No sleep for you — Furious Mourinho turns on Benfica players after cup defeat

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho has ordered his players to remain at the club's Seixal training ground indefinitely after their defeat to Braga.

"The players will sleep in Seixal, and on Thursday there is training, and the day after there will be training," Mourinho stated in his post-match press conference.

"When we arrive in Seixal, everyone will go to their rooms."

The manager expressed his frustration, hoping his players would share his sleepless night.

"I hope the players sleep as well as I do, which is to say that they don’t sleep at all," he added. "That’s what I wish for them. That they don’t sleep and instead think a lot, like I’m going to."

However, Benfica president Rui Costa downplayed the move, telling Portuguese media it was not a disciplinary measure.

"It's not a punishment, it's a precaution for the next games," Costa explained. "It was already planned that the players would spend the night in Seixal."

With Benfica now out of Saturday's final in Leiria, Mourinho confirmed the team would immediately begin preparations for their upcoming Portuguese Cup quarter-final against rivals Porto.

It remains unclear if the players will be allowed to leave the training base before Wednesday's clash at the Estádio do Dragão.

"Since there’s no final on Saturday, our next game is against Porto next Wednesday," said Mourinho, who joined Benfica on a two-year contract in September.

Mourinho also questioned his players' mentality and their lack of response in the dressing room.

"There was so much sadness, it ended up being a monologue," he revealed.

"But I don’t want to believe a Benfica player is nervous about a League Cup semi-final, because then he’s not a player for Benfica."