Jose Mourinho’s disastrous 3 month spell at Benfica in the year 2000 would prove to be a pivotal moment in his managerial career. Three months later, given his great example to follow, they were a well-disciplined and well-oiled machine. He established the template for his future policy successes. Mourinho took charge of the club amid a challenging environment, inheriting a “weak squad with no future and no ambition.” His approach to training and analyzing the game was revolutionary and transformed the sport. These innovative strategies laid the groundwork for his meteoric rise to prominence in the football industry.
In the early days at Benfica, though, Mourinho realised that in order to go to war, he needed to know every nuance of his adversaries. So when he got a scouting report back it was only of ten players instead of eleven. Realizing this gap, he understood that he needs to do his own public-use-file-level deep analysis. His rigorous preparation made him want to devote countless hours composing game plans. He did not stop from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. demonstrating an exceptional level of devotion and professionalism.
Mourinho isolated himself in hotel rooms to focus on his work, showcasing his dedication to preparing the team for matches. His style with criticism was the same. He pulled no punches in chastising players when they fell short. In one notable instance, he publicly chastised Abdel Sattar Sabry for taking seven minutes to tie his laces, exemplifying his high standards and zero tolerance for complacency.
At Benfica, where Mourinho had his first breakthrough success, he had completely changed the way the players trained. He instituted one-hour training sessions with limited breaks, focusing on performance, not age or experience. This new direction was intended to enforce a high level of discipline, while encouraging and creating a very tight-knit team culture. Luis, one of the main drivers of that change, recently shared some thoughts on this evolution.
“Before Mourinho, we would run around the pitch for 15 or 20 minutes but with him we didn’t run. We just had the ball. We worked for one hour with the ball and, for him, nothing more was necessary.” – Luis
Mourinho’s approach was not without its challenges. He inherited a team that had grown “accustomed to losing,” consisting of players who “practiced half-heartedly” and “couldn’t care less.” Despite this, through some voodoo magic, he somehow earned their trust with some senior players, such as the likes of Pierre van Hooijdonk, Maniche and Robert Enke. That trust was key to earning respect and authority in the locker room.
His tactical innovations were finally translated into results when Benfica delivered a strong 3-0 win against rivals Sporting Lisbon on December 5. This outcome proved the success of his training approaches and strategic planning. Beyond the results, as per players such as Luis, Mourinho’s approach had a belief-inducing effect in the dressing room.
“When we went into the games, we knew what we had to do in every moment,” – Luis
“When every player is focused on his task and knows what his opponent is going to do, whether he is going to try to beat you to the left or to the right, it gives you confidence.” – Luis
Despite these successes, Mourinho’s tenure with Benfica did not last very long. After asking for a one year contract extension, he was denied by Benfica president Manuel Vilarinho. This disappointment led him to depart after just three months, going on to take over at Porto. The lessons he learned while at Benfica were still deeply rooted in his future managerial ideology.
Mourinho has always stressed discipline and attention to detail in his coaching. He keynoted developing a deep team culture, one that would go on to define his style in later positions. His approach would go on to shape generations of teachers and coaches after him and made him one of football’s most storied winners.
“He had the capacity to motivate all the players – and not just the ones who were playing,” – Luis
“If I played badly in one game, he would come into the dressing room and say, ‘Hey, Diogo, if you continue playing like that, the other guy gets your place.’” – Luis
Mourinho’s innovative, charismatic approach to coaching aligned perfectly with the dawning era of the global manager, distinguishing him from his peers. As noted by Luis, “Portuguese coaches are good and we are becoming better and better but at that time, Mourinho was 10 years in front of the others.” And he has an amazing knack for creating that unit with inspiring clarity of purpose. Perhaps his greatest permanent contribution to the game was the winning mentality he fostered.
Leave a Reply