Well Porto won 2-0 but still showed they lack a full understanding of the system the coach wants them to play. Positive notes for Quaresma and Brahimi. Benfica played a Pacos de Ferreria who played quite well. Benfica did not play too well but still managed to win 2-0. Its important to win when you don't play well. Luisao was dominant and Gaitan was magical. Sporting lost points as expected. They are a mediocre bunch and nothing more than poor results should be expected of them.
NEW SIGNINGS:
Sporting signed Nani who is definitely a credible player upfront. They lose Rojo which means they now have no credible defenders save and except for Cedric. Cedric is also hurt now. As good as Nani is I don't consider him good enough to get a starting role if he were to play on Porto or Benfica but he will surely start at Sporting. What does it change ? Not much. Sporting will improve their attack but will suffer many more goals with the loss of Rojo who was the heart and soul of their defence. All the move will do for Sporting is sell them a few more tickets as fans will want to watch Nani play.
Julio Cesar - a goalie with a storied career, it remains unknown if he will play at the calibre he did at Inter Milan. I don't envision him walking into the starting role though. Artur, as much as I don't like him, has had two consecutive shutouts in official games and stopped 4 penalty shots in those two games. Given his history with the club and "mistica"related attributes he will continue to start until he messes up. Essentially Julio Cesar is a warning to Artur to step his game up or he will be benched. In that sense alone it is a positive signing. Should Cesar end up getting opportunities to play I see no reason to believe he will play any worse than he did at the World Cup -- where he performed brilliantly. He was the second reason (after the referee in the Croatia game) that Brazil made it out of the first round. Didn't cost Benfica a penny in transfer fees either which is positive.
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Tuesday, 19 August 2014
Saturday, 16 August 2014
Preview of Benfica vs Pacos de Ferreira
This week Benfica will face a coach it owned last year in Paulo Fonseca. After what we saw last week Benfica comes to the table with essentially the same team as last year. There are two new players in the lineup: Eliseu - which is a big improvement over the options of Siqueira / Silvio last year; and either Talisca, Derley or Bebe playing beside Lima. So we know the team will be the same. And we saw last week that their level of play is already as good as last season's.
They had some troubles finishing last week but of course that would have been worked on and practiced at length over the past 6 days. With Benfica being at home, well rested, and well prepared with a star studded lineup that won everything last year this game should be a blow out. A good old fashioned "goleada".
They had some troubles finishing last week but of course that would have been worked on and practiced at length over the past 6 days. With Benfica being at home, well rested, and well prepared with a star studded lineup that won everything last year this game should be a blow out. A good old fashioned "goleada".
Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Sporting CP: not a title contender
The League in Portugal this year will have a familiar two faces at the top of the table . Benfica and FC Porto. SC Braga will be strong enough to pressure these two for a while but should end the year in third place. Try to tune out all the noise and chatter that laughably suggest Sporting CP is also in the hunt. It's total nonsense.
Let's forget for a minute that they will surely lose Rojo and William Carvalho within days if not weeks. Let's forget for a minute that there is probably no club in the world that has such an engrained mentality of losing and celebrating losing and unsuccess as this club (case in point the portuguese national team who allowed a loser with the Sporting loser mentality and his sporting and former sporting pathetic choices to destroy the teams World Cup). Forget for a moment that their new coach is a weak man and spineless leader who is so unsure of himself he can't look reporters in the eye when they ask him a question. Forget for a moment that in comparison to last year they have not improved their starting spots at any position... They are still no serious threat.
A look at their starting lineup tells you they have a few good players (so do Maritimo and Nacional) but certainly nobody to suggest they will do better than last year. And last year was - no European competition, not even making a final of Cup or League Cup, finishing 7 points back in the League. This year they will have the additional 6 games to play for the Champions League. These games will not only increase their fatigue but will demoralize them as I am prepared to guarantee they will finish dead last in whatever group they are in.
This is a side who had it easy last year and still finished 7 points back. They had no pressure or expectations, no European matches to increase fatigue and no long runs in either the cup or league cup games. And they still failed miserably to do anything. When you look at that lineup ask yourself this question: do they have one player who could start on Benfica or FC Porto ? The answer to that question is a resounding "NO".
This is a team of pretenders with no budget or top flite talent to be taken seriously. When discussing the league they should be grouped with "the rest of the small teams". After all this club is a small team and has no prospects at all to win the league or any other trophy this year. I certify this declaration with the Prophet Guarantee.
Let's forget for a minute that they will surely lose Rojo and William Carvalho within days if not weeks. Let's forget for a minute that there is probably no club in the world that has such an engrained mentality of losing and celebrating losing and unsuccess as this club (case in point the portuguese national team who allowed a loser with the Sporting loser mentality and his sporting and former sporting pathetic choices to destroy the teams World Cup). Forget for a moment that their new coach is a weak man and spineless leader who is so unsure of himself he can't look reporters in the eye when they ask him a question. Forget for a moment that in comparison to last year they have not improved their starting spots at any position... They are still no serious threat.
A look at their starting lineup tells you they have a few good players (so do Maritimo and Nacional) but certainly nobody to suggest they will do better than last year. And last year was - no European competition, not even making a final of Cup or League Cup, finishing 7 points back in the League. This year they will have the additional 6 games to play for the Champions League. These games will not only increase their fatigue but will demoralize them as I am prepared to guarantee they will finish dead last in whatever group they are in.
This is a side who had it easy last year and still finished 7 points back. They had no pressure or expectations, no European matches to increase fatigue and no long runs in either the cup or league cup games. And they still failed miserably to do anything. When you look at that lineup ask yourself this question: do they have one player who could start on Benfica or FC Porto ? The answer to that question is a resounding "NO".
This is a team of pretenders with no budget or top flite talent to be taken seriously. When discussing the league they should be grouped with "the rest of the small teams". After all this club is a small team and has no prospects at all to win the league or any other trophy this year. I certify this declaration with the Prophet Guarantee.
Monday, 11 August 2014
Supercup : Proves why they call me Prophet
Well let's recall all the things I was EXACTLY right about in my recent posts:
Benfica urgently needs to sign one or two goalies.
Benfica remains incredibly strong .
The lineup is virtually unchanged from last year.
The starting lineup in the Supercup had only 2 new players.
Eliseu is a better left back than anyone who played that position for us last year .
Jorge Jesus has the team performing like a finely oiled machine.
Sure there were some problems finishing as 38 shots did not find the back of the net. But that will drastically improve as it is worked on heavily this week. We know that players like Lima, Derley, Bebe and Salvio can score and score often. The season kicks off on Sunday for every other team and I assure you by Sundays game against Paços, the goals will be there.
The club at this stage has to put all it's effort and resources into keeping Enzo and Gaitan rather than signing other players. If Enzo leaves, that money will be used to bring in excellent young replacements. Now that all the classless rifraf like Cavaleiro and Silva are gone and done being distractions the real quality players will keep improving as Benfica charges ahead to its second consecutive title.
It was good to see JJ give Talisca a boost with the start. He had a good game though it could have been better. This is a young player with lots of talent and his performance will only go up .
Winning the Supercup is big and it does a lot more than just make Benfica add another piece of silverware to the trophy museum. It helps in these ways too:
Immediately kills the pressure and negative media from the pre-season.
Boosts the players confidence in the group.
The utter dominance the team displayed may help convince Enzo and or Gaitan that the team has not lost any quality and it is worthwhile for them to stay.
The quality of play also attracts other players who see that Benfica is as dominant and complete as last season.
The many new players that work each day with the team and watch from the bench saw before their eyes how the team is supposed to play and what the coach expects.
All said, I continue my thesis that Benfica will dominate every competition this year, that a new keeper is a must and another top forward and top central or defensive midfielder would be welcome, and that the young players who were loaned out had no place on this team .
Benfica urgently needs to sign one or two goalies.
Benfica remains incredibly strong .
The lineup is virtually unchanged from last year.
The starting lineup in the Supercup had only 2 new players.
Eliseu is a better left back than anyone who played that position for us last year .
Jorge Jesus has the team performing like a finely oiled machine.
Sure there were some problems finishing as 38 shots did not find the back of the net. But that will drastically improve as it is worked on heavily this week. We know that players like Lima, Derley, Bebe and Salvio can score and score often. The season kicks off on Sunday for every other team and I assure you by Sundays game against Paços, the goals will be there.
