Benfica manager, Jose Mourinho, has claimed his Napoli counterpart Antonio Conte is giving excuses, following their 2-0 win over the Serie A side in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Conte had blamed fatigue following the defeat in Portugal.

But Mourinho insists that his tactical decisions made the difference.

Conte noted that Benfica played their last domestic fixture on Friday, while Napoli took on Juventus on Sunday in a top-of-the-table clash.

Mourinho responded: “Saying Benfica were fresher physically feels like an excuse.

“We interpreted the game well, I decided to play [Franjo] Ivanovic rather than [Vangelis] Pavlidis upfront and that changed the way we attack.

“Pavlidis is someone who makes the kind of movements with the midfield that makes it easy for a team like Napoli to press him.

“Ivanovic gives more instability to a team that defends with three.”