SL Benfica’s coach appeared at the TFS Stage, where he received the Coach of the Year 2022-23 award, having also addressed some current topics incarnate
In the antechamber of the closing ceremony of the Thinking Football Summit 2023, Roger Schmidt, National Champion coach of the Liga Portugal Betclic 2022-23 working for SL Benfica, took to the TFS Stage for an exclusive interview, conducted by the Ambassador of the Liga Portugal, Ricardo Rocha.
Despite not being present at the Liga Portugal Awards, the German coach made a point of attending the Great Football Fair, where he received the Coach of the Year award for the previous season, in which the Reds finished with the status of best attack and best defense of the Liga Portugal Betclic.
“I am very pleased to receive this award. If the team has collective success, individual success also ends up appearing”, he began by saying. Asked about the decision to come to SL Benfica, Roger Schmidt was adamant, revealing that he did not hesitate in moving to Portugal.
“It was an excellent option for me. I have an idea of the game, but I always try to adapt to the championship, the club and the respective players. It’s always a good time when a new coach arrives, because all the players have a new opportunity to show their talent and qualities,” he said.
The Reds’ coach continued his intervention, explaining a little about his vision of the game and the guidelines by which he is governed on a technical-tactical level. “It’s very easy to analyze, because we always play the same way. I believe that the most important thing is to have an idea of the game and not adapt to the opponent. We have to believe in ourselves and think about how to create opportunities to win. We try to play attacking football, with transitions and always trying to improve”, he highlighted.
“When we play at our stadium, we usually have even more possession of the ball and the opposing team tries to counterattack. But we always have to be organized and, in these types of games, our secret weapon is offensive pressure. In modern football, to make a difference and be successful, it is necessary to have a very balanced team and for everyone to know how to defend and attack, in addition to the individual quality of each one”, he added.
In front of a full audience at the TFS Stage, Roger Schmidt also analyzed the Reds’ performance in the Champions League in 2022-23, a journey that filled him with pride. “It was a very difficult group. It was very important to win the first game of the group stage against Maccabi and then against Juventus. This made the players believe that it was possible to advance to the next stage and, fortunately, that is what ended up happening”, he stressed, ending with glowing praise for Portuguese football:
“The level is top. It’s always very difficult to win each game, especially when playing away from home, something that speaks volumes of the competitiveness that exists. There are very good players in all the teams, with a lot of quality, and also good coaches with a lot of competence.”
2023-09-09 16:41:22
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