The club at this stage has to put all it's effort and resources into keeping Enzo and Gaitan rather than signing other players. If Enzo leaves, that money will be used to bring in excellent young replacements. Now that all the classless rifraf like Cavaleiro and Silva are gone and done being distractions the real quality players will keep improving as Benfica charges ahead to its second consecutive title.
It was good to see JJ give Talisca a boost with the start. He had a good game though it could have been better. This is a young player with lots of talent and his performance will only go up .
Winning the Supercup is big and it does a lot more than just make Benfica add another piece of silverware to the trophy museum. It helps in these ways too:
Immediately kills the pressure and negative media from the pre-season.
Boosts the players confidence in the group.
The utter dominance the team displayed may help convince Enzo and or Gaitan that the team has not lost any quality and it is worthwhile for them to stay.
The quality of play also attracts other players who see that Benfica is as dominant and complete as last season.
The many new players that work each day with the team and watch from the bench saw before their eyes how the team is supposed to play and what the coach expects.
All said, I continue my thesis that Benfica will dominate every competition this year, that a new keeper is a must and another top forward and top central or defensive midfielder would be welcome, and that the young players who were loaned out had no place on this team .
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Preview of Benfica vs Rio Ave
Benfica will win this game handily. I am predicting a win by 2 goals or more. This Benfica team should have a lineup with only two new faces that didnt play for the team last year. Eliseu at leftback and Bébé I think will start alongside Lima, though it could be Derley that gets the nod.
Rio have some good dangerous and fast players up front in Ukra and delValle. But they wont have the ball much as Benfica's midfield will surely impose its dominance. No chance Benfica loses. They are too dominant and strong and have a lineup almost identical to last year's. But stronger. Bebe and Derley are both better than Rodrigo was and Eliseu is better than anyone who played left back last season.
Rio have some good dangerous and fast players up front in Ukra and delValle. But they wont have the ball much as Benfica's midfield will surely impose its dominance. No chance Benfica loses. They are too dominant and strong and have a lineup almost identical to last year's. But stronger. Bebe and Derley are both better than Rodrigo was and Eliseu is better than anyone who played left back last season.
Friday, 8 August 2014
Myths about Jorge Jesus
As a Benfica fan I always put club above country or any other factors. Unfortunately, in the Benfica blogosphere and swaths of its supporters, people but nationalism above the club. They would rather have players who fit their nationalistic goals play and have the club lose rater than play better players who are not part of their nationalistic ideals and win. Thank God Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is not a nationalist, or racist or any other type of ist. He simply trains his players hard and observes and selects the best in the group to play. That concept seems hard for many to understand. Being Portuguese does not qualify a player to start or be a substitute. Earning your playing time with quality and in training sessions is what works.
Many say Jorge Jesus doesn't give young portuguese players an opportunity. That is a total myth. He doesn't give lousy players an opportunity because he gives opportunities to the players that show the most quality. Lets look at Nelson Oliveira, now returned from yet ANOTHER failed loan experience abroad. He was on loan to Rennes in France where he flopped. He was so lacking in quality that the club was forced to sign a forward in the January transfer window because he was that bad. Read the reviews of his coach there and of the local media who were stunned this guy ever got playing time at a big club like Benfica. A year earlier he was on loan to Deportivo in Spain, where again he flopped. Showed no quality, struggled to earn playing time and when he played he did nothing. All of this comes on the heels of a season where he was given opportunities by JJ even in the Champions League. Had he shown quality he would have grabbed a starting spot and never looked back. This pre-season he returned yet again, was given the chance to play in 3 games so far and again showed nothing. I hope and pray this lousy player is sold. Too many fans don't understand that showing some quality on a B team or under 20 national team does not a good player make. It means they have some potential but very few players can translate that under 20 talent into the big leagues. When you look at national teams, the players that made the lineups in under 20 and under 21 sides are rarely the ones who end up in the lineup of the "A" sides 5 or 6 years later.
Now lets recall a young portuguese player for Benfica who not only played but shined. He earned his opportunities in training and the substitutions he was given. He proved his quality and thus earned a starting spot. He shined and brought much joy to Benfica fans. His name ? FABIO COENTRAO. If you listen to the delusional nationalists you will think this is impossible, after all he was young and portuguese and JJ would never give such a player an opportunity. But that is where their lies fall apart. JJ plays the best he has. He is a meticulous coach and demands very much from his players. He observes them in training and expects the world of them when they set foot on the pitch. Some players can perform to those standards, most cannot. He does not care what the nationality is.
Fabio Coentrao met those rigourous standards. Bernardo Silva did not. Andre Almeida met those standards, Ivan Cavaleiro did not. Andre Gomes met those standards. Nelson Oliveira did not. If you are a Benfica supporter you should NOT want JJ to field a bunch of mediocre players that will make us lose games just because they are young and portuguese.
The coach is one of the best paid and most respected football minds in the world. Countless young players have seen their careers explode to success under his tutelage. They must show extremely high quality. The likes of Fabio Coentrao, DiMaria, Axel Witsel, Nemaja Matic, Rodrigo just to name a few were all young. All from different countries. All had to wait a long time to earn their time and when they did they made the most of it.
Ivan Cavaleiro played 19 games last year for Benfica and got one goal. Is that the standard we should expect from our attacking players ? If it is, then we will finish in 10th or 15th place. We want quality, not nationalism. Save nationalism for Nazis. Im a Benfiquista and I want to win at all costs. If that means no Portuguese players on the team, then so be it. Let the best play and bring us success. Sporting have tried and failed at playing young Portuguese players. We see all the success it has brought them. We don't want to be a club of losers like Sporting. We want successes. And the coach knows what it takes.
So lets leave nationalism aside and support our Club and our Coach.
Many say Jorge Jesus doesn't give young portuguese players an opportunity. That is a total myth. He doesn't give lousy players an opportunity because he gives opportunities to the players that show the most quality. Lets look at Nelson Oliveira, now returned from yet ANOTHER failed loan experience abroad. He was on loan to Rennes in France where he flopped. He was so lacking in quality that the club was forced to sign a forward in the January transfer window because he was that bad. Read the reviews of his coach there and of the local media who were stunned this guy ever got playing time at a big club like Benfica. A year earlier he was on loan to Deportivo in Spain, where again he flopped. Showed no quality, struggled to earn playing time and when he played he did nothing. All of this comes on the heels of a season where he was given opportunities by JJ even in the Champions League. Had he shown quality he would have grabbed a starting spot and never looked back. This pre-season he returned yet again, was given the chance to play in 3 games so far and again showed nothing. I hope and pray this lousy player is sold. Too many fans don't understand that showing some quality on a B team or under 20 national team does not a good player make. It means they have some potential but very few players can translate that under 20 talent into the big leagues. When you look at national teams, the players that made the lineups in under 20 and under 21 sides are rarely the ones who end up in the lineup of the "A" sides 5 or 6 years later.
Now lets recall a young portuguese player for Benfica who not only played but shined. He earned his opportunities in training and the substitutions he was given. He proved his quality and thus earned a starting spot. He shined and brought much joy to Benfica fans. His name ? FABIO COENTRAO. If you listen to the delusional nationalists you will think this is impossible, after all he was young and portuguese and JJ would never give such a player an opportunity. But that is where their lies fall apart. JJ plays the best he has. He is a meticulous coach and demands very much from his players. He observes them in training and expects the world of them when they set foot on the pitch. Some players can perform to those standards, most cannot. He does not care what the nationality is.
Fabio Coentrao met those rigourous standards. Bernardo Silva did not. Andre Almeida met those standards, Ivan Cavaleiro did not. Andre Gomes met those standards. Nelson Oliveira did not. If you are a Benfica supporter you should NOT want JJ to field a bunch of mediocre players that will make us lose games just because they are young and portuguese.
The coach is one of the best paid and most respected football minds in the world. Countless young players have seen their careers explode to success under his tutelage. They must show extremely high quality. The likes of Fabio Coentrao, DiMaria, Axel Witsel, Nemaja Matic, Rodrigo just to name a few were all young. All from different countries. All had to wait a long time to earn their time and when they did they made the most of it.
Ivan Cavaleiro played 19 games last year for Benfica and got one goal. Is that the standard we should expect from our attacking players ? If it is, then we will finish in 10th or 15th place. We want quality, not nationalism. Save nationalism for Nazis. Im a Benfiquista and I want to win at all costs. If that means no Portuguese players on the team, then so be it. Let the best play and bring us success. Sporting have tried and failed at playing young Portuguese players. We see all the success it has brought them. We don't want to be a club of losers like Sporting. We want successes. And the coach knows what it takes.
