Benfica is going all out at the Bernabeu to try to turn the tie around. It has been a difficult week for the team and Jose Mourinho has had to bring out his best version as a psychologist. First, to solve within the group the situation of Prestianni. The Argentine, in front of all his teammates, assured that he did not call Vinicius a “monkey”, apologized to the team for having been the protagonist of an episode that affected the mood of the dressing room and was ready to play at the Bernabeu.
Mourinho spoke personally with the player and conveyed his full confidence. If there is no sanction from UEFA, the coach wants the best version of the Argentine in Madrid. The message has been clear: prepare for a hostile environment, isolate yourself from the noise and focus only on the game.
There is expected to be a certain amount of tension even before the ball starts rolling. After the UEFA anthem, when the players greet each other, there will be expectation to see what happens between Vinicius or Mbappe and Prestianni. The Argentine is ready to ignore any provocation and concentrate exclusively on what happens during the 90 or, if necessary, 120 minutes.
A tough match
Mourinho has also tried to keep the team out of the media spotlight. He did not appear at the pre-match press conference before the league match against Aves and, after the 3-0 victory, he avoided making any comment on the incident. It’s a way of not adding fuel to the fire.
On a psychological level, Mourinho is a master. That is why he has modified the usual preparation for the match and has announced that the team will train at the Bernabeu the day before the match. Normally, Benfica trains at their training ground and travels in the afternoon for the official press conference. Not this time.
The coach wants his players to have a first contact with the stadium to mentally prepare for what they will find the next day.
If UEFA allows it – or in the event that he has to serve some kind of sanction – it will be Mourinho himself who will face the media. In the press room, he prefers to take center stage and control the discourse rather than delegate it to an assistant coach, especially because many questions are expected about the alleged racist episode and the Vinicius-Prestianni clash.
There is also expectation about where he will follow the match from. It is not out of the question that he will do so from the hotel. This has happened in similar situations, both at Chelsea and Real Madrid. On May 3, 2011, after the famous “why?”, Madrid visited the Camp Nou to try to come back from a 2-0 deficit and Mourinho stayed at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I. At the stadium it is more difficult to maintain privacy and transmit messages to the team. Therefore, it would not be strange if he repeated the strategy: away from the cameras and the spotlight, but with total control of the situation.
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