‘Barcelona have NOTHING’: Benfica manager bizarrely slams Spanish giants as he takes offence at comparisons to Ronald Koeman’s side following Europa League win over Standard Liege
- Benfica were in fine form on Thursday after defeating Standard Liege 3-0
- Liege midfielder Mehdi Carcela compared them with Barcelona post-match
- But Benfica boss Jorge Jesus used praise as a way to attack the Spanish side
- He claimed his side were like old Barca but not the team under Ronald Koeman
Benfica boss Jorge Jesus has bizarrely taken a jab at Barcelona, insisting he does not want his side being compared with the modern day line-up of the Spanish giants.
The Portuguese outfit were in excellent from on Thursday night as they saw off Standard Liege 3-0 in their Europa League clash.
It led to the Belgian side’s midfielder Mehdi Carcela praising Benfica after the game,
Benfica boss Jorge Jesus has taken a bizarre swipe at Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona side after his team’s excellent Europa League win on Thursday was compared with the Spanish giants
‘Jorge Jesus likes to have the ball a lot, In the first half, we had very little possession. With Pizzi and Taraabt, Benfica are like Barca,’ he said.
Although the comment was a clear statement of praise from Carcela, Jorge Jesus used the opportunity to turn a positive remark towards his team into a bizarre attack on Barcelona.
He returned in the summer at Benfica for his second spell in charge having initially departed after a six-year tenure in 2015, and claimed that his side were more like a classic version of Barcelona rather than the side led by Ronald Koeman today.
Barcelona have made a stuttering start domestically (above) and are thought to be in a period of transition despite impressing in the Champions League recently
‘I will not say that we resemble Barca,’ he said in his post-game press conference.
‘The one from a few years ago yes, but the one from now has nothing. I don’t want us to look like Barca now, but I wouldn’t mind the one from years ago…’
Although Barcelona have won their opening two games in the Champions League, including on Wednesday night with an impressive victory at Juventus, Koeman’s side are seen to be in a transitional state.
With key stars including Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique in the latter stages of their careers, and many more including Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez being offloaded in the summer, they have since struggled domestically and sit 12th in LaLiga having won just two of their first five games.
Benfica have won seven games in a row and have a perfect record after five games in Portugal
Benfica’s win on Thursday took them top of their Europa League group alongside Rangers with both having won their opening two European games.
The Portuguese side now take on Steven Gerrard’s side in a double header in what is now likely to be a battle to secure top spot and a seeded place in the round-of-32.
Jorge Jesus’s side are also top of the Portuguese top flight with a perfect record after five games and are on a seven-game winning streak.
Their only defeat came in their first outing of the season at Greek outfit PAOK in a Champions League qualifier.