So lets leave nationalism aside and support our Club and our Coach.
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Good moves: Benfica loans out young players
I was pleased to hear the news that Benfica loaned out Ivan Cavaleiro and Bernardo Silva. Pleased for a variety of reasons on different levels.
Starting with Ivan Cavaleiro, this is a good move for several reasons. He is a quality player. With the opportunities he has had to play on the "A" squad he has not disappointed. He has shown speed, explosiveness, he is not shy to have a shot from anywhere, he defends well and has a nice soft touch on his passes when needed. After years in the B team and solid play in the Portugal Under 20 and Under 21 sides its time for his breakout year. Problem is, he wouldn't get enough playing time on Benfica to have the breakout that I expect him to have. Benfica's wings are like a treasure chest of elite quality players. With the likes of Gaitan, Salvio, Sulejmani, Ola John, Pizzi, Bebe it would be difficult for Ivan to get the quantity and consistency of playing time needed for him to affirm himself as a top elite pro this year.
I think his loan is good for him and I think the team he was loaned to is perfect. He was loaned to Deportivo La Coruna who returns to the Spanish top division this year. Deportivo being a team not nearly as deep in top quality attackers as Benfica is, he will be relied on heavily there to play and perform. So he will be playing in a great league against great competition while playing on a team that isn't as deep in quality which translates into him getting a lot of minutes. Also, his defending and closing of spaces will improve a lot as Deportivo is one of the weaker teams in La Liga so he will have to adapt to being on a side that doesn't control the ball for most of the game. All of these factors translate into a high likelihood of Ivan learning a lot, maturing a lot and playing a lot. That equals a recipe for success with this loan which will translate into one of two positive outcomes:
1. His quality is sufficient at the end of the year to earn him a starting spot upon returning to Benfica .
2. His quality is sufficient to merit a large cash offer for his purchase.
In either scenario Benfica wins.
Now Bernardo Silva. I think he is the most overrated player in the universe of Benfica fan chatter online. They try to make this kid look like a Football God (just like they did with Miguel Rosa and David Simao - we saw how they turned out didn't we !!! -- oh thats right, you have probably never heard of them -- thats because they suck). He will be loaded to AS Monaco in France will he will encounter a good coach in Leonardo Jardim who works well with young developing talent. My position is and has always been that Silva is one of those players who looks good in tier 2 competition. He can look great playing in the second division where he regularly plays on the B team. He has had several opportunities to play with the A squad and never earned as much as a positive note in any reviews. He is small, slow, passes poorly under pressure, loses all balls in the air and can't defend worth a s***. It is great to see him loaned out because:
1. it will shut up the nationalist Benfica fans who demand he play. If this kid were to get playing time on Benfica we would have the same results that Sporting CP does by playing all their youth "talent" we saw the fruits of that last season where Sporting played all their young kids, didn't win any trophies nationally, didn't even make a final of any of the cups, didn't qualify for the european competitions and their best young player, Carvalho, was but a backup on the national team. Silly nationalism that says this kid must be great because he is portuguese and young is illogical, irrational and blind to reality. If Bernardo Silva had quality he would have played regularly on the "A" squad. He would have gotten more playing time. These same delusional people said Nelson Oliveira was the next Ronaldo when he got a bit of playing time a few seasons ago for Benfica. Not only did he fail to earn a spot on Benfica he was loaned out, not once but twice - to Spain at Deportivo and then the next year to France at Rennes. Each time he failed miserably. Neither team wanted to keep him and he got less and less playing time. These delusional fans will blame JJ for his "not being able to show what he has". Baloney !!! He has had ample opportunities in 3 different teams over the past 3 years and no coach wants him on the field.
2. It will confirm, at the end of the season which will be another miserable failure for Bernardo Silva that JJ was correct to not give him time and suggest he be loaned out. This kid sucks. He has no place on the "A" squad. And those that demand he play on the "A" squad are putting their nationalistic irrationality above the interests of the club. If Silva played in Benfica's starting 11 it would GUARANTEE they could not win the championship.
So im glad to see this lousy player off the team. We want quality. And quality doesn't see itself in nationalistic colours.
Starting with Ivan Cavaleiro, this is a good move for several reasons. He is a quality player. With the opportunities he has had to play on the "A" squad he has not disappointed. He has shown speed, explosiveness, he is not shy to have a shot from anywhere, he defends well and has a nice soft touch on his passes when needed. After years in the B team and solid play in the Portugal Under 20 and Under 21 sides its time for his breakout year. Problem is, he wouldn't get enough playing time on Benfica to have the breakout that I expect him to have. Benfica's wings are like a treasure chest of elite quality players. With the likes of Gaitan, Salvio, Sulejmani, Ola John, Pizzi, Bebe it would be difficult for Ivan to get the quantity and consistency of playing time needed for him to affirm himself as a top elite pro this year.
I think his loan is good for him and I think the team he was loaned to is perfect. He was loaned to Deportivo La Coruna who returns to the Spanish top division this year. Deportivo being a team not nearly as deep in top quality attackers as Benfica is, he will be relied on heavily there to play and perform. So he will be playing in a great league against great competition while playing on a team that isn't as deep in quality which translates into him getting a lot of minutes. Also, his defending and closing of spaces will improve a lot as Deportivo is one of the weaker teams in La Liga so he will have to adapt to being on a side that doesn't control the ball for most of the game. All of these factors translate into a high likelihood of Ivan learning a lot, maturing a lot and playing a lot. That equals a recipe for success with this loan which will translate into one of two positive outcomes:
1. His quality is sufficient at the end of the year to earn him a starting spot upon returning to Benfica .
2. His quality is sufficient to merit a large cash offer for his purchase.
In either scenario Benfica wins.
Now Bernardo Silva. I think he is the most overrated player in the universe of Benfica fan chatter online. They try to make this kid look like a Football God (just like they did with Miguel Rosa and David Simao - we saw how they turned out didn't we !!! -- oh thats right, you have probably never heard of them -- thats because they suck). He will be loaded to AS Monaco in France will he will encounter a good coach in Leonardo Jardim who works well with young developing talent. My position is and has always been that Silva is one of those players who looks good in tier 2 competition. He can look great playing in the second division where he regularly plays on the B team. He has had several opportunities to play with the A squad and never earned as much as a positive note in any reviews. He is small, slow, passes poorly under pressure, loses all balls in the air and can't defend worth a s***. It is great to see him loaned out because:
1. it will shut up the nationalist Benfica fans who demand he play. If this kid were to get playing time on Benfica we would have the same results that Sporting CP does by playing all their youth "talent" we saw the fruits of that last season where Sporting played all their young kids, didn't win any trophies nationally, didn't even make a final of any of the cups, didn't qualify for the european competitions and their best young player, Carvalho, was but a backup on the national team. Silly nationalism that says this kid must be great because he is portuguese and young is illogical, irrational and blind to reality. If Bernardo Silva had quality he would have played regularly on the "A" squad. He would have gotten more playing time. These same delusional people said Nelson Oliveira was the next Ronaldo when he got a bit of playing time a few seasons ago for Benfica. Not only did he fail to earn a spot on Benfica he was loaned out, not once but twice - to Spain at Deportivo and then the next year to France at Rennes. Each time he failed miserably. Neither team wanted to keep him and he got less and less playing time. These delusional fans will blame JJ for his "not being able to show what he has". Baloney !!! He has had ample opportunities in 3 different teams over the past 3 years and no coach wants him on the field.
2. It will confirm, at the end of the season which will be another miserable failure for Bernardo Silva that JJ was correct to not give him time and suggest he be loaned out. This kid sucks. He has no place on the "A" squad. And those that demand he play on the "A" squad are putting their nationalistic irrationality above the interests of the club. If Silva played in Benfica's starting 11 it would GUARANTEE they could not win the championship.
So im glad to see this lousy player off the team. We want quality. And quality doesn't see itself in nationalistic colours.
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Benfica starting lineup will be much the same
Despite all the grumblings about player exits, I will maintain a realistic and objective assessment of the starting lineup JJ will present for the SuperCup this Sunday. It will be overwhelmingly the same players that regularly played or started last year. Shocked ? Maybe if you believe all the media hype but lets look at things as they are and not from the angle that is intent only on selling newspapers.
