Jose Mourinho took his players to stay at Benfica’s training ground after they lost against Braga in the League Cup semi-finals – and the Portuguese manager said he hoped they “don’t sleep and instead think a lot”.
Benfica lost Wednesday’s tie 3-1 and ended the game with 10 men when former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi was sent off.
Mourinho, who was appointed manager in September, suggested his players would be staying at the club’s training base in Seixal for the foreseeable future.
“The players will sleep in Seixal, and on Thursday there is training, and the day after there’s training,” Mourinho said at a news conference after the Braga defeat.
“Since there’s no final on Saturday, our next game is against Porto next Wednesday.
“When we arrive in Seixal [on Wednesday], everyone will go to their rooms. I hope the players sleep as well as I do, which is to say that they don’t sleep at all.
“That’s what I wish for them. That they don’t sleep and instead think a lot, like I’m going to think.”
Mourinho began his managerial career with Benfica in 2000 but took charge of only 10 games before leaving following a dispute with the club president.
He has won 14 of his 23 matches in charge of Benfica in this stint and Wednesday’s defeat halted an 11-game unbeaten streak.
“On Thursday we can start talking, which isn’t what happened in the locker room,” Mourinho said.
“In the locker room it was a monologue, and monologues don’t work for me; I like to have a dialogue with the players.
“We’ll talk about the differences between the first and second halves and prepare in the best way possible for the game against Porto.”
Benfica travel to Porto in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup on Wednesday.
Mourinho’s side sit third in the Primeira Liga, 10 points adrift of leaders Porto.
