This match was played only 24 hours after the match against FC Sion. The players for Benfica were clearly exhausted and several of the World Cup players are still not in top shape as they joined training late.
Noteworthy was Talisca - his worst game so far. His passing was off and he made several dangerous turnovers. Its common for Brazilian players to make such mistakes when they come to europe. Bilbao has been training for a month already and played typical european football of pressing deep in the zone of construction. Brazilian players aren't used to such advanced levels of strategic play so this should have been a good learning experience for him.
Bernardo Silva once again showed his total lack of quality. Cesar played poorly as well. Its hard to take conclusions from a team who played 24 hours ago. But not a good game, and also not disastrous. Bilbao took advantage of their opportunities and didn't make a sub until well after the 70th minute.
The next match will be more revealing as it is against top competition and will feature the likely starters minus those who are still injured. Lets bear in mind that Benfca has played the entire preseason without their two starting central defenders and their starting defensive midfielder Fejsa.
Subscribe to this blog :)
Posts
All Comments
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Post game analysis: after Sion
Todays victory showed Benfica continue to progress. The players are learning the defensive and attacking processes very well and this is promising. It was nice to see Maxi get into such good form so quickly.
Defense: Eliseu played much better than he did against Ajax. It is looking like he should start at left defence but Benito will be a solid backup. The central defenders performed amply but it was against fragile opponent and thus not a real test. In any event, its unlikely Sidnei will remain on the team anyways and Cesar will be a backup to Luisao and Lisandro. On the right side Benfica had solid play from both Maxi and Joao Cancelo - who switched to the left side late in the game.
Defence is shaping up to look like this: Maxi, Luisao, Lisandro, Eliseu. Backups - Cancelo, Benito, Jardel, Cesar.
Midfield: Excellent play there again today. Another underpeformance from Salvio, but a marked improvement for Bebe who showed good speed, presence and playmaking ability. I wonder if JJ may consider playing him upfront beside Lima given the underperformance of Lima and the uselessness of Cardozo. Joao Teixeira continues to show maturity above his years. He continues to struggle with his finishing despite the goal that he required to tries at to score. Andre Almeida and Ruben Amorim showed the quality we are used to despite still finding their physical form. Ola John again played well but could have played better. His decision making needs to improve or the risks he takes could backfire against better opposition. Talisca continues to progress and will be a viable alternative to Enzo. Midfield should look like this:
Salvio, Andre Almeida, Enzo Perez, Gaitan. Backups: Bebe, Ola John, Joao Teixeira, Ruben Amorim, Talisca, Pizzi.
Attack: Though he has not yet scored, Lima is still in form and will start. Derley, while showing flashes of raw skill is not looking like a clear choice to play alongside him yet. He missed two glaring header opportunities today. And they were situations where a forward must finish. Nothing to do with fitness, knowing the system, etc. Clear scoring opportunities. Missed. Nelson Oliveira is showing why he failed to impress and earn playing time at: Benfica, Deportivo (Spain), Rennes (France) and now back on Benfica again. He just isn't good enough. He reminds me of Miguel Rosa and Bernardo Silva - two players which Benfica fans hype up without merit just because they are portuguese and formed in Benfica's youth squads. Sure Miguel Rosa looked decent playing for the B team in the second division. But if you listened to the Benfica fans that blindly cheer for any young portuguese player, you would think he was the next Figo. He isn't. He is rotting away fighting for playing time at terrible Belenenses. He will never be a big player and never play on a big team. My position is that Bernardo Silva is the exact same. And its looking more and more like Nelson Oliveira belongs in that category also. He showed nothing against this weak Sion side. How many more opportunities must he have? He needs to be cut.. That leaves a problem because Cardozo is increasingly revealing how useless he has become. Derley is failing to live up to his promise thus far, though his speed and good passing will still make him very useful upfront alongside Lima even if his finishing remains weak. Jara may be in the hunt for a spot but Jara starting is not how you attack a Championship Title. This is why I earlier suggested JJ may want to try playing Bebe upfront alongside with Lima to see what results
The starters at this point look like: Lima and Derley. Backups should be: Cardozo, Victor Andrade, *Bebe. Though I think Cardozo should be sold and with that money a forward should be acquired to replace him.