Goalkeeper - Artur will play. He played the vast majority of games last year. Benfica was leading in points when Oblak started to play towards the end of the year. Artur also played most of the Europa League and Cup games. No real change from last year. He started 30 games for Benfica last year. So anyone who tells you the keeper is not the same as last year as a bald faced liar.
Defence - Those who claim Siqueira was a starter fail to look at facts. He only played in 18 games for the League and did not start all of them. So he was a starter half the time. Eliseu will play now and thats the only real change in defence except for the switch of Jardel for Garay. Jardel played 18 games in total last year, same as Siqueira played in the League. So for those who will argue Benfica lost a starter in Siqueira, I would counter that by that logic Jardel was also a starter having played 18 games. Luisao and Maxi are also holdovers. Defence - one substantive change. Three of the four players regularly played for Benfica last year.
Midfield - Enzo Perez and Ruben Amorim will start here. Both regularly played and/or started. No real change at all.
Wings - Gaitan and Salvio will start here. Both regularly played and started last year. Markovic only saw playing time when Salvio got hurt. After his return they split the duties. No change at all here.
Forward - Lima and one other option (maybe Jara, maybe Bebe) - one real change.
So with a lineup of : ARTUR;
MAXI, LUISAO, JARDEL, Eliseu
ENZO PEREZ, RUBEN AMORIM
SALVIO, GAITAN
LIMA, (Jara or Bebe)
Above, I listed the players in all caps who regularly started or played for the squad in all caps. As you can see only Eliseu and the second forward will be players who did not regularly start or play for the squad.
So all this B.S. about "8 starters" being gone is a blatant lie. Its simply not true. The strength of the team last year was that most players didn't "own" their position and the lineup was always subject to change except for a few players like Luisao, Lima, Enzo Perez, Gaitan (all of which will still be in the lineup this year!). What we can deduce from the lineup that will play on Sunday is that we will see a Benfica with the same overwhelming strength and dominance of previous years. People said it was the end of the world when DiMaria, Ramires, Javi, Witsel and David Luiz and Matic left. It wasn't. The club kept enough regular and long term benfica players rotated into the lineups and subs that the transition for any new players was made easy. The same thing will happen again. The core of the team is exactly the same. There will be liars who will pretend Ola John, Sulejmani, Andre Almeida (played 26 games alone) were also not playing for Benfica previously but to them I would suggest you again relay the facts.
This Benfica team has kept intact a core of players who are experienced, know exactly how the coach wants them to play, are excellent at what they do. Immediate quality has already been brought into the roster with Eliseu and Bebe and Pizzi and Lisandro Lopez who were not on the squad last year. Another few signings will still be made and they will surely be of top quality too. Additionally, Talisca, Cancelo and Teixeira will continue to work with the team and improve to eventually start getting some playing time as subs and the cycle continues. New and young players don't always make an immediate impact. Remember Matic, Andre Gomes, and Rodrigo took a very long time to start playing regularly. Does that mean they didn't have quality ? Of course not. But by keeping the core starting lineup essentially the same as last year, the club will be able to have the stable core that keeps them winning while the other players grow and learn and eventually start to accumulate playing time.
Accordingly all the panic stirred up in the media and blogosphere is for motives that are not based in reality. Whether its enemies of Benfica pushing these myths, or newspapers wanting to sell papers, or obsessed nationalists who think benfica should play mediocre and lousy talent from the B team just because they are portuguese. Its all nonsense. The starting lineup will have very little change from last year. All but two of the starters regularly played or started last year. Those are the facts.
Expect a very determined and focused Benfica to hammer Rio Ave. I think Benfica should win by 3 or 4 goals. Why ? Because the team is just as strong as it was last year.
Goalkeeper - Artur will play. He played the vast majority of games last year. Benfica was leading in points when Oblak started to play towards the end of the year. Artur also played most of the Europa League and Cup games. No real change from last year. He started 30 games for Benfica last year. So anyone who tells you the keeper is not the same as last year as a bald faced liar.
Defence - Those who claim Siqueira was a starter fail to look at facts. He only played in 18 games for the League and did not start all of them. So he was a starter half the time. Eliseu will play now and thats the only real change in defence except for the switch of Jardel for Garay. Jardel played 18 games in total last year, same as Siqueira played in the League. So for those who will argue Benfica lost a starter in Siqueira, I would counter that by that logic Jardel was also a starter having played 18 games. Luisao and Maxi are also holdovers. Defence - one substantive change. Three of the four players regularly played for Benfica last year.
Midfield - Enzo Perez and Ruben Amorim will start here. Both regularly played and/or started. No real change at all.
Wings - Gaitan and Salvio will start here. Both regularly played and started last year. Markovic only saw playing time when Salvio got hurt. After his return they split the duties. No change at all here.
Forward - Lima and one other option (maybe Jara, maybe Bebe) - one real change.
So with a lineup of : ARTUR;
MAXI, LUISAO, JARDEL, Eliseu
ENZO PEREZ, RUBEN AMORIM
SALVIO, GAITAN
LIMA, (Jara or Bebe)
Above, I listed the players in all caps who regularly started or played for the squad in all caps. As you can see only Eliseu and the second forward will be players who did not regularly start or play for the squad.
So all this B.S. about "8 starters" being gone is a blatant lie. Its simply not true. The strength of the team last year was that most players didn't "own" their position and the lineup was always subject to change except for a few players like Luisao, Lima, Enzo Perez, Gaitan (all of which will still be in the lineup this year!). What we can deduce from the lineup that will play on Sunday is that we will see a Benfica with the same overwhelming strength and dominance of previous years. People said it was the end of the world when DiMaria, Ramires, Javi, Witsel and David Luiz and Matic left. It wasn't. The club kept enough regular and long term benfica players rotated into the lineups and subs that the transition for any new players was made easy. The same thing will happen again. The core of the team is exactly the same. There will be liars who will pretend Ola John, Sulejmani, Andre Almeida (played 26 games alone) were also not playing for Benfica previously but to them I would suggest you again relay the facts.
This Benfica team has kept intact a core of players who are experienced, know exactly how the coach wants them to play, are excellent at what they do. Immediate quality has already been brought into the roster with Eliseu and Bebe and Pizzi and Lisandro Lopez who were not on the squad last year. Another few signings will still be made and they will surely be of top quality too. Additionally, Talisca, Cancelo and Teixeira will continue to work with the team and improve to eventually start getting some playing time as subs and the cycle continues. New and young players don't always make an immediate impact. Remember Matic, Andre Gomes, and Rodrigo took a very long time to start playing regularly. Does that mean they didn't have quality ? Of course not. But by keeping the core starting lineup essentially the same as last year, the club will be able to have the stable core that keeps them winning while the other players grow and learn and eventually start to accumulate playing time.
Accordingly all the panic stirred up in the media and blogosphere is for motives that are not based in reality. Whether its enemies of Benfica pushing these myths, or newspapers wanting to sell papers, or obsessed nationalists who think benfica should play mediocre and lousy talent from the B team just because they are portuguese. Its all nonsense. The starting lineup will have very little change from last year. All but two of the starters regularly played or started last year. Those are the facts.
Expect a very determined and focused Benfica to hammer Rio Ave. I think Benfica should win by 3 or 4 goals. Why ? Because the team is just as strong as it was last year.
Monday, 4 August 2014
Goodbye Oscar "Tacuara" Cardozo
Well today Benfica parted ways with its 9th leading scorer in its 110 year history. Oscar Cardozo spent 7 seasons with the club and was a most lethal of strikers that will be remembered fondly by the club's history. Sold for $5 million euros, given his age and declining performance was a good move by the club. It also frees them of the obligation to pay his very high salary.
It was important that the club cash in on him while they still can. He no longer fit into the coaches model of the game and would likely see his goal totals decline sharply with the reduced playing time. That said, he was still a very important player for the club. Scoring countless critical goals, a warrior in any weather, and though he lacked speed he never lacked effort. His left foot will never be forgotten by the Benfiquistas.
Frequently the supporters would yield banners featuring his image and name at home games. His legend so strong that a chant was regularly sung during games by the large Torcida called No Name Boys. I have provided a link to the song below.
