The Ball – “The duo of Otamendi / Antonio Silva is a reflection of our team” (Benfica)

Roger Schmidt was the protagonist of an interview with UEFA, in which he asserted that “it didn’t take him long to get an excellent understanding” with the players.

“The quality of life in Portugal, and especially in Lisbon, is very high. I already knew. What I didn’t know is that people make you feel at home very quickly. It didn’t take long for me and the players to have an excellent understanding, and we also made some good signings. He said that success breeds confidence, and with this we end up in the right rhythm.”

The German coach referred to the language as a handicap, but also a way to overcome it: “I couldn’t have learned Portuguese in such a short period of time. Of course, I’m now, step by step, working on it, but I think English works very well in Portugal: all Portuguese almost speaks English, and in my experience coaching abroad over the past few years, translation has never been an issue.”

Roger Schmidt admitted that one of the secrets to the Eagles’ success is the way they combine youth and experience:

“The Otamendi/Antonio Silva duo is a reflection of our team: a young player, someone who has played for City and Argentina and has won a lot. The big challenge is to successfully combine all of these different experiences. Of course, a young player needs more tactical information and advice, while an experienced player needs only specific instructions. It’s exciting and fun for me.”

Schmidt reviewed the Champions Group stage and left a look at the knockout stage: ′′ It’s clear we faced a complicated draw, as we got Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Maccabi. First of all, it was not important for us to finish first or second, but it is clear that in the last stage we felt, especially after the two matches against Paris Saint-Germain, that first place was achievable. It was unlikely on the last trip. Obviously we were a bit lucky to score goals at the right time. It makes a big difference to win first or second place in the draw and so does playing at home in the second leg. We have shown that we can focus on one game at a time and of course we will do that in the knockout stage as well. We’ve been thinking game by game all season, trying to do our best in all competitions and playing the best way we can.”