Going home to sleep after a heavy loss?! No, no, says Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has sent his Benfica players to the club's training base following their 3-1 defeat to Braga in the League Cup semi-finals, saying he wants them to think about the result rather than switching off.

Benfica were knocked out on Wednesday night and finished the match with ten men after Nicolas Otamendi was sent off, ending an 11-game unbeaten run for Mourinho's side.

After the game, Mourinho confirmed the squad would remain at the training centre for the coming days as they prepare for a big run of matches.

"The players will sleep in Seixal. On Thursday, there is training, and the day after, there is training again," he said. "Our next game is against Porto next Wednesday, so everyone will go to their rooms and think about what happened."

The Portuguese coach added, with his trademark dry humour, that he hoped his players would struggle to sleep.

"I hope they sleep like I do, which means not sleeping at all," he said. "I want them to think, like I'm going to think."

Mourinho also admitted that emotions were high in the dressing room after the loss.

"In the locker room, it was a monologue," he explained. "That's not what I like, I prefer a dialogue. But on Thursday we will talk properly, look at what went wrong between the first and second halves, and get ready for Porto."

Benfica face Porto in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup next Wednesday, with Mourinho's team currently sitting third in the Primeira Liga, ten points behind the league leaders.