Jose Mourinho and his Benfica squad will be sleeping overnight at their training ground after a humbling Taça da Liga defeat to Braga.
The Eagles lost 3-1 to exit the eight team tournament leaving Braga to to take on rivals Vitoria Guimaraes after they took down Sporting.
The semis and final take place over four days in Leiria, so Benfica had planned to stay locally assuming they’d reach the final.
However, even with that goal unachieved, Mourinho announced that he wouldn’t let his squad return home.
“We’re not going home, we’re going to Seixal,” he said.
“The players will sleep in Seixal, and there’s training tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
“But there’s no game on Saturday. Since there’s no final on Saturday, our next game is against FC Porto next Wednesday.
“Upon arriving in Seixal, everyone will go to their rooms. I hope the players sleep as well as I do, which is to say, don’t sleep at all.
“That’s what I wish for them. That they don’t sleep and think a lot, like I’m going to think. And then, tomorrow, we can start talking, which isn’t what happened in the locker room.
“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.
“We’re shaping up the game against FC Porto. Without Otamendi, without António Silva, and most likely without Enzo. But let’s go, thinking we can win the game.”
Mourinho was also asked about his early exit during the boos from his own fans after his best chance of a trophy went missing.
“Of course I understand. When the game ends, win or lose, I always leave,” he said.
“I don’t like staying on the field. I didn’t have that perception, but I can perfectly imagine the fans’ displeasure.
“They thrive on victories, not defeats. Fans thrive on good results and, very honestly, the first half was very bad, coupled with the defeat.
“Therefore, I think it’s perfectly normal that they boo all of us. I believe that the boos aren’t just directed at those who miss a goal or make a mistake, but at all of us.”
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