“I'm not on the market. I'm at Benfica and I love my job”

PREVIEW

With clarity and assertiveness, Roger Schmidt answered the questions put to him at the press conference ahead of Benfica's match in Famalicão, on matchday 32 of the Liga Betclic. "I'm very happy at the Club", said the coach. 

What kind of difficulties do you expect to encounter in this game in Famalicão?

We've had a very good week, with lots of training days, and the players have enjoyed it. Their mood is very good. In the last few games, we've also shown that we're physically and tactically in very good condition. That's why we're moving forward. Tomorrow [Sunday], we want to play a good game and win. We know it's not easy to play against Famalicão, who are having a good season. They're a team with a lot of young players. We've already played them twice this season [2023/24], in the Portuguese Cup and also in the league. We're ready to play a top game, that's our focus. 

It's true that the season isn't over yet, but you've already admitted that winning the national championship is very difficult. Could that lead you to leave Benfica, at a time when Bayern Munich are rumored to be interested in signing you? Would that be an interesting project for you?

[Smiles] You [journalists] can use my statements from the last press conference, or from two weeks ago, or from last month, or even what I said when I signed a new contract. It's still very clear to me. I'm staying at Benfica until 2026, that's what I want and that's why I've signed a new contract. We've had a good season, maybe we weren't good enough to be champions, but if you look at Benfica's situation two years ago and now, you realize that it's completely different. I'm completely focused on my club, I'm very happy to be here and I see a lot of potential for the next two years to continue developing the team and looking for more titles. That's what I said a week ago, two weeks ago and for most of the year... Nothing has changed.

You've made it clear that your goal is to stay at Benfica. Have you received any invitations or approaches from another club that would like to count on you?

How many times do I have to answer that question? I'm not on the market! You see, I work at Benfica and I love my job. So I don't need to be invited by anyone, because my situation is completely clear.

Have you had any conversations with President Rui Costa or the Board of Directors to see if this is what Benfica wants?

I think I've said everything about that too. I've already talked about my relationship with Rui Costa, our President. It's a relationship based on honesty and trust. We always talk about everything. This club is very demanding for players, coaches and the President. That's clear. Obviously, we're not affected by the impressions that are created from the outside, created by you [journalists]. It's part of your job to address these topics, but that doesn't influence our decisions. It doesn't matter how many times you [journalists] write that everything is negative at Benfica at the moment, because it's not! We're in a situation where we could still be champions, we probably won't, but despite that, if you look at the development over the last two years, we can't think about changing everything completely. Everything is developing well. The impression given by the media does not, in my opinion, reflect Benfica's real situation.

Do you feel you have the full support of the Benfica fans?

I've already answered all these questions at the last press conference and also before. It's true that I've noticed a negative reaction from a few people, but, for me, the most important thing is the majority of Benfica fans. They're disappointed when we're not champions, that's very clear, but I also think they see that Benfica is in a very good process of development, that the situation and the basis for winning titles in the coming years are very good. I feel the support of people inside Benfica and outside the club.

How would you rate Benfica's season on a scale from “very bad” to “very good”?

It's difficult for me. You know, in football, when you coach a club like Benfica, of course winning titles is the most important thing. We won a trophy at the start of the season [2023/24], we won the league last season [2022/23], and, as I said, we could have won more titles this season [2023/24], in the Cups, for example. In the league it's still possible, it's not done yet, but we're five points clear. I'll give you an example: against Sporting [in the league], David Neres, around the 75th minute, dribbled past the goalkeeper and only had to make one pass into the empty net, but Coates managed to save the goalkeeper in that situation. If it had been a goal, we might have beaten Sporting, and we'd be one point ahead at the moment. That's football. These are small details, I don't want to use them as excuses, but I want to make it clear that it's been a very balanced season. Everything has been possible, even with the absences we've had at times, with all the development we've had to do, we've come very close to being able to win the league this season [2023/24]. Titles count in general terms, that's very clear, but as a coach I also have to see the development and potential for the coming years. That's what I see, and I think I've already described our situation.  From a footballing, tactical and physical point of view, the potential and value of the players... I see a lot of positive things, but in the end, of course, when we qualify, we always talk about titles.