One more round behind us and another 3 points in the bag. Perhaps leaving this post like this and forgetting about the game would be ideal, as tonight's performance was one to be quickly forgotten. You may think I'm an ingrate or too demanding, but with the quality Benfica possesses and what they are capable of, you can't be happy with tonight's performance. Yes, it was a win and we continue to keep pace with the leaders, but when the team reveals the apathy and the lackadaisical attitude they showed tonight, it bothers me.
Quique repeated the same tactical formation from the Portuguese Cup, the diamond 4-4-2(4-1-2-1-2), with Katsouranis on the bottom of the diamond, Martins and Yebda on the sides, and Aimar up top. Up front it was Nuno Gomes supporting Suazo.
All week there was talk of this new tactical disposition, and questions were raised on whether Quique would go back to it, or if the diamond 4-4-2 was an experiment that could only be done because of the weakness of the opponent in the Portuguese Cup.
I gave the the two formations some thought and despite the diamond 4-4-2 being a more dynamic and attacking formation, i anticipated the team to come out in the classic 4-4-2. After all, Reyes was back, and it was hard to imagine that Quique would fore go using Reyes, as the diamond 4-4-2 is not the ideal formation for a winger.
Time and time again Quique has gone with a different logic, and sure enough, the Spaniard was relegated to the bench. I don't know if it was a deliberate move or if Quique was protecting Reyes. You may have noticed that the Spaniard had, what it look like, a cast on his left hand. He made a deliberate effort to keep it hidden under his long sleeves and i noticed him protecting that hand from a fall on one occasion. Perhaps that will be revealed during the week.
On to the game....
An incredibly boring first 45 minutes, with no real chances for either part. Benfica played at a scrimmage rhythm and the many wrong passes coming from the midfield didn't help the situation either.
In the second half, the team seemed to respond to Quique's half time words and looked to give more speed to the game. It was during the initial 10 minutes of the second half, that Benfica played their best, reaching the lone goal in the 50th minute. Sidnei, who is now the team's second best scorer, behind Cardozo, got a ball from Nuno Gomes at the edge of the box and drilled a low shot towards the right corner. It was the obvious result to the increased speed of play, but after that Benfica threw it back in first and brought back some more of what we had seen in the first half.
Cardozo, Reyes and Binya also got minutes, but not even their presence changed the slow, monotonous game Benfica played tonight.
Individually
Quim - 6 (not much work)
Maxi - 7
Luisao - 6
Sidnei - 7
Ribeiro - 7
Katsouranis - 7
Yebda - 7
Martins - 5
Aimar - 7
Nuno Gomes - 7
Suazo - 7
Reyes - 6
Cardozo - 6
Binya - 6
For one thing, as long as the team keeps winning the pressure and criticism will remain to stay off, but a team like Benfica, with the talent that they have, should be able to present themselves at a better level. Martins seems to be in a downward spiral; after showing himself at a good level in the beginning of the season, his relegation to the bench seems to have affected him, and he was by far one of the players well below their capabilities.
This week the team will now lose several players to international duty, but will enter a crucial stage of the season, with games against Academica and Setubal with a midweek clash in Greece in between, to determine Benfica's future in the UEFA Cup.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Benfica 1 - Estrela da Amadora 0 - Snorefest
Benfica - Estrela da Amadora Preview
Benfica will meet Estrela da Amadora in the 8th round of the Liga Sagres. Estrela who is currently 8th in the Liga Sagres has been going through financial hardship, as the players have not yet seen a paycheck this season. The players have threatened to strike, and have already gone forward with a formal forewarning to the league. Nonetheless, the financial crisis currently being lived by Estrela should not have any effects on this game.
It's easy to assume that the players will not have the correct motivation and will not put forth their best effort. But this won't be the case as the players will do everything possible to show their professionalism, in order to strenghten their cause. For Benfica, it's a must win game, as they will need to keep pace with leaders Leixoes, who defeated Sporting last night and continue to impress everyone.
Here's Quique's game roster list:
Keepers: Quim and Moreira;
Defenders: Luisão, Maxi Pereira, David Luiz, Jorge Ribeiro and Sidnei;
Midfielders: Reyes, Katsouranis, Aimar, Fellipe Bastos, Balboa, Binya, Carlos Martins and Yebda;
Forwards: Cardozo, Nuno Gomes and Suazo.
It's the official return of David Luiz to the Liga Sagres. After making his team debut in the Portuguese Cup, Luiz has made his first regular season game roster, relegating Miguel Vitor to a third line choice. Leo is currently in Brazil attending to his ill father, and will also not be part of Quique's choices. In the midfield, Reyes returns after serving a 1 game suspension, Fellipe Bastos and Balboa also made the list. Amorim and DiMaria are both fighting injuries and are not available for this match. Up Front, Benfica's usual attacking trio.
Despite showing a different tactical disposition against Aves(4-1-2-1-2), Quique should go back to his usual classic 4-4-2.
