Jose Mourinho launched a scathing attack on his Benfica players after a poor first-half performance in their Taca de Portugal win over Atletico CP, admitting he would have liked to make nine substitutions at the break.
Mourinho made four changes at half-time but said he could have changed almost the entire team. 'At half-time, I made four substitutions, but I should have made nine,' he said. 'Those nine players weren't on the pitch. Only two should have stayed.'
The Special One accused some players of betraying him, insisting his system works but the players failed to execute his instructions. 'I don't like players who betray me,' he added. 'The problem wasn't the system, it was the players.'
Benfica eventually secured a 2-0 victory, with Ricard Rios opening the scoring in the 73rd minute and Vangelis Pavlidis doubling the lead four minutes later. Mourinho warned players not to complain about a lack of game time after their disappointing display.
Despite the result, Benfica remain unbeaten in the league but trail leaders Porto by six points. Mourinho has won seven of his 13 games since returning to the club, with all three defeats coming in the Champions League.
