The ‘Special One’s’ return to Benfica, the club where he started his managerial career 25 years ago, was hailed as a major moment for Portuguese football. Funnily enough, Mourinho has already lasted longer than he did in his first stint.
It could be said that Mourinho failed sideways when he got this job. His time at Fenerbahce wasn’t quite what many had expected it to be, and in pretty much every single one of his press conferences, he insinuated he hated been there until the Turkish giants finally had enough and got rid of him.
Expectations remained high for Mourinho at Benfica, however, but now that he’s a few months into the job, how is he actually getting on back at the Estadio da Luz?
Mourinho’s rocky start
Jose couldn’t have wished for a better opening fixture as his side travelled to rock bottom AVS Futebol SAD, who have just four points from their opening 15 games with zero wins. Still better than Wolves (sorry to the Molineux faithful).
Benfica ended up earning a comfortable 3-0 win thanks to goals from Georgiy Sudakov, Vangelis Pavlidis, and Franjo Ivanovic, and the fans went home happy, thinking that maybe, just maybe, they had got the old Mourinho we all know and love.
A disappointing 1-1 draw with Rio Ave and an edgy 2-1 win over Gil Vicente were followed by a not entirely negative Champions League defeat on Jose’s return to Chelsea and then a 0-0 draw with arch-rivals, and another one of his former clubs, Porto.
The 3-0 Champions League loss to Newcastle was the real punch in the gut, though. Benfica simply couldn’t match the intensity that Eddie Howe’s side brought to the game and were out played in almost every metric.
Newcastle ran more, covering a collective distance of 68.5 miles, had most of the ball with 52% possession, and created at a level Benfica weren’t able to, creating five big chances, and having 19 shots, ten of which were on target.
That defeat seemingly lit the fire that Mourinho and his lads needed, however, and they’ve manged to find the level of consistency they needed.
Exactly what you expect from a Mourinho side
When we close our eyes and think of a stereotypical Mourinho side, the Chelsea side that conceded just 15 Premier League goals or his Inter Milan that essentially lumped their way to the first treble in the club’s history immediately spring to mind.
Well, that’s pretty much how this Benfica side are playing too. Since Mourinho took over, they’ve kept 12 clean sheets in his 21 games in all competitions, 12 goals, although top two Sporting (8) and Porto (4) have conceded less in the league.
They play the disciplined and structured 4-2-3-1 formation that Mourinho has used at every club he’s worked for, focusing on keeping the play compact with ‘wingers’ that aren’t really wingers like Sudakov and Fredrik Aursnes who prefer to slow play down rather than take on a defender.
With all of that been said, Benfica aren’t ‘parking the bus’ like many might expect. They’re second for xG (29.3), joint second for shots per 90 minutes (5.9), fourth for big chances created (44), and second for touches in the opposition box (513). They do love a long ball though, averaging 25.1 per 90 minutes.
Which players are thriving under Mourinho?
The obvious answer is Pavlidis. With 14 goals in his 15 Liga Portugal starts, the Greek striker is joint top scorer alongside his Sporting counterpart Luis Suarez (not that one), averaging a goal every 95 minutes. He does love a penalty though, seven of his strikes have come from the spot.
Aursnes, acting as a utility man, is also having a fantastic season. He’s the type of player that every club needs, willing to play in goal if he was asked, but most recently featuring as a right winger in the 2-2 draw with Braga.
The Norway international has three goals and two assists alongside 14 interceptions, 70 recoveries, 66 duels won, and possession won in the final third 10 times. He’s everywhere all at once, and it’s easy to see why Mourinho clearly loves him.
Finally, there is Nicolas Otamendi, remember him? The defender was a bit of a liability at Man City, but he’s aging like a fine wine in Portugal with 23 tackles won, 48 recoveries, 121 duels won, and 73 aerial duels won.
Verdict
So far, Mourinho hasn’t fallen into his recent pattern of self-sabotage, and although it took a little time for Benfica player to adapt to him, and vice versa, there are some genuinely positive signs emerging.
Could this finally be the return of the old charismatic, trophy winning Jose!?