Naples injuries? Don’t make me laugh, my injuries make me cry.”
José Mourinho addresses Napoli’s absences for the visit to the Estádio da Luz and recalls the wide range of options that Antonio Conte has at his disposal for the match. The coach also comments on the differences between Italian and Portuguese football, making it clear that knowing the reality in Italy is not an advantage regarding the quality of the opponent.
Will Napoli have any players missing for their visit to Benfica?
“It’s one thing to not have Lukaku and have Hojlund, or to not have Kevin De Bruyne and have McTominay, so don’t make me laugh with the players missing from Napoli. Don’t talk to me about absences, because my absences make me cry. That’s not what I want to do, nor is it my philosophy. Since we lost Lukebakio, I’ve been trying to find solutions. In a Napoli squad, we see the team that plays and who’s on the bench, and we forget about who’s missing. These absences have led them to change their system and, in my opinion, it makes Napoli a better team.”
What’s an advantage of knowing Italian teams?
“I don’t know if it will be an advantage or not; perhaps I’ll take less time to analyze it than I would if it were a culture I didn’t know. The fact that I know them well doesn’t mean the difficulties are less or that their qualities become inferior. They are a very strong team, they won two championships in a short space of time, and at the moment they play differently than they did at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, they play differently because I much prefer the way they play now than they did before.”
Differences between Italian and Portuguese football
“I can’t tell you why I don’t watch Italian league games. That’s just how I am; I focus on my work, watch every possible game in the league I’m in, and I have little time left to watch games from leagues I’m not in. In Italy, there’s a very high level of tactical culture; the coaches work very well on the tactical side of the game, there’s a very strong culture at that level, and the teams are very physically demanding. The teams with the highest individual quality manage to combine what they do well tactically with their incredibly strong individual players.”