Tomorrow's game will be against Bilbao but due to the sequence of games yesterday and today as well as on Aug 2 and 3rd, players will play based more on saving the better players for the tournament in England. So it will be less introspective than todays match. That said, the team is showing a marked improvement and with Enzo added this week should be firing on all cylinders for the Supercup.
Defense: Eliseu played much better than he did against Ajax. It is looking like he should start at left defence but Benito will be a solid backup. The central defenders performed amply but it was against fragile opponent and thus not a real test. In any event, its unlikely Sidnei will remain on the team anyways and Cesar will be a backup to Luisao and Lisandro. On the right side Benfica had solid play from both Maxi and Joao Cancelo - who switched to the left side late in the game.
Defence is shaping up to look like this: Maxi, Luisao, Lisandro, Eliseu. Backups - Cancelo, Benito, Jardel, Cesar.
Midfield: Excellent play there again today. Another underpeformance from Salvio, but a marked improvement for Bebe who showed good speed, presence and playmaking ability. I wonder if JJ may consider playing him upfront beside Lima given the underperformance of Lima and the uselessness of Cardozo. Joao Teixeira continues to show maturity above his years. He continues to struggle with his finishing despite the goal that he required to tries at to score. Andre Almeida and Ruben Amorim showed the quality we are used to despite still finding their physical form. Ola John again played well but could have played better. His decision making needs to improve or the risks he takes could backfire against better opposition. Talisca continues to progress and will be a viable alternative to Enzo. Midfield should look like this:
Salvio, Andre Almeida, Enzo Perez, Gaitan. Backups: Bebe, Ola John, Joao Teixeira, Ruben Amorim, Talisca, Pizzi.
Attack: Though he has not yet scored, Lima is still in form and will start. Derley, while showing flashes of raw skill is not looking like a clear choice to play alongside him yet. He missed two glaring header opportunities today. And they were situations where a forward must finish. Nothing to do with fitness, knowing the system, etc. Clear scoring opportunities. Missed. Nelson Oliveira is showing why he failed to impress and earn playing time at: Benfica, Deportivo (Spain), Rennes (France) and now back on Benfica again. He just isn't good enough. He reminds me of Miguel Rosa and Bernardo Silva - two players which Benfica fans hype up without merit just because they are portuguese and formed in Benfica's youth squads. Sure Miguel Rosa looked decent playing for the B team in the second division. But if you listened to the Benfica fans that blindly cheer for any young portuguese player, you would think he was the next Figo. He isn't. He is rotting away fighting for playing time at terrible Belenenses. He will never be a big player and never play on a big team. My position is that Bernardo Silva is the exact same. And its looking more and more like Nelson Oliveira belongs in that category also. He showed nothing against this weak Sion side. How many more opportunities must he have? He needs to be cut.. That leaves a problem because Cardozo is increasingly revealing how useless he has become. Derley is failing to live up to his promise thus far, though his speed and good passing will still make him very useful upfront alongside Lima even if his finishing remains weak. Jara may be in the hunt for a spot but Jara starting is not how you attack a Championship Title. This is why I earlier suggested JJ may want to try playing Bebe upfront alongside with Lima to see what results
The starters at this point look like: Lima and Derley. Backups should be: Cardozo, Victor Andrade, *Bebe. Though I think Cardozo should be sold and with that money a forward should be acquired to replace him.
Tomorrow's game will be against Bilbao but due to the sequence of games yesterday and today as well as on Aug 2 and 3rd, players will play based more on saving the better players for the tournament in England. So it will be less introspective than todays match. That said, the team is showing a marked improvement and with Enzo added this week should be firing on all cylinders for the Supercup.
