players want to win titles and will give everything for it"

PREVIEW

In his preview of the match against Estoril on Sunday, March 10, from matchday 25 of the Liga Betclic, Roger Schmidt stressed that Benfica's mission is to win the three points and play good soccer, in order to continue the good Ireaction seen last Thursday, March 7, against Rangers, in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16.

After the [Rangers] game in the Europa League, Benfica are back in the Liga Betclic. What are your expectations for the game against Estoril?

We've already played them twice. Estoril are fighting to stay in the league, but they're a team with a lot of quality, making life difficult for their opponents. They have a lot of fast players, who make good decisions in the final third, and they always put a lot of intensity into their matches. That's what I'm expecting for tomorrow [Sunday, March 10]. We need the three points. The schedule is difficult and we've played a lot of games in a short period of time, but the last impression we left was a good one. On Thursday [March 7] we showed quality, and physically we were good too. Now our mission is to end this period positively before the international break. And for that, we need a win tomorrow [Sunday].

You just said that on Thursday [against Rangers] they gave a good response and that physically the players were fine. The players themselves posted on social media and spoke after the game, saying that the team had to react. Do the players seem affected emotionally and psychologically?

We played Sporting in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup, and the qualification is still open. We lost there, we lost in Oporto in the league [matchday 24], and we drew in the first leg against Rangers [Europa League round of 16]. Before that, we won almost everything. That's the situation, and for players and teams like us, used to win a lot of games, it's a bit unexpected to have these moments of not having a win in a week. We're not used to it, so it's normal for the players to think about this situation. For me, as a coach, it's important how you react in these moments, and that's what we also talked about after the two games - against Sporting and FC Oporto - that we have to show reaction on the pitch. You have to be focused on your performance in the next game, prepare it the best way, analyze the opponent and your own game, and then show good football on the pitch. In my opinion, the players did well, because, as you say, it's not very easy, there's always pressure at Benfica. We were able to show quality since the first second and play a good game, but of course it's a draw. We still have to work on and improve some details, we're conceding too many easy goals, missing too many chances, but overall, if you look at the players' performance, in terms of tactical behavior and mentality, I think they did very well. For me, as a coach, it's a good sign. It shows that the team is in good shape, connected, that the spirit is good. Then, of course, it's easier to resolve these moments or phases during a season like this. All teams, all over the world, in all leagues, no matter how good they are, have phases in the season when the results aren't there and they have to show attitude and quality. That's what we've done. I'm always in touch with the players, I know what they're thinking, I know how much they want to win titles this season and that they will give everything for it.

Benfica have had a very dense calendar and it's difficult to manage the team physically and mentally. In your mind, is the Championship the priority?

My priority is always the next game. I've already said that I don't prioritize competitions. We can't choose the calendar, which is the way it is, but in the end we're happy to be playing so many games, because that means we're fighting in several competitions. In recent weeks, I think we've played around 10 consecutive games every three days. At a certain point, it's too much for the players and we have to accept what happened against Sporting and FC Oporto, where we struggled physically. But on Thursday [Rangers], we showed that, with concentration and preparation, we can be ready for every game. That's our task for this week before the international break and for the last third of the season. We're going to give everything in all competitions, starting tomorrow [Sunday, March 10] against Estoril.

In the last three matches you haven't presented the same starting XI, there were always changes. In some press conferences, and after some games, you said that Benfica can do better. Do you think that, at the moment, one of the main reasons for the team not improving is the fact that it is March and you still do not have a starting eleven?

Changing players when we play every three days is very, very normal. We have a good squad, lots of options and I try to keep all the players in good physical condition, giving them some rest, but also game time. At these stages, especially, you have to bear in mind that, at a certain point, players who are used to playing always need time to recover and to prevent injuries. If players play five or six games in a row, without rest, with only three days in between the risk of injury increases. All these things are part of deciding the XI. In the end, you always need an approach to win the game. That's what we always do, and we're doing it very professionally, the staff and the medical department are also doing it very well. We try to find all the information to decide on the starting team. The most important thing is to win, but we have the possibility of changing players and maintaining the level and a high probability of winning the game. This is something we have to do until the end of the season, especially when we have as many games as we do now.

Benfica's strikers haven't scored in five games. Does that worry you? Do you feel that none of them are capable of giving the team what it wants, like Gonçalo Ramos did last season?

Last season we experienced a different situation. We started the season with Gonçalo [Ramos] as a striker, and he confirmed week after week that he's a good player in that position. He scored goals, proved to be very complete tactically and that's why he played almost the entire season. This season, I repeat, the situation is different. We have very good options for position 9, but the players up front haven't been as consistent in all those parameters to hold their position for weeks, months or the whole season. That's the truth. They all work well, but they have to evolve. They're new at Benfica and sometimes players need time to adapt and play at their best. Benfica's tactical idea is also different to what they were used to. We have to find the best approach for each game. Sometimes we can keep the starting XI for several weeks, and other times we have to adjust it for the reasons I've mentioned. We've scored a lot of goals. In the last three games we haven't been as effective, especially on Thursday [against Rangers], because in the last two games, we struggled to create chances. But if you look at what happened two weeks ago, we scored five goals against Vizela in the first half and four goals against Portimonense in 15 minutes. The potential and quality are there. In the end, it doesn't matter who scores the goals. The important thing is that the team scores and wins games. This is our situation, and all our strikers are invited to fight for the position and play consistently. At the moment, we're not in that situation.