This is the business of football. He will move on to Turkey and earn a nice tax free salary of 2.5 million euros over the next 3 years but is the type of player who will always hold Benfica dear to his heart. He said today that his best goal was against Sporting. He certainly was a Sporting destroyer over the 7 years and that is part of the reason this man will always be remember as a legendary striker for the legendary club of Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Thank you for all the memories, good luck and God bless you Oscar Tacuara Cardozo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU1I7n3xHxI
Readers thoughts on Karnezis
Well the rumours say that benfica will sign Greek keeper Karnezis. I have watched some tape on him during the World Cup because I was surprised with some of his poor play there. What I saw of him at the club level was quite the contrary though, and he looked excellent in club games. I would like to know the readers thoughts and views on this potential signing. Please comment freely. I don't not censor in anyway, not language, not images, not posting links or any other way. I believe in absolute unrestricted freedom of speech and that even includes insults to me. All speech is welcome. Comment away :
The Djavan Episode
There has been much speculation with regard to the signing by Benfica of Academica's left back Djavan. He is a solid left back and would likely get playing time had he stayed on the squad. Now with the departure of Siqueira and the uncertainty around whether or not Silvio will remain with Benfica the club had to start from zero at that position.
Coach Jorge Jesus had long craved to have Malaga's LB Eliseu on the team but it had not materialized. So Djavan, an experienced LB who played in the Portuguese first division was a smart signing as he would not need an adaptation period for the type of play in Portugal. Benito was also added as a young backup who could be worked and stay on the club if enough quality was shown or be loaned out for a year to develop further.
Of course, the eye was never taken off the ball with respect to Eliseu, and if he could be signed he would be. So the question becomes, why not wait until the outcome with Eliseu was known before signing Djavan? Here is the answer: so that Sporting CP could not sign him.
Sporting CP is not really strong at many positions, but it certainly isn't strong at LB. Jefferson is not the left back to hang your hopes on if you plan to compete for a title. Djavan would at least provide as much quality if not more and he would be relatively affordable. So why make things easy for Sporting. For a relatively small investment you can force them to go outside the Portuguese league to sign a replacement and that new player may have trouble adapting to the portuguese style of play, weather conditions, turf conditions in many of the teams, etc.
In that sense it was strategic as it was a logical and affordable choice for the rival to sign. Pre-empting them was a smart move. Transfering him to Braga was also a smart move as it strengthens a team that is likely to take points from Porto and Sporting. I would not be surprised if there was some sort of clause in the deal that prevents Djavan from playing against Benfica either.
Presumptively the club incurred no financial loss as it would defy logic if he was transferred for less than he was bought for. So in effect, Benfica got to control his destiny by buying him early. This is an approach that I applaud and think should be continued. Teams like Sporting and Porto tend to seek to address their needs with some of the top players at their respective positions on other first division clubs. Benfica pre-empting them to control the destiny of those players and not allow them to reinforce rivals is good strategic and business sense and it should be a policy that continues to be pursued.
So yes it does look odd on the surface, but when you scratch beneath you find that there is sometimes order in chaos.
Coach Jorge Jesus had long craved to have Malaga's LB Eliseu on the team but it had not materialized. So Djavan, an experienced LB who played in the Portuguese first division was a smart signing as he would not need an adaptation period for the type of play in Portugal. Benito was also added as a young backup who could be worked and stay on the club if enough quality was shown or be loaned out for a year to develop further.
Of course, the eye was never taken off the ball with respect to Eliseu, and if he could be signed he would be. So the question becomes, why not wait until the outcome with Eliseu was known before signing Djavan? Here is the answer: so that Sporting CP could not sign him.
Sporting CP is not really strong at many positions, but it certainly isn't strong at LB. Jefferson is not the left back to hang your hopes on if you plan to compete for a title. Djavan would at least provide as much quality if not more and he would be relatively affordable. So why make things easy for Sporting. For a relatively small investment you can force them to go outside the Portuguese league to sign a replacement and that new player may have trouble adapting to the portuguese style of play, weather conditions, turf conditions in many of the teams, etc.
In that sense it was strategic as it was a logical and affordable choice for the rival to sign. Pre-empting them was a smart move. Transfering him to Braga was also a smart move as it strengthens a team that is likely to take points from Porto and Sporting. I would not be surprised if there was some sort of clause in the deal that prevents Djavan from playing against Benfica either.
Presumptively the club incurred no financial loss as it would defy logic if he was transferred for less than he was bought for. So in effect, Benfica got to control his destiny by buying him early. This is an approach that I applaud and think should be continued. Teams like Sporting and Porto tend to seek to address their needs with some of the top players at their respective positions on other first division clubs. Benfica pre-empting them to control the destiny of those players and not allow them to reinforce rivals is good strategic and business sense and it should be a policy that continues to be pursued.
So yes it does look odd on the surface, but when you scratch beneath you find that there is sometimes order in chaos.
What if Enzo Perez and Gaitan are sold ?
In football players have clauses that any team can pay to release them for a transfer. In this case it is 45 million euro for Gaitan and 30 million for Enzo Perez. The coach and supporters have to be prepared for this possibility as they are two quality players that are in demand right now given their brilliant season with Benfica. So what if, as rumoured, Monaco pays that to release Gaitan and similarly Valencia does for Enzo Perez ?
Well it will mean Benfica is flush with another 75 million euros on top of the nearly 100 million in sales already executed this offseason. That means Benfica will be forced to make two more signings in addition to the 3 already demanded by coach Jorge Jesus at the post-game presser yesterday. This would put Benfica into a more starkly rebuilding phase as those two players are fundamental pieces in Jorge Jesus' game plan. I don't agree with those who say it would be calamitous. The club just two season ago lost Witsel and Javi Garcia just as the season began and was able to find replacements that adapted quickly.
In the case of Enzo, if he leaves, the club has a player already there who could start immediately - Rubem Amorim - while whomever the new signing is could develop some time to adapt with weeks of training. If Gaitan leaves, well the club is flush with excellent wingers but Gaitan does bring something more than the talent typical of an excellent winger. He is able to bring the game more inside and play very effectively up in front of the net too. His creative abilities are sometimes that only thing that can break the 10 man defences of some of the Portuguese league opponents. He will be harder to replace as he is a player who brings so much to the table. But in terms of tactical options, Benfica has many players who will be able to fill that role while his replacement adapts as well. Pizzi may have the most similar characteristics.
So while it would be difficult for supporters to see the exits of these players at this stage of the season, remember that it would not be without precedent, and wouldn't be impossible to overcome.
What it would mean is that there would be an immediate large infusion of cash and subsequent signing of top quality replacements. On the balance one must consider this: given the season Benfica had, they will never be able to command more $$$ for these players than they can now. They are 27 and 28 years of age. Making those sales now at such a high price will allow the club to avoid making sales next year and the year after because of the financial health it will help bring to the club. So in that sense it is not all bad. If Benfica spends 20 of that 75 million on 2 replacements for these roles specifically, that will assure some very high quality young talent and still have 55 million in the bank to help prevent and/or delay selling any of the best talent next year.
The biggest risk however, is the domino effect their departure could have on other veteran players. Will Maxi or Luisao want to stick around if there two depart ? Will other top players want to sign for a team that allows (or is forced) these two to leave ? Will the coach quit if these two depart ? These are the more serious questions and consequences that have to be considered. In my view the situation requires urgent intervention. The President, Rui Costa and Jorge Jesus need to have an emergency meeting and ideally with the two concerned players or their representatives to clarify:
1. who the new keeper is and when he will be signed
2. who else will be added to the roster and when
3. reiterate the focus on winning
Enzo and Gaitan may decide to stay no matter what the offer is if such assurances are clearly articulated. If top signings are planned for the next few days it doesn't make sense to announce them after a transfer of Enzo or Gaitan is consummated. They need to be in on the loop to help them decide to stay. Decisive days, we await...
Well it will mean Benfica is flush with another 75 million euros on top of the nearly 100 million in sales already executed this offseason. That means Benfica will be forced to make two more signings in addition to the 3 already demanded by coach Jorge Jesus at the post-game presser yesterday. This would put Benfica into a more starkly rebuilding phase as those two players are fundamental pieces in Jorge Jesus' game plan. I don't agree with those who say it would be calamitous. The club just two season ago lost Witsel and Javi Garcia just as the season began and was able to find replacements that adapted quickly.
In the case of Enzo, if he leaves, the club has a player already there who could start immediately - Rubem Amorim - while whomever the new signing is could develop some time to adapt with weeks of training. If Gaitan leaves, well the club is flush with excellent wingers but Gaitan does bring something more than the talent typical of an excellent winger. He is able to bring the game more inside and play very effectively up in front of the net too. His creative abilities are sometimes that only thing that can break the 10 man defences of some of the Portuguese league opponents. He will be harder to replace as he is a player who brings so much to the table. But in terms of tactical options, Benfica has many players who will be able to fill that role while his replacement adapts as well. Pizzi may have the most similar characteristics.
