Will Benfica Lisbon only finish third in the Portuguese table despite a possible season without defeat? The likelihood is there – and also that José Mourinho will then announce his departure.
Teams under José Mourinho have rarely been easy to break down. Real Madrid, among others, felt this three times in the Champions League this season. The crazy 4-2 defeat in Lisbon, including a goalkeeper’s goal, was followed by two hard-fought victories for the Whites in the subsequent play-off round against the same opponents. Benfica were only beaten 1-0 and 2-1.
Benfica are still without a defeat in the domestic league – and have already played 30 games this season. But Real, of all clubs, could be the reason why Mourinho’s thoughts are drifting away from the realistic goal of finishing runners-up.
According to Spanish media reports, the former successful Real coach (from 2010 to 2013) is a possible candidate to succeed Alvaro Arbeloa in the Spanish capital. The fact that Kylian Mbappé added a heart to a corresponding social media post only added fuel to the rumor mill.
“Useless” derby win against Sporting?
But back to Lisbon. After all, how is it that Benfica, with a season without defeat, are not going for the championship? The simple explanation: the 21 wins are offset by nine draws. Although leaders Porto surprisingly lost 2-1 at Casa Pia at the beginning of February, they have already collected a total of 25 wins and 79 points – seven more than Benfica and Mourinho.
Even the euphoric derby win at Sporting last weekend (2:1) only improved the situation to a limited extent. With one game less to play, the reigning double winners and city rivals could even push Benfica into third place with just one point behind.
In this case, Benfica would not even be allowed to qualify for the Champions League and would have to focus on the Europa League. And then possibly without Mourinho, who recently wanted to “guarantee nothing” despite having a contract until 2027.
Benfica know the feeling
In Europe’s major leagues, there are not many teams that have missed out on the championship with an unbeaten season. Curiously, however, Benfica is one of those teams. In the 1977/78 season, Porto also became champions – and Benfica’s 21 wins and nine draws (identical to their current haul) were not enough to win the title, but at least enough for second place.