Mourinho’s Benfica return: Sweeping 3-0 win, dressing-room speech fuels new era ahead of Chelsea clash

Jose Mourinho returned to Benfica as head coach and opened his second spell with a 3-0 victory over Vila das Aves on Saturday, three days after his unveiling and signing of a two-year contract. The 62-year-old Portuguese manager, who started his career at the club in 2000, saw his return culminate in a dominant away performance that signaled a swift return to the standards expected at the 38-time Portuguese champions.

Before the match, Mourinho delivered an inspired dressing-room speech to rally the squad. “Winning at Benfica is beautiful,” he told his players. “Playing at Benfica is fing tough. Losing at Benfica is fing tough. Winning at Benfica is f***ing beautiful.” He then went around the room, high-fiving players, as the team prepared to take the field. captain Nicolas Otamendi followed with an energizing rally of his own, saying: “The only thing that matters at this club is getting three points and winning titles. One for all, all for one, Benfica!” The mood in the room, combined with the field performance, suggested the squad had embraced Mourinho’s renewed passion for the club.

On the pitch, Mourinho’s message translated into a composed, purposeful display. Benfica found their footing more quickly after an opening spell and went on to seal the win with three goals. Franjo Ivanovic and Vangelis Pavlidis started as a front pair, with Ivanovic replacing Andreas Schjelderup. Both forwards found the net, underscoring Mourinho’s early influence on selection and tactical shape. The Croatian Ivanovic has long been linked with Mourinho since his days at Fenerbahce, and his early involvement paid dividends against AVS.

The manager has sought to “solidify” the squad in the short term, with personnel changes reflecting a sharper, more direct approach up front. Ivanovic’s deployment alongside Pavlidis represented a clear departure from the previous setup and appeared to suit Mourinho’s plan for a more compact, stubborn attack. The win also highlighted a broader shift in Benfica’s daily routines; reports indicate Mourinho has altered training dynamics, including opening certain sessions to media ahead of league fixtures, an adjustment that marks a departure from the more closed regime typically seen before domestic games. He is also reported to have moved the pre-match press conference to 3 p.m. on the day before a match, a tweak aimed at refreshing the team’s narrative ahead of fixtures.

Benfica’s next assignment comes on Tuesday as they host Rio Ave at Estádio da Luz, a match that will test Mourinho’s ability to translate early momentum into consistency. Then, at the end of the month, the Portuguese club will travel to Stamford Bridge on Sept. 30 to face Chelsea in the Champions League, a high-profile return for Mourinho to his former club and a litmus test for the changes he has begun to implement. While it is early to declare how lasting an impact the adjustments will have, the combination of a decisive result, a galvanizing speech, and concrete tactical and structural changes suggests Benfica intends to pursue a more assertive and cohesive project under Mourinho’s leadership.

As the season unfolds, observers will be watching not only results but how the dressing-room culture, training environment, and matchday planning translate into performance in domestic and European competition. Mourinho’s Benfica has shown early signs of his signature intensity and organizational emphasis, and the club will hope the alignment between voice in the locker room and action on the pitch yields sustained progress toward their listed ambitions.