So while it would be difficult for supporters to see the exits of these players at this stage of the season, remember that it would not be without precedent, and wouldn't be impossible to overcome.
What it would mean is that there would be an immediate large infusion of cash and subsequent signing of top quality replacements. On the balance one must consider this: given the season Benfica had, they will never be able to command more $$$ for these players than they can now. They are 27 and 28 years of age. Making those sales now at such a high price will allow the club to avoid making sales next year and the year after because of the financial health it will help bring to the club. So in that sense it is not all bad. If Benfica spends 20 of that 75 million on 2 replacements for these roles specifically, that will assure some very high quality young talent and still have 55 million in the bank to help prevent and/or delay selling any of the best talent next year.
The biggest risk however, is the domino effect their departure could have on other veteran players. Will Maxi or Luisao want to stick around if there two depart ? Will other top players want to sign for a team that allows (or is forced) these two to leave ? Will the coach quit if these two depart ? These are the more serious questions and consequences that have to be considered. In my view the situation requires urgent intervention. The President, Rui Costa and Jorge Jesus need to have an emergency meeting and ideally with the two concerned players or their representatives to clarify:
1. who the new keeper is and when he will be signed
2. who else will be added to the roster and when
3. reiterate the focus on winning
Enzo and Gaitan may decide to stay no matter what the offer is if such assurances are clearly articulated. If top signings are planned for the next few days it doesn't make sense to announce them after a transfer of Enzo or Gaitan is consummated. They need to be in on the loop to help them decide to stay. Decisive days, we await...
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Frango Fest vs Valencia and Pre-season Evaluation
Well another poor result, but the most important thing is to analise the result within the totality of contextual circumstances:
1. The team played its 4th game in 5 days, plus travelling from Portugal to Switzerland, travelling within Switzerland, then flying to England. Over fatigue.
2. Artur is unfortunately still on the team and at least 2 of the goals were infantile save attempts and totally his fault.
3. Luisao, Lisandro - our two starting central defenders did not play at all and are recovering from injury; same goes for Pizzi; Enzo Perez has yet to debut for the squad.
4. Its preseason and the objectives are not to win, but to train and evaluate new talent.
Its becoming clearer that Benfica must not allow Enzo or Gaitan to be sold. It seems JJ is giving more playing time to Candeias - a far inferior player to Ivan Cavaleiro - which suggests Ivan is on his way out. Luis Felipe is a disaster, he has been training for a month and played in most of the games and if he had any quality at all, he would have showed some of it by now. He needs to go. Not the best game for Teixeira but I don't think JJ should give up on him. He has talent and works hard and will improve over the year despite getting little playing time. More positive signs from Derley and Bebe.
After the game JJ stated that the team is waiting for 3 more signings - a keeper, a forward and a defensive midfielder. It is somewhat baffling why these signings have not yet occurred one week from the start of the official season. This President is deserving of harsh criticism for not knowing how to plan a preseason. The moment the previous season ended they should have defined who would or could be sold, who would be brought in for sure and who would be brought in as contingency to replace unforeseen exits. A simple conversation one on one with each of the players that they knew would be subject to inviting offers would have shed much light on the situation.
The club continues to engage in a practice of spending more money on 2 or 3 mediocre players for a position as opposed to spending less for a proven one. I think Benfica needs to sell 5 to 8 of their marginal players instead of repeating the game of loaning musical chairs every year. They have too many athletes on the payroll and constantly being loaned out. The Djavan fiasco is an embarrassment.
I believe the Coach is doing the best he can with the hand he has been dealt. And make no mistake, I think the squad is still extremely strong and will kickoff the next two official games with resounding wins. The starting lineup that Benfica promises to present will be exceptional. Yes it will be missing Siqueira, Garay, Rodrigo and Markovic. But it will include Eliseu, Lisandro, Derley and Salvio. The keeper position remains unresolved but I expect that our new keeper will be signed in the next day or two and will start against Rio Ave. The starting lineup that Benfica will present at this point should have as much quality as the one last year. The bench may not be as strong at this point but more signings are expected.
Supporters are overreacting to the importance of pre-season results. This pre-season has been productive. It has shown us a few things:
A) there is a group of players that clearly have no legitimate place on this roster - to name a few: Bernardo Silva, Nelson Oliveira, Candeias, Luis Felipe, Sidnei, Artur
B) there are some that have shown good potential and will clearly improve with time and daily work: Benito, Cancelo, Teixeira, Derley, Bebe, Talisca
C) That retaining Luisao, Maxi, Salvio, Ruben, Andre Almeida, Ola John, Jardel, Lima, Sulejmani, Gaitan, Enzo - has now become imperative to assist the transition of the new players into the system without calamity. Keeping this base is now fundamental because of the number of players that left. Keeping this stable core group will elevate the baseline performance of the team and make it easier for new players to substitute in when needed without having a total collapse.
D) There are still unknowns but those unknowns are likely to be very positive. For example - Pizzi had a great season in La Liga. He is a versatile player who can strengthen the team at various positions. The identity of the new Keeper is unknown but he can only be better than Artur - a player I have long claimed responsible for the disaster at the end of the season in 2013. The attacker and midfielder that will be signed will be of top quality. The club made a lot of money with sales this offseason, it had a good look at the players they signed, promoted and returned off loan and knows what its needs are. Now that they had a good look, the diagnosis is complete and they know what they need and have the money they need to sign them. The exit of Cardozo and expected sale of several marginal players this week will only bolster the money available to make such signings. It should be emphasized that the sale of Cardozo not only brings in 6 million euros, but also relieves the club of his large salary. So while these two players at this point are unknown (as to their identity), we can be sure they will not be Luis Felipe type of bums. They will be excellent players. That means the team will only be strengthened.
E) That the club seemingly engaged in strategic signings. That is, while the signings of Djavan and Candeias don't seem to make sense, I think they were signed so that Sporting could not sign them. This way the club controls who and where they will play. If that is the case, they were probably smart moves. This info was suggested by a source close to lawyer David Dasilva but no club confirmation of it yet.
1. The team played its 4th game in 5 days, plus travelling from Portugal to Switzerland, travelling within Switzerland, then flying to England. Over fatigue.
2. Artur is unfortunately still on the team and at least 2 of the goals were infantile save attempts and totally his fault.
3. Luisao, Lisandro - our two starting central defenders did not play at all and are recovering from injury; same goes for Pizzi; Enzo Perez has yet to debut for the squad.
4. Its preseason and the objectives are not to win, but to train and evaluate new talent.
Its becoming clearer that Benfica must not allow Enzo or Gaitan to be sold. It seems JJ is giving more playing time to Candeias - a far inferior player to Ivan Cavaleiro - which suggests Ivan is on his way out. Luis Felipe is a disaster, he has been training for a month and played in most of the games and if he had any quality at all, he would have showed some of it by now. He needs to go. Not the best game for Teixeira but I don't think JJ should give up on him. He has talent and works hard and will improve over the year despite getting little playing time. More positive signs from Derley and Bebe.
After the game JJ stated that the team is waiting for 3 more signings - a keeper, a forward and a defensive midfielder. It is somewhat baffling why these signings have not yet occurred one week from the start of the official season. This President is deserving of harsh criticism for not knowing how to plan a preseason. The moment the previous season ended they should have defined who would or could be sold, who would be brought in for sure and who would be brought in as contingency to replace unforeseen exits. A simple conversation one on one with each of the players that they knew would be subject to inviting offers would have shed much light on the situation.
The club continues to engage in a practice of spending more money on 2 or 3 mediocre players for a position as opposed to spending less for a proven one. I think Benfica needs to sell 5 to 8 of their marginal players instead of repeating the game of loaning musical chairs every year. They have too many athletes on the payroll and constantly being loaned out. The Djavan fiasco is an embarrassment.
I believe the Coach is doing the best he can with the hand he has been dealt. And make no mistake, I think the squad is still extremely strong and will kickoff the next two official games with resounding wins. The starting lineup that Benfica promises to present will be exceptional. Yes it will be missing Siqueira, Garay, Rodrigo and Markovic. But it will include Eliseu, Lisandro, Derley and Salvio. The keeper position remains unresolved but I expect that our new keeper will be signed in the next day or two and will start against Rio Ave. The starting lineup that Benfica will present at this point should have as much quality as the one last year. The bench may not be as strong at this point but more signings are expected.