Saturday, 26 July 2014
Impressions from the Eusebio Cup
Today I attended at Estadio da Luz to watch Benfica do battle with Ajax. As such, having attended all their preseason matches I will provide an updated progress report here on the preseason.
From the outset I will deal with the two signings this week Bebe and Eliseu. To call the "reforcos" may be a bit of a stretch. Having seen them play last season I don't know that they are any better than the option we already have at those respective positions. Bebe may have potential to improve while Eliseu is a veteran and maybe has one good year left in him. The timing may have been good for Eliseu as Benito had his worst preseason match this far. That said, Eliseu did not look good at all. Neither did Bebe. But it is too early to pass judgement as they have only trained with the squad for two days. Even the next game they play won't be enough to pass a definitive judgement on them . By the end of the tournament in England in the next few days we should have a better idea.
Now as for the rest of the players:
Salvio - struggled some, should have performed better with Maxi as those two have played together on the same wing for years.
Derley - he shows flashes of natural talent but he still hasn't learned the system and the movements to perfection. I think he can perform better with more time under JJ's tutelage.
Cesar - his worst game so far.
Sidnei - played better than last game..
Joao Cancelo - its becoming clear that he should be the backup to Maxi and stay on the "A" squad.
Andre Almeida - had some good plays and some mess-ups. Just got back this week. We know his quality and multi-positional utility.
Ruben Amorim - solid.
Talisca - this kid can play. Again showing he is a workhorse, showed some great technical ability on a few plays. Continues to learn the system more and more. An excellent signing.
Ola John - played well again. He will likely be the third selection for wing but is definitely working hard to become one of the starting two.
Jara - definitely played hard. Miserable penalty attempt. Today he played better than Derley but I'm still doubtful he will remain on the squad though JJ is giving him opportunities.
Overall, the team played well. Had some sloppy breakdowns but these will be corrected with more training and correction from the coach. The new talent has brought some very good quality in Talisca, Cancelo, Benito, and Joao Texeira. I think these 4 will stay. The return of Ola John is very positive. We get Enzo back this week and what I expect to be the two starting defenders : Luisao and Lisandro Lopez have not yet touched the field in a game. I still question the utility of signing Bebe and Eliseu not because of their weak performances today, but because they don't really enhance the quality of the team at any position. Would the money spent on them not have been better spent retaining Siqueira ? Investing it in Guilavogui ? These are questions that remained unanswered for now. Given the quality we know Djavan has was it really wise to sign Eliseu, an older player we will never be able to sell and recover the investment on ? The answer will depend on how he performs.
As an assessment of the continued progress of the new players I think we can be happy Cesar and Benito though they need more improvement; Cancelo and Teixeira as well I think will be good additions. Talisca was an excellent signing. The return of Ola John is also positive.
As for the remaining players, our midfield is essentially the same as last year with Ruben, Enzo, Gaitan, Salvio, Almeida and now with Talisca added. Very strong. Fejsa returns in january to make it even stronger and Teixeira is a good addition of young blood to that group.
The defence will be as strong. Lisandro Lopez played as well last season in Spain as Garay did for us. Still have Luisao and Maxi. Benito/Eliseu and possibly Silvio leaves our defence strong as well.
And for the attack we still have many dangerous players like Lima, Derley, maybe Oliveira, and the prodigy child who will only grow and grow, Victor Andrade.
And of course there are many other names that could reinforce this list too but thats the basic quick summary
CARREGA BENFICA !
From the outset I will deal with the two signings this week Bebe and Eliseu. To call the "reforcos" may be a bit of a stretch. Having seen them play last season I don't know that they are any better than the option we already have at those respective positions. Bebe may have potential to improve while Eliseu is a veteran and maybe has one good year left in him. The timing may have been good for Eliseu as Benito had his worst preseason match this far. That said, Eliseu did not look good at all. Neither did Bebe. But it is too early to pass judgement as they have only trained with the squad for two days. Even the next game they play won't be enough to pass a definitive judgement on them . By the end of the tournament in England in the next few days we should have a better idea.
