Roger Schmidt (Benfica) and Sergio Conceição (FC Porto). The same position, the same ambition and two ways of looking at the final round of the 2022/23 I Liga, which will award the title of champion today. The eagles want the 38th in history and the dragons the 31st national trophy.
Shielded by a two-point lead in the standings (84 to the rival’s 82), the German coach yesterday assumed “it was a long journey” until he reached the final round, knowing that if Benfica beat Santa Clara ( 18.00, BTV) champion. The same ambition, despite depending on the rival, moves FC Porto, which receives V. Guimarães at the same time (Sport TV1) and Sérgio Conceição said yesterday that he believes it is possible to renew the title: “There are no “ifs” , we have to play our game, win and around 8 p.m. we will know who the champion is. Believe it? Clear. It has always been my speech and will remain so until tomorrow [hoje] at 8 p.m.”
For the Benfica coach, for what the reds have done so far, “they deserve the title”. But merit is earned and whoever finishes in 1st place “will always earn the title”. A stronger opinion than that of Porto’s counterpart, who knows that it depends on the rival: “Deserved or not deserved… In the championship between the greats, teams in the top-4, we are ahead, but we didn’t do so well against theoretically more accessible teams.”
The difficulty of the matches – FC Porto face V. Guimarães with the Liga Conference guaranteed, but struggle to enter the 3rd qualifying round (via 5th place), while Benfica play with the last of the table, Santa Clara, already demoted – also motivated several speeches. “I expect a team to come out of four wins in a row and I hope that FC Porto can cope in a difficult game, in which we will have to be concentrated. I never talked about what is happening in other areas. I never talked about what happening in other areas.” other teams and I’m not going to do it now,” conceição shot.
The “others” are Benfica and their coach doesn’t believe in making it easy: “Santa Clara has nothing to lose. Look and analyze the last games they have played, they don’t play like a relegated team. They are playing good football, with intensity and they are fast. I expect an opponent who plays without pressure in front of a full stadium.”
Marathon vs Resilience
Just over a month ago, Benfica reached ten points ahead of FC Porto, now it has only two, the result of an interrupted final stretch that was undervalued by Roger Schmidt. “The season is a marathon and the situation is very clear: we have scored a lot of points this season and now we have the last game to win. Each game represented a task. Last Sunday the task was to recover and that was a very important task.” draw because it is different to lose or draw [com o Santa Clara]. It was a good day for us,” defended the German, who can celebrate in his debut year with Luz.
Kudos to Sérgio Conceição, who bets everything on the team’s “resilience”, even when faced with an (almost) impossible mission, to regain ten points – something that has never been achieved since there was a national championship. “It is in the DNA of this team not to throw in the towel, even if we lost some points and it became more difficult. We did not do everything right. Such a distance is not normal. We were champions with 85 points.” , and we can do this if we win tomorrow [hoje]”, he warned, without missing the opportunity to send a message to that “third team that is not always happy” in FC Porto matches. He referred to the referee teams, with whom he has many verbal fights during the season times, before Dragão’s match, he was even named “the best Portuguese referee”, Artur Soares Dias About the appointment of Rui Costa for Benfica’s match, not a word.
Guedes and Joao Mario
Will Roger Schmidt bench Aursnes today with Bah back from injury? “Aursnes is very important, a very flexible player and I can use him in several positions. He was already playing in the back, in midfield, as a second striker. We have different options. It’s very good to have almost all the players.” “Unfortunately, Gonçalo Guedes has a problem. We are sad about his injury, but it is one more reason for us to play a good game,” replied the Reds coach, admitting that the team is confident , even with “pressure, tension and some nervousness to mix”.
At 314km away, the pressure also exists and even if it isn’t, Conceição makes it a point to create it. Why? “It’s part of my way of being. Usually the team is a bit like the coach […] Winning becomes an addiction. I feel normal when I win and I feel really bad when I lose. It’s my state of mind. If you want to change to be nice to some people I can’t, it’s not me. I’d rather pack my bags and go to Coimbra, to my house,” warned the Porto player, who still cannot count on João Mário (injury).
Asked to take stock of the season in case it was the last time he expects a match, before the championship, as FC Porto’s coach, Conceição smiled and thanked the journalists for “being patient with him, especially because of the delays”. In addition, there is one more game scheduled before the end of the season. The final of the Portuguese Cup will be played on June 4 against Sp. Braga: “We are fighting for two titles. One depends on us, the other does not.”
As for Roger Schmidt, it is not yet “time for balances” because there is a “goal to overcome” and it is not for him to say whether Benfica was the best team in Portugal.
Source: DN