Supporters are overreacting to the importance of pre-season results. This pre-season has been productive. It has shown us a few things:
A) there is a group of players that clearly have no legitimate place on this roster - to name a few: Bernardo Silva, Nelson Oliveira, Candeias, Luis Felipe, Sidnei, Artur
B) there are some that have shown good potential and will clearly improve with time and daily work: Benito, Cancelo, Teixeira, Derley, Bebe, Talisca
C) That retaining Luisao, Maxi, Salvio, Ruben, Andre Almeida, Ola John, Jardel, Lima, Sulejmani, Gaitan, Enzo - has now become imperative to assist the transition of the new players into the system without calamity. Keeping this base is now fundamental because of the number of players that left. Keeping this stable core group will elevate the baseline performance of the team and make it easier for new players to substitute in when needed without having a total collapse.
D) There are still unknowns but those unknowns are likely to be very positive. For example - Pizzi had a great season in La Liga. He is a versatile player who can strengthen the team at various positions. The identity of the new Keeper is unknown but he can only be better than Artur - a player I have long claimed responsible for the disaster at the end of the season in 2013. The attacker and midfielder that will be signed will be of top quality. The club made a lot of money with sales this offseason, it had a good look at the players they signed, promoted and returned off loan and knows what its needs are. Now that they had a good look, the diagnosis is complete and they know what they need and have the money they need to sign them. The exit of Cardozo and expected sale of several marginal players this week will only bolster the money available to make such signings. It should be emphasized that the sale of Cardozo not only brings in 6 million euros, but also relieves the club of his large salary. So while these two players at this point are unknown (as to their identity), we can be sure they will not be Luis Felipe type of bums. They will be excellent players. That means the team will only be strengthened.
E) That the club seemingly engaged in strategic signings. That is, while the signings of Djavan and Candeias don't seem to make sense, I think they were signed so that Sporting could not sign them. This way the club controls who and where they will play. If that is the case, they were probably smart moves. This info was suggested by a source close to lawyer David Dasilva but no club confirmation of it yet.
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Emirates Cup - misleading result
Well no Benfica supporter will be happy about the 5-1 loss to Arsenal. But the result and the game give me no reason to worry. That is because the defensive breakdowns were individual or collective errors provoked by players who will rarely, if ever set foot on the pitch for Benfica this season in official games.
Lets start with Talisca. He demonstrates who inferior the level of football played in Brazil is. Against top opponents the decisions that he makes and would get away with in Brazil or against teams like Estoril or Sion, get punished severely. His overpass for an Arsenal throw in just as Benfica was building and holding possession led immediately to an Arsenal goal. In official games he will not ram above Enzo, Ruben, Andre Almeida, Pizzi and Teixeira on the options. He will likely play on in games for the League Cup. He is a player that will grow with a year of training under Jesus and top elite competition from Benfica's star studded roster. But don't expect to see him in more than a handful of official games this season.
Central Defenders next: Sidnei was never even seriously considered to be an option to stay on the squad. He is only playing because Lisandro, Luisao and Jardel are hurt. Im not sure why JJ didn't let Steven Vitoria play any games. But Sidnei gets shuffled every year on loan as he has no talent to play first division football. His infantile errors and constant poor positioning and loss of every one on one battle are laughable. He was connected to 3 of Arsenals goals. His awful play and errors will NOT be a part of Benfica in official games. Cesar again had a weak performance overall with some positive notes though. His decision making will only improve with much training over the year. Again, he is a product of Brazil where the level of football is almost amateurish.
The team stabilized a lot and even got a goal once the first subs were made. Andre Almeida brought some solidness to the midfield.
Lets not forget that this is the teams 3rd game in 4 days. Plus travel from Sion to Fribourg and then from Geneva to London. Eliseu and Bebe still have not proven that they can outright earn a starting spot. The idea of Gaitan supporting the striker was interesting but I would still like to see Bebe experimented in that role. Pizzi will bring a lot of options to the midfield as he starts to train again this week.
Now looking ahead a week to the Supercup against Rio Ave. Luisao and Lisandro or Jardel will transform the quality of the defence astronomically. The errors that gave arsenal all the goals simply will NOT happen. Hopefully we Benfica have a real Keeper by then as Artur really is not starting material but even if he starts, Luisao will make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. And Rio Ave is no Arsenal. Expect Benfica to pick up an attacker now that Cardozo has departed. Many teams will have top quality players available for loan as they finish up their rosters. Any additional signings will depend on whether or not Gaitan and Enzo depart. At this point I think JJ has to draw a line in the sand and not allow either of them to leave. If either of them leave, surely top elite replacements will be brought in to address their losses.
Our starting defence will be excellent, we will still have many quality midfielders and Lima upfront. The team will not be a weak one in any scenario. Again to all the doomsday's - no reason to panic. Benfica is a club filled with excellent players at every position. They now have a week to rest and put the final touches on the lineup that will face Rio Ave . I predict that will easily beat Rio Ave. Then another whole week to fine tune even further before they will again easily beat Pacos de Ferreira. By August 17th when Benfica has won both their official games, gained confidence and consistency, I suspect all the panic online and in the media will have subsided and everyone will be back on the Benfica "campeao voltou" train. All is well at Benfica. No reason to worry at all.
Lets start with Talisca. He demonstrates who inferior the level of football played in Brazil is. Against top opponents the decisions that he makes and would get away with in Brazil or against teams like Estoril or Sion, get punished severely. His overpass for an Arsenal throw in just as Benfica was building and holding possession led immediately to an Arsenal goal. In official games he will not ram above Enzo, Ruben, Andre Almeida, Pizzi and Teixeira on the options. He will likely play on in games for the League Cup. He is a player that will grow with a year of training under Jesus and top elite competition from Benfica's star studded roster. But don't expect to see him in more than a handful of official games this season.
Central Defenders next: Sidnei was never even seriously considered to be an option to stay on the squad. He is only playing because Lisandro, Luisao and Jardel are hurt. Im not sure why JJ didn't let Steven Vitoria play any games. But Sidnei gets shuffled every year on loan as he has no talent to play first division football. His infantile errors and constant poor positioning and loss of every one on one battle are laughable. He was connected to 3 of Arsenals goals. His awful play and errors will NOT be a part of Benfica in official games. Cesar again had a weak performance overall with some positive notes though. His decision making will only improve with much training over the year. Again, he is a product of Brazil where the level of football is almost amateurish.
The team stabilized a lot and even got a goal once the first subs were made. Andre Almeida brought some solidness to the midfield.
Lets not forget that this is the teams 3rd game in 4 days. Plus travel from Sion to Fribourg and then from Geneva to London. Eliseu and Bebe still have not proven that they can outright earn a starting spot. The idea of Gaitan supporting the striker was interesting but I would still like to see Bebe experimented in that role. Pizzi will bring a lot of options to the midfield as he starts to train again this week.
Now looking ahead a week to the Supercup against Rio Ave. Luisao and Lisandro or Jardel will transform the quality of the defence astronomically. The errors that gave arsenal all the goals simply will NOT happen. Hopefully we Benfica have a real Keeper by then as Artur really is not starting material but even if he starts, Luisao will make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. And Rio Ave is no Arsenal. Expect Benfica to pick up an attacker now that Cardozo has departed. Many teams will have top quality players available for loan as they finish up their rosters. Any additional signings will depend on whether or not Gaitan and Enzo depart. At this point I think JJ has to draw a line in the sand and not allow either of them to leave. If either of them leave, surely top elite replacements will be brought in to address their losses.
Our starting defence will be excellent, we will still have many quality midfielders and Lima upfront. The team will not be a weak one in any scenario. Again to all the doomsday's - no reason to panic. Benfica is a club filled with excellent players at every position. They now have a week to rest and put the final touches on the lineup that will face Rio Ave . I predict that will easily beat Rio Ave. Then another whole week to fine tune even further before they will again easily beat Pacos de Ferreira. By August 17th when Benfica has won both their official games, gained confidence and consistency, I suspect all the panic online and in the media will have subsided and everyone will be back on the Benfica "campeao voltou" train. All is well at Benfica. No reason to worry at all.