Now as for the rest of the players:
Salvio - struggled some, should have performed better with Maxi as those two have played together on the same wing for years.
Derley - he shows flashes of natural talent but he still hasn't learned the system and the movements to perfection. I think he can perform better with more time under JJ's tutelage.
Cesar - his worst game so far.
Sidnei - played better than last game..
Joao Cancelo - its becoming clear that he should be the backup to Maxi and stay on the "A" squad.
Andre Almeida - had some good plays and some mess-ups. Just got back this week. We know his quality and multi-positional utility.
Ruben Amorim - solid.
Talisca - this kid can play. Again showing he is a workhorse, showed some great technical ability on a few plays. Continues to learn the system more and more. An excellent signing.
Ola John - played well again. He will likely be the third selection for wing but is definitely working hard to become one of the starting two.
Jara - definitely played hard. Miserable penalty attempt. Today he played better than Derley but I'm still doubtful he will remain on the squad though JJ is giving him opportunities.
Overall, the team played well. Had some sloppy breakdowns but these will be corrected with more training and correction from the coach. The new talent has brought some very good quality in Talisca, Cancelo, Benito, and Joao Texeira. I think these 4 will stay. The return of Ola John is very positive. We get Enzo back this week and what I expect to be the two starting defenders : Luisao and Lisandro Lopez have not yet touched the field in a game. I still question the utility of signing Bebe and Eliseu not because of their weak performances today, but because they don't really enhance the quality of the team at any position. Would the money spent on them not have been better spent retaining Siqueira ? Investing it in Guilavogui ? These are questions that remained unanswered for now. Given the quality we know Djavan has was it really wise to sign Eliseu, an older player we will never be able to sell and recover the investment on ? The answer will depend on how he performs.
As an assessment of the continued progress of the new players I think we can be happy Cesar and Benito though they need more improvement; Cancelo and Teixeira as well I think will be good additions. Talisca was an excellent signing. The return of Ola John is also positive.
As for the remaining players, our midfield is essentially the same as last year with Ruben, Enzo, Gaitan, Salvio, Almeida and now with Talisca added. Very strong. Fejsa returns in january to make it even stronger and Teixeira is a good addition of young blood to that group.
The defence will be as strong. Lisandro Lopez played as well last season in Spain as Garay did for us. Still have Luisao and Maxi. Benito/Eliseu and possibly Silvio leaves our defence strong as well.
And for the attack we still have many dangerous players like Lima, Derley, maybe Oliveira, and the prodigy child who will only grow and grow, Victor Andrade.
And of course there are many other names that could reinforce this list too but thats the basic quick summary
CARREGA BENFICA !
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
What we learned from the Marseille game
After watching this game, I am excited as Benfica supporter for several reasons. First, a quick glance of some key points I took from this game:
1. The new players are learning the system, routines and methods the coach wants them to.
2. Joao Cancelo and Joao Teixeira should stay on the "A" team.
3. Artur is not even good enough to be the backup for this team.
4. Cesar, Benito and Talisca were very smart signings.
Starting from Goal, Artur is just awful. He is way overpaid at 700k euros and is a liability all the time. I would rather see him leave the team than stay in a backup role. He is terrible. It looks certain that Argentine starting keeper Romero will join the club this week.
In defence. Sidnei reinforced how awful he is. He needs to leave town. Cesar once again impressed. Very solid signing. I think JJ needs to let him and Lisandro Lopez rotate in a 3 some with Luisao all season to prevent the fatigue we saw at the end of last season. At right back, Joao Cancelo again showed his natural talent. He still has a lot to learn tactically and mature in his decision making. But the kid belongs on the "A" team and should be the backup to Maxi along with Andre Almeida. At left back, Benito had another solid showing. He too will improve with the pre-season and he will gain the little bit more tactical discipline he needs. He will compete with Eliseu for starting job but is a very capable backup in the worst of scenarios.
