Benfica beat Atletico Lisbon 2-0 last night to advance to the last 16 of the Portuguese Cup, but coach Jose Mourinho was not satisfied. The Portuguese criticized his players' approach and said that if he could, he would have replaced almost the entire team at half-time, except for captain Nicolas Otamendi and young debutant Rodrigo Rego.
"Atletico did an outstanding job. I watched the game in Mafra and I understood that there is organization and that they have quality players, but our first half was bad, and in what hurts me the most, in attitude. Many players were not serious and did not approach the game as they should have. I made four substitutions at half-time, but I wish I could have made nine," Mourinho said.
Benfica's coach was pleased with how young Rego played.
"I couldn't have predicted that he would play a great game, but I knew he wouldn't betray me. I don't like players who betray me, which means they don't play to their maximum. He was one of the two I wouldn't change at half-time," Mourinho revealed, adding that the other one, whom I wouldn't replace, was Otamendi.
He also sent Mourinho a clear warning to the rest of the dressing room.
"What didn't work in the first half wasn't the system, it was the players. To take some players out of the game, which I wanted to take out, I had to change the system for the second half. Some players weren't here and I already told them: 'Don't come knocking on my door and ask why you're not playing,'" Mourinho added.
He is satisfied with the second half.
"I am the coach of Benfica, the responsibility is mine, but the players also have a responsibility towards the fans. In the second half we improved a lot, it was only a matter of time before we scored a goal. If we had scored it earlier, the result would have been different. I already liked the attitude," Mourinho said.
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