Friday, 1 August 2014
No reason to worry
The media and blogosphere are stirring up fear around Benfica. The pre-season games where 20-22 players are sampled by JJ each time are not revealing when you look at the result only. I would rather Benfica lose every pre-season game than win them. A loss in the pre-season helps the coach drive home his methods and processes more effectively. It will create a spirit of urgency and seriousness in the training sessions.
I for one, as a Benfica fan am not worried at all by these results. The analysis of them reveals to me that the club signed some very good players. We already know the value of the coach and how well he will work this team and get the best out of the talent he has. With respect to the panic about the exits of a few players, I do not share such panic. Lets look at the players lost and how they were replaced. All the rest are known quantities, from the coach, to the remaining talent, to the style of play and tactics.
Oblak - hard to replace yes. He was surely exceptional. But the loss of Oblak does not mean the end of the word. Sevilla didn't need Oblak to win the Europa League. Benfica didnt need Oblak to win all its 32 other titles. I agree we need to sign a good starting keeper and we will. Its the cheapest position in terms of what will need to be spent in order to bring in a good starter.
Siqueira - a very good but injury prone left back. Was he worth paying $2.2 million in net salary to keep ?? No. The President did the right thing in letting him go. Before he came to Benfica he was an average starter in the Spanish Liga. He didn't regularly play for his national team. He didn't play for one of the big teams in Spain. Now all of a sudden Benfica fans make it seem like he was a God. He wasn't. He was a good player. Remember he was the second choice to Eliseu who arguably has enjoyed the same stature and level of play in La Liga as Siqueira did. Is Eliseu a long term solution ? No. He is 30. But he will do for this year. Benito is the long term solution and is showing much already. He will only improve. All the times Andre Almeida was asked to play that position he played just fine too. I am not worried at all about this position.
Fejsa - this injury hurts the team a lot. This too is not the end of the world. He will be back in January. Andre Almeida can play this position well. So can Amorim. I think the choice should be tailored to the opponent and thus replaced by committee. Joao Teixiera has shown a lot of promise and will only improve further as a backup. If needed Eliseu could also play this position. This position is largely tactical as well.
Markovic - He was a great player who at the end of the season divided the position with Salvio. We still have Salvio. We also have Ola John back who is playing well. We also have Bebe who with work can become a dominant player at that position. Yes they are different in characteristics but in JJ's system the role requires speed and explosiveness which all of them have. I don't think its the end of the world that he is gone. Lets not forget that every 1 in 3 games Markovic would disappear. Nobody can tell me that each of the available options will not have success in the 1 on 1 situations on the wing, and stretching the opposing defence and in crossing for many goals.
Garay - another very good player who had a great season. Replaced by Lisandro Lopez who was one of the best central defenders in the Spanish League last year. I watched many of Lopez' games last season and am confident he will make Benfica fans forget Garay very quickly. I think the position remains as strong.
Rodrigo - a good player who has never given playing time until Cardozo got hurt. Yes he scored a beautiful goal against Porto. But the team was far from dependant on Rodrigo. Derley had 8 more goals than he did last season and Derley had a weaker supporting cast. Rodrigo began to perform better when he adjusted properly to the system JJ has in place. Derley has the same physical attributes, same speed and there is no reason to believe he won't learn the system. He definitely has shown an ability to score more goals than Rodrigo did. I continue to emphasize that Bebe should be tried as a replacement at this position as well.
If Gaitan or Enzo leave then the money they bring in will surely guarantee that ample replacements arrive. Neither of these players are Gods or untouchable They are players that know the system JJ played very well and are a strong fit with the team. I want them to stay and I think they will.
As for the rest of the depth in the team, I think Talisca is a player who shows a lot of ability and has great size. Derley is a proven forward who can score, he has great speed, works very hard and runs more than anyone else on the team when he plays. Bebe will be a great addition to the bench who I would like to see tested out playing upfront with Lima. I think those two would combine very well and be havoc for defenders.
If I had to pick a slogan to describe the State of the Nation Benfiquista it would be this : All is well. We will have a very very strong team once again. We will compete with Porto for the title and have no reason not to finish in the top two spots in our Champions League group no mater who is in it. We will be seeded as the top seed this year so will have one very strong team and two other teams that we will be clearly stronger than.
Benfica suporters have to calm down and look at things the way they are and not based on pre-season meaningless scores or headlines in sport journals meant to inspire dissension in the ranks. There is a great abundance of talent on this team. The coach is very capable. Benfica will crush their opposition when it counts !
I for one, as a Benfica fan am not worried at all by these results. The analysis of them reveals to me that the club signed some very good players. We already know the value of the coach and how well he will work this team and get the best out of the talent he has. With respect to the panic about the exits of a few players, I do not share such panic. Lets look at the players lost and how they were replaced. All the rest are known quantities, from the coach, to the remaining talent, to the style of play and tactics.
Oblak - hard to replace yes. He was surely exceptional. But the loss of Oblak does not mean the end of the word. Sevilla didn't need Oblak to win the Europa League. Benfica didnt need Oblak to win all its 32 other titles. I agree we need to sign a good starting keeper and we will. Its the cheapest position in terms of what will need to be spent in order to bring in a good starter.
Siqueira - a very good but injury prone left back. Was he worth paying $2.2 million in net salary to keep ?? No. The President did the right thing in letting him go. Before he came to Benfica he was an average starter in the Spanish Liga. He didn't regularly play for his national team. He didn't play for one of the big teams in Spain. Now all of a sudden Benfica fans make it seem like he was a God. He wasn't. He was a good player. Remember he was the second choice to Eliseu who arguably has enjoyed the same stature and level of play in La Liga as Siqueira did. Is Eliseu a long term solution ? No. He is 30. But he will do for this year. Benito is the long term solution and is showing much already. He will only improve. All the times Andre Almeida was asked to play that position he played just fine too. I am not worried at all about this position.
Fejsa - this injury hurts the team a lot. This too is not the end of the world. He will be back in January. Andre Almeida can play this position well. So can Amorim. I think the choice should be tailored to the opponent and thus replaced by committee. Joao Teixiera has shown a lot of promise and will only improve further as a backup. If needed Eliseu could also play this position. This position is largely tactical as well.
Markovic - He was a great player who at the end of the season divided the position with Salvio. We still have Salvio. We also have Ola John back who is playing well. We also have Bebe who with work can become a dominant player at that position. Yes they are different in characteristics but in JJ's system the role requires speed and explosiveness which all of them have. I don't think its the end of the world that he is gone. Lets not forget that every 1 in 3 games Markovic would disappear. Nobody can tell me that each of the available options will not have success in the 1 on 1 situations on the wing, and stretching the opposing defence and in crossing for many goals.
Garay - another very good player who had a great season. Replaced by Lisandro Lopez who was one of the best central defenders in the Spanish League last year. I watched many of Lopez' games last season and am confident he will make Benfica fans forget Garay very quickly. I think the position remains as strong.
Rodrigo - a good player who has never given playing time until Cardozo got hurt. Yes he scored a beautiful goal against Porto. But the team was far from dependant on Rodrigo. Derley had 8 more goals than he did last season and Derley had a weaker supporting cast. Rodrigo began to perform better when he adjusted properly to the system JJ has in place. Derley has the same physical attributes, same speed and there is no reason to believe he won't learn the system. He definitely has shown an ability to score more goals than Rodrigo did. I continue to emphasize that Bebe should be tried as a replacement at this position as well.
If Gaitan or Enzo leave then the money they bring in will surely guarantee that ample replacements arrive. Neither of these players are Gods or untouchable They are players that know the system JJ played very well and are a strong fit with the team. I want them to stay and I think they will.
As for the rest of the depth in the team, I think Talisca is a player who shows a lot of ability and has great size. Derley is a proven forward who can score, he has great speed, works very hard and runs more than anyone else on the team when he plays. Bebe will be a great addition to the bench who I would like to see tested out playing upfront with Lima. I think those two would combine very well and be havoc for defenders.
If I had to pick a slogan to describe the State of the Nation Benfiquista it would be this : All is well. We will have a very very strong team once again. We will compete with Porto for the title and have no reason not to finish in the top two spots in our Champions League group no mater who is in it. We will be seeded as the top seed this year so will have one very strong team and two other teams that we will be clearly stronger than.
Benfica suporters have to calm down and look at things the way they are and not based on pre-season meaningless scores or headlines in sport journals meant to inspire dissension in the ranks. There is a great abundance of talent on this team. The coach is very capable. Benfica will crush their opposition when it counts !
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