Roger Schmidt was one of the guests of the Thinking Football Summit 2022, which takes place in Lisbon. The German coach, largely responsible for Benfica’s win-win run in 2022/23, spoke about Portuguese football, commitment to training and Portuguese culture.

First impressions of Portuguese football:

“I already have an opinion because I have played several times against Portuguese teams in the Champions League and the Europa League and it has always been difficult games. I am open-minded and when I go to work in another country, I am interested in the culture in general and the football culture of that country. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy working abroad. At first I wanted to get information about my team, my players, their mentality and ways of working. Then, at the beginning of the season, I met other teams. We are always analyzing our opponents, game by game, and the way we play becomes clearer. After five months, my first impression is that this is a difficult league compared to others where I have worked. Preparing for each game is a challenge in itself, but sometimes we are also surprised during the game because the team’s approach is different from what we prepared. I also realized that at the level of defense against teams that are not at the level of Benfica, Porto or Sporting, they are still well organized defensively and are strong teams.”

Differences of Portuguese football from other championships:

“It’s hard to buy championships and also teams. I think the teams we face in Portugal always believe that they have a chance to win. They are only unhappy with the fact that they lose by a few goals. Then it all depends on how the game goes. If you score first it’s easier, otherwise it gets harder because the teams are well organized in defence, very far from the goal. In other countries, when you play teams lower in the standings, you really feel like they don’t believe they can win. I think that’s the main difference.”

Opportunities for youth:

“The Benfica philosophy is to educate young people to play in the first team and, if they are good enough, sell and have money to keep the team competitive in European competition. I think it’s a good philosophy because for all clubs having young players in the first team is an added advantage. It is a form of identification for the club as well as the fans. At Benfica, everyone wants to see young people in the youth team in the first team. At least some, certainly not all. If we want to get to the higher stages of the Champions League, we can’t just play with young players. It would be difficult. But having some is something positive that also pleases me. I think this should be the goal for all clubs. Some cannot. But for Benfica, as for other clubs in Portugal and Europe, this is a clear testament to the club culture. That’s one of the qualities that also motivated me to come and work with these young players.”

Growth of the Portuguese League:

“Get in the top 4 or top 5? I think Portugal is a fantastic country, but it is small, with 10 million inhabitants, and the number of young players is less than in other countries. For example, in Germany we have 70 million inhabitants. I think that Portugal is now in a good position in European football. And I think it continues to evolve. This year we were close to having three Portuguese teams qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. This is when we see teams like Barcelona fail for the second year in a row. What is happening in Portugal is positive, but there is always room for improvement. The competitiveness of the Portuguese championship helps to improve performance in European competition. If the big teams continue to compete internationally – SC Braga is doing a good job as well – in my opinion it will always be difficult to play against Portuguese teams.”

Culture:

“I feel very welcome, the Portuguese culture is very friendly, there is a positive energy in the country, especially in Lisbon where I spend more time. Coming to work in Portugal was one of the best decisions of my life.”

Introspection:

“In everyday life, I am the same as a coach. I’m not trying to be different, in football it’s important to be like yourself. When you try to play a role, things get complicated. I try to enjoy football the way I enjoyed it as a player. And I want to have fun. I know that you have to be successful, and at Benfica that means winning titles. But I love being on the pitch every day with the players, with the technical team and working to put on a good game over the weekend that the fans will be proud of. That’s who I am, I’m never going to be anything more. I try to guide every player, but behind every player there is a person. I’m trying to see this part. Players need to show the best game, and for this they need to feel happy and in a good mood.