In midfield, Rubem Amorim helped reinforce my urging of other benfiquistas to have calm because we still have much talent and he is one of them. After just two days of training after vacation he showed quality, maturity and vision as he always does. Joao Teixeira showed quality once again. I think he should stay on the "A" team at least until Fejsa gets back. He is too goof to go back to the B team. This kid is the real deal. Talisca once again showed technical quality and his decision making was again noteworthy. Solid performance. Gaitan is, well Gaitan. Enough said. As for Ola John, he still has issues with positioning sometimes but I think JJ will work that out of him. He will probably be the number three winger behind Gaitan and Salvio but if he needs to start he can. Jara showed some decent plays in the brief time on the wing that he played. Candeias is a player we know has quality from watching him at Nacional, but he is showing poor form. At this stage he may need to step up or risk being loaned this season. Pizzi and Sulejmani are both hurt and both better than him. The winder position will crowd him out of any playing time unless he improves dramatically. My contacts with lawyer David Dasilva indicate that more big signings may be forthcoming .
At Forward, Derley and Lima will definitely be the starters. I don't think we lose quality substituting Rodrigo with Derley. Yes Rodrigo scored a great goal against Porto last year but lets be realistic he only scored 10 goals all year for the starting forward of Benfica. Derley scored on Maritimo. Derley is just as fast, quick footed, and possessing the killer instinct. We will be fine with him and Lima upfront. Cardozo once again was totally useless. I hope the club can sell him and get something for him. Nelso Oliveira showed one good play but he had the misfortune of having to ajust position after Jara's red card.
As for Victor Andrade and his debut, you can see as soon as he touches the ball that he is a natural with very high quality. Of course he comes from Brazil where the tactical quality and positioning is the worst in the world so he will need to learn how tight marking and fast closing spaces are to be approached in europe. He needs to stay on the team and be worked every day by JJ. He is gonna be a gem !
Bernardo Silva - as I keep stating, he does not have the quality to play on the "A" team. Just like everyone rooted for Miguel Rosa when he was on the B team, this guy is not the real deal. Benfica fans get over sentimental sometimes and see things with their heart rather than their eyes. This guy has no place on the A team. He is very small. When players are that small they must compensate for that with EXCEPTIONAL talent. He is a good talent, but far from exceptional. I think Benfica should stop wasting time with this player and loan him out to Belenenses or something.
FC Porto: big signings for big holes
There has been much ado about the big name signings FC Porto has made this offseason. And without a doubt they are quality players. But lets not forget, theirs is a team that had a very big lack of talent. And with the departures of Fernando and Mangala that made the hole even bigger. Those were two of the 3 quality players on the team ( Quaresma being the third). So yes Martins Indi is good and so is Brahimi but are they as good as the players they replace ? I think not. At best they are as good. Then they signed Adrian but lets be realistic, they will lose Jackson before the transfer window closes.
Overall they will be a stronger side than last year. They got some good new blood, a new coach, new system, Herrera is probably invigorated with his excellent World Cup performance. At the end of the day they had a terrible season last year and probably did a bit worse than they should have. I don't think that the changes they made thus far will be enough to make up the sizeable point difference between them and Benfica. I think Porto will probably make it out of their group in the Champions League and finish second in the league based on the transfer moves thus far.
Overall they will be a stronger side than last year. They got some good new blood, a new coach, new system, Herrera is probably invigorated with his excellent World Cup performance. At the end of the day they had a terrible season last year and probably did a bit worse than they should have. I don't think that the changes they made thus far will be enough to make up the sizeable point difference between them and Benfica. I think Porto will probably make it out of their group in the Champions League and finish second in the league based on the transfer moves thus far.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)