The starting 11 should go something like this - Quim in goal, back four untouched - Maxi, Luisao, Sidnei and Ribeiro. in the midfield Katsouranis and Yebda will most likely be in the middle, while Martins and Reyes will be on the flanks, with Martins playing in a more interior position of the right side. Aimar should support Suazo.
I don't see Quique changing the formation to what we saw against Aves, but I wouldn't dismiss it altogether. Time and again Quique has surprised with his choices, a change in formation would not be too far fetched.
All games are important and this one should be no exception. The needs to keep pace with Leixoes, the distance to porto and increase separation from Sporting are all important, but not more important than to continue to build on what the team as done so far, with consistency and visible growth.
There were tons of statistics being put out by the media this past week about Benfica's current position on the table and point tally. Many of them associating this season's early success with past season's championships.
It's an interesting fact the relation that these statiscs hold and their correlation to championships, but in my opinion, it is much too early. Yes, there is a clear tendency for a particular end result(championship), when there's similar success this early in the season, but , may i remind you, that championships are won with consistency and uniformity throughout the season.
Not only will Benfica need a successful beginning of the season, they will also need a successful middle and end, in order to hoist their 32nd domestic title. There's still a long way to go, and right now every Benfiquista should be happy with what the team has done so far, but they should control any tendencies to enter an euphoric state this early. One win at the time, and self dependency is what Benfica needs, and that will see us through.
Post Scriptum
Benfica has prohibited any Lusa Agency reporters from entering Benfica's stadium and club instalations. This is all because Lusa(Portuguese News Agency), published the bonus values of Benfica's administrators for last season. Don't be too surprised to read extremely biased reports in the papers and on the internet after today's game, also for the remainder of the season.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Cups drawing results
This past week Benfica found out who their opponents will be in the League Cup and Portuguese Cup. In the Portuguese Cup, it'll be current Liga Sagres leader Leixoes, in a match that will take place on the 14th of December at Estadio do Mar. In the League Cup, also known as Carlsberg Cup, Benfica will be paired up with Olhanense, Belenenses and Guimaraes.
After defeating Desportivo das Aves and moving on to the round of 16, Benfica will now face harder competition in Leixoes. Benfica, who up until this point, had played all of their Portuguese Cup games at home will now have to travel to northern Portugal to face Leixoes at Estadio do Mar. It'll be the second time Benfica will play at Estadio do Mar this season, the first time took place back on the 5th round when Benfica let a win slip between their fingers in the 88th minute.
Here are the rest of the Portuguese Cup pairings:
(Torre Moncorvo / V. Setúbal) - Vitória de Guimarães (L)
Atlético de Valdevez (II) - (Santa Clara/Lusitano/Fiães/Freamunde/U. Madeira)
Estrela da Amadora (L) - Olivais e Moscavide (II)
Paços de Ferreira (L) - Vizela (LH)
Cinfães (III) - FC Porto (L)
Trofense (L) - Nacional (L)
Naval 1º Maio (L) - Portimonense (LH)
There's still a couple of pairings to be decided by preliminary games.
In the second edition of the Carlsberg Cup, the League decided to change the format of the competition and will now have a group stage in their 3rd round, the round where the Liga Sagres top teams enter the competition. The league has decided to split up the field into 3 groups of 4 teams each. Each team will face the other team in their group only once and the top two teams of these groups will then advance to the final stages of the competition, where the round robin format will apply.
Benfica drew, Guimaraes, Belenenses and Olhanense, a team from Portugal's 2nd flight division(liga Vitalis), and will be part of Group C.
Here are the fixtures:
@ V. Guimarães 1/7/09
Vs Olhanense 1/14/09
Vs Belenenses 1/18/09
The Carlsberg Cup is one of Benfica's objectives this year, and will be taking very seriously by the team and its technical staff.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Benfica 2 - Belenenses 1 - Liga Intercalar
Benfica got their consecutive win in the Liga Intercalar. All 8 players from the main squad started the game. Yartey and Makukula were the goal scorers.
Benfica is now tied for 2nd, 3 points behind leaders Mafra and their next game will be against Sporting.
Video Report
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Benfica News 11/11/08
Benfica announced today that DiMaria will be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time as he was diagnosed with a small tear in his peroneal nerve. DiMaria apparently suffered this injury in the game against Galatasaray. Benfica's clinical bulletin does not project a return date, but have announced the player will not be available in the next couple weeks.
Benfica will play Belenenses for the Liga Intercalar at Seixal Wednesday, and Quique has made 8 players available for Diamantino, who will be in charge of the team. These players are: Moretto, Zoro, Miguel Vítor, Fellipe Bastos, Balboa, Urreta, Makukula and Mantorras. I'm sure all of these players will be in the starting line up tomorrow.
Benfica's next opponent, Estrela da Amadora, is going through a serious financial crisis, most of the players have not yet collected a check since the beginning of the season and a few others have not been paid since April. The players have given the club another day to come up with a solution for the situation.
Although a player strike has been equated by the team in order to bring about a response from the club's directive, the strike will not take place against Benfica as the formal warning needs to be forwarded to the league 8 days in advance, so the team will be on the field this coming weekend against Benfica.
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Type rest of the post here
