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Jorge Jesús, Benfica coach, after the victory against Portimonense (2-1), in statements to BTV:
“This game had two good things, which was the victory and the first part we played.”
«The team gets nervous when it starts to defend. Then, the modifications made by Portimonense forced us not to reach pressing the ball carrier, that is, with a covered ball. And with two tall players on top of our centers, we started to receive a lot of direct passes and center situations, and that’s how they got to the goal. The team felt 2-1, they were afraid of the result, they were afraid of not winning. This happens when the team is not calm.
«In the first half we made spectacular plays. I didn’t want to move too much. When I took out the first player, I tried with Pedrinho’s input to hold the ball, but he couldn’t, he doesn’t have the rhythm of the game. So the last substitutions I made were to ensure the result.
«The midfielder duo (Weigl and Taarabt) does not last 90 minutes and that was a breaking factor. Portimonense changed the central corridor and these players did not know who to mark. I only had one chance to close the center aisle and that is what I did with Pedrinho, who takes the game back and forth. But he did not succeed. Our left side was having trouble closing and exiting. Grimaldo had a difficult week, without training, like Darwin, and I knew that I had to take them both out during the game, but I only managed to get Grimaldo out. With the entry of Cervi and Nuno Tavares, we improved that corridor, because it was from the right, with Rafa who was the man of the game, that we shuffled our opponent and created our ascendant. In the second half, the two men from the central axis could no longer press or give quality of play.
«The most important thing for 2021 is to get the whole team back. This Covid is not just being outside players, messing with the group, which trains suspiciously. And that Benfica at the level of the first half exceeds 90 minutes, and we achieve our objectives.
