Clinical bulletin
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: We have nothing to hide. Renato has done a lot of work. We expected that he might return, first, a little earlier, then a little later. Renato is listed for tomorrow’s game, but we had one more absence, which was Leandro [Barreiro].
You feel more qualified for the Champions League
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: I understand the issue for those who look at the results. I don’t see myself as a better or worse coach depending on the results. Of course they help, but my time, fundamentally, in England gave us other experiences, especially as a head coach, that I didn’t have. It’s part of any coach. As you play more games and train, you will evolve. It is the principle of learning. The more experiences we have, the more learning we have depending on the result. We learned a lot in the analyzes we are doing, both of the opponents and, fundamentally, of our team. We don’t go into the next game without understanding very well the level at which the team is performing and whether a certain strategy was implemented or not.
Development of Orkun Kokçu
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: I am very happy with the contribution of all the players. There are players who have played a lot like Fredrik and Kokçu, who have played an excellent role, but there are others who haven’t had the opportunity to play yet and have done an excellent job. The difference is that some have played and others have not. Regarding Kokçu, we are very satisfied, that’s why Benfica picked him up, and I’m happy to have a player with his skills at the service of the team.
Frederico Varandas spoke about Benfica’s “portization”
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: I’ve been at Benfica since 2004, and, from that moment until today, what I control is my day-to-day functions as a coach. As a coach of schools, under-15, under-17, under-19, B team and main team. My focus is tomorrow’s game.
Secret to early success at Benfica
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: Our way of working is important. Without making comparisons with the past, our way of working is to look at players and understand what contribution they can make to the team in certain positions. There are several examples of players who can perform more than one role, this is the starting point, ensuring that players have a great understanding of performance on our part. So, we have to be assertive with him. It’s our way of working. They go onto the field with a very clear idea of what we want. Tomorrow, we will have two conversations with the players, and, from the start, the game is theirs.
Defeat against Atlético de Madrid gives more responsibility
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: Responsibility and trust. Responsibility comes from the daily work we do. What we did in the two weeks following the Atlético de Madrid game was an example of this, creating the habit of how we want to work and prepare for games, in addition to the confidence derived from good performances. We pass the message to the players, they can interpret it, and, if we feel the player is confident, he goes onto the field aware of what he has to do at each moment, and we go with confidence.
Mandatory to progress in the Champions League
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: I’m not going to go into that nonsense… You saw a good example here, I’m almost speechless, after Fredrik’s excellent conference, the player is totally focused on tomorrow’s game. We want to go with great determination, play a great game again, create opportunities, score goals and win the three points, even more so, in a different format than the Champions League, in which we still don’t know. In practice, we have six points, it doesn’t guarantee us anything and we want to add three more points tomorrow.
What game awaits
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 2 hours ago
Bruno Lage: It is important to highlight that the work we did was not just with Atlético de Madrid, we prepared all the games in the same way. First, we understand what good we are doing, and then, we get to know the next opponent in detail, to define the strategy, practice it and feel the confidence of the players. That’s what we did in all the games, and that’s what we did today. We are confident, we prepared the game very well, and the confidence comes from the fact that, when transmitting the ideas to the players, they feel confident that they can play a good game. That is our objective, in front of our fans, to play great Champions League games again.
Benfica thrashed Feyenoord in pre-season
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: We didn’t think about that game. It was a friendly one. Tomorrow, it’s the Champions League and it will be totally different.
Development in the last two years
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: I hope so… I feel like I’ve had a lot of experience, at a very high level. When I arrived at Feyenoord, I had only played in Norway, it was my first time abroad. I hope I’m a little more experienced. By playing at a higher level, you naturally become better. I hope it has grown since then.
High number of games
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: There are a lot of games, it’s one of the reasons why I gave up the national team. When you compete in so many competitions at the same time, you don’t have time to rest. Sometimes it’s good to rest, be with family and do things other than football. Now, when you compete in so many competitions, you play every three or four days, all year round. It’s something that players feel and that perhaps needs to be addressed.
Duo with Orkun Kokçu
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: I know him from before, I have played with him. I know how good a player he is and the virtues he has, but so do the rest of Benfica’s players. When you are a good player, it is easy to play with you. Maybe it helped me a little at first, but now everyone understands.
Benfica only knows how to win with Bruno Lage
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: We have been doing well, he arrived with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. The style he wants to apply fits very well, he is very clear and honest in the way he wants to play, which makes it easier to understand and do on the pitch. When you understand what he wants, it’s much easier, and everyone knows which direction they’re going.
Good memories of Feyenoord
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: It was a good experience playing there, at the level of the championship and the Europa Conference League final. We had good times.
Differences between I Liga and Eredivisie
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: They are similar, there are three or four good teams, with more money than the others. The championships are similar in terms of quality, which is reflected in the ranking. Portugal and the Netherlands are fighting for the place. In terms of quality, they are similar.
More comfortable in midfield
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: I feel comfortable playing where I play now, it’s the position I’ve played the most in my career. Last season, I was always available to play wherever I went, and I still am. If the coach asks me, I’ll play there. Last season wasn’t strange nor was there a problem. The coach wanted me to play there, and I did. I tried to do my best.
A special game
Carlos Pereira Fernandes | 3 hours ago
Fredrik Aursnes: I’m really looking forward to the game against my previous club. It’s going to be complicated, it’s a good team. We had a good start, but it was only two games, there are six more to play. We are focused on tomorrow’s game.
