JOSE MOURINHO: "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!" FOCUS IS NAPOLI, NOT MCTOMINAY REUNION
Jose Mourinho is ignoring former players like Scott McTominay, insisting his only concern is Benfica's must-win Champions League match against Italian champions Napoli.
Jose Mourinho says his only concern is the game itself. He won't be thinking about seeing his old player, Scott McTominay, when Benfica plays Napoli.
Mourinho's return to Benfica hasn't been all smooth sailing since he took over from Bruno Lage last September.
His team is currently third in the league, eight points behind Porto and three behind Sporting, after their draw last Friday.
In the Champions League, Benfica is in a tough spot, sitting near the bottom of their group after only winning one of their first five games.
Mourinho wants to see a change tonight, but they'll have to play their best to beat Napoli, the current Italian league champions.
Napoli will be missing Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku due to injuries at Benfica’s stadium. Mourinho used to manage both when he was at Chelsea, and decided to let them leave.
McTominay, who Mourinho gave his debut at Manchester United, is ready to play for Napoli. He'll definitely want to keep up his good form against his former manager.
When asked if he was looking forward to seeing McTominay and Leonardo Spinazzola, whom he coached at Roma, Mourinho told reporters, Those nice things happen before and after the game. Nothing more.
During the match, I'm not focused on that.
We need to win against a very good team, and it's going to be tough.
We'll do everything we can to get the result we want.
Mourinho dismissed the idea that Napoli might struggle without De Bruyne and Lukaku.
Injuries? "Don't make me laugh," he said.
It's my missing players that worry me, but I don't want to complain. Not having De Bruyne but having McTominay is the same.
They had to change their setup, and now they might be even better.
Napoli's coach, Antonio Conte, is happy with how his team has responded to their injury problems, with Frank Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Alex Meret, and Stanislav Lobotka also out.
"Right now, the players are showing they're very responsible," Conte said.
Even if there's a small issue, we'll get through it together.
It's hard to replace players in midfield, but the guys have been willing to do whatever it takes, and the same players from the last game are here.
Conte still sees Mourinho as a winner and is excited to compete against him.
It's always great to play against Jose Mourinho's teams, Conte added.
He's a coach who wins, and everyone knows who he is.
It will be good to see him.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
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