The Portugeezer : Benfica

Broken promises and 'the curious case of Quim' among Benfica's problems

Sergio Santos — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:23:00 GMT

Before the Portuguese Cup last 16 match against Braga, Benfica manager Jorge Jesus ran the rule over the club’s dismal season. The Eagles currently trail FC Porto by eight points and had to count on Olympique Lyon coming back to hold Hapoel Tel-Aviv last Wednesday evening to ensure the completion of their shaky path to the Europa League. But even if everyone at the club says that the two cups are pretty much in there to be won, internally they should already be planning for next season.

After heavy defeats at the hands of Porto and Hapoel, it seems clear the team is already light years behind their 2009/10 vintage, and serious improvements are required in order for Benfica to reach those performance levels again.

With that in mind, here are the five biggest mistakes they have made since the back-end of last season, all of which they cannot afford to repeat:

1. Keeping unhappy players

David Luiz is not even half the player he was last season. Whether this is because he feels he has already achieved everything he possibly can at the club or because he is still sulking having not been allowed a transfer over the summer we just don‘t know. But the truth is the curly-haired Brazilian defender has been at fault many times this season and has regularly seen criticism land on his doorstep.

Given he was previously such a defensive lynchpin, such a spectacular dip in form clearly doesn’t bode well for Benfica. The only silver lining could be that Brazilian manager Mano Menezes has kept the faith in him, which may act to convince Manchester City that the defender is still worth splashing out a reported €30 million on. At the moment, that would be one helluva’ deal…

David Luiz's form this season has stunk...

2. Selling the most consistent stars

When it comes to departures from Estádio de Luz, Angel Di Maria and Ramires naturally hog the spotlight, but there was also the rather curious case of goalkeeping stalwart Quim.

The veteran had been at the club for some years and was an important figure in the locker room. Like him or loathe him, he was a part of a very reliable backline that conceded just 20 goals in the league last season and the only thing Benfica had to do was to renew his contract. Yet, they allowed it to expire and signed Roberto for €8.5 million. And we all know how well the Spaniard started the season…

3. Making promises they couldn’t keep

After all the euphoria of last season‘s successes, Benfica set their sights on even greater things this term. That included becoming back-to-back championships and producing a strong showing in the Champions League – Jesus would even say at one point that the club was a contender for the competition.

The ice started to crack though when rivals Porto – then underdogs – dominated them at Aveiro in the Super Cup. Unlike the Dragons, Benfica don’t have that knack of winning competitions for several years in a succession, and that early season loss quite possibly represented a psychological blow from which they would fail to recover.

Subsiquently, the Eagles have suffered nine losses in 22 official matches, too many for a club with such high expectations. In hindsight, promising a competitive team in the Champions League was perhaps a tad amateurish.

"I promise we won't lose 3-0 to Hapoel Tel-Aviv...honest"

4. Looking to find a scapegoat

Jesus acknowledged some mistakes while pleading for fans’ support, but he also pointed out that if the refereeing criteria was the same, the difference between the Eagles and the leaders would be smaller.

Earlier this season, the club had also requested supporters not to attend away matches due to the poor refereeing standards.

The problem with burying their heads in the sand in this way is that underlying problems won’t just go away - and when you’re exposed against an average Hapoel Tel Aviv side, you really are in no position to complain of outside factors.

5. Failing to make contingency plans

Everyone at the club was already expecting Di Maria’s departure. What they were hoping for was that industrious midfielder Ramires would stay for one more season, which ultimately proved not to be the case.

While Di Maria’s replacement, Nico Gaitán, has been a disappointment, especially considering his €8.4 million price tag, at least a replacement was recruited - Benfica did nothing to fill the void left by the departing Brazilian. In the end, due to the perceived lack of width, the club switched to a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Carlos Martins and Pablo Aimar often playing together. That itself poses another problem because the duo, while talented, are often plagued by injuries and fluctuations in form.

Now, the Eagles are left with two choices: Getting a Ramires-type player in the inflated January transfer window or risk waiting until the summer and hope there will be more money available.

Sporting hold Porto in a fiery, controversial Clasico of two halves

Sergio Santos — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:24:00 GMT

The hype over the past week has mostly surrounded ‘El Superclasico’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid, but in Portugal there was another massive grudge-match in prospect as Sporting hosted FC Porto.

LATEST RESULTS Fri Nov 26 Vitória Setúbal 0-1 Academica Sat Nov 27 Sporting 1-1 FC Porto, Marítimo 2-0 Vitoria Guimaraes, Paços Ferreira 1-0 Olhanense Sun Nov 28 Braga 2-0 Nacional, Beira-Mar 1-3 Braga, Naval 0-1 Rio Ave, Portimonense 1-2 Uniao Leiria

Several ingredients made the build-up to Sporting's clash with Porto a rather intriguing one: for the Lions, it was an opportunity to start to rebuild their image and make amends with their supporters for their poor start to the season by beating the current leaders. For the Dragons, it was an excuse to flex their muscles and underline exactly why they’ve appeared all but invincible so far. And naturally, the match also featured the return of Joao Moutinho, who was greeted with jeers (and apples, by the way!) from the start by the self same people who had worshipped him as the club's hero and poster boy barely seven months previously.

It's a game of two halves...

Trailing the leaders by 13 points, Sporting had nothing to lose and approached the match with a positive mindset from the very beginning.

Paulo Sérgio opted for a 4-3-1-2 formation with three deep-lying midfielders – Maniche, André Santos and Pedro Mendes – giving Chilean midfielder Jaime Valdes more freedom to roam around the pitch and support striking duo Helder Postiga and Liedson.

That structure helped Sporting produce a very solid first half during which they exposed Porto’s backline and managed to quell the attacking threat of Hulk and Varela. By closing down their opponents inside their own half, the home side didn’t allow Porto time to think, and thus restricted their free-flowing football.

At that stage of the match, Fernando, Moutinho and Belluschi were being choked by Sporting’s more dynamic midfield and hence the Lions were in complete control of the match.

Still, each team had a good chance to break the deadlock. Radamel Falcao in the tenth minute missed a great opportunity with just Rui Patricio to beat, while Pedro Mendes hit a ferocious long-range effort against the woodwork 15 minutes later.

It wasn't until the 38th minute that Sporting would get in front. In a direct – if unorthodox – fashion, Rui Patricio kicked the ball from his area and as Maicon fails to deal with it, Jaime Valdes is quick to pounce and send the home fans into raptures.

The second half however would be a different affair. Porto returned from the locker room determined to fight back and Sporting’s midfield quartet quickly ran out of steam. Therefore, it wasn’t too much of a surprise when Porto leveled in the 58th minute courtesy of Falcao.

If the tide was about to turn we will never know, as Maicon was then sent-off 10 minutes later, promopting Porto to sit back and hold out for the draw, while Sporting’s impact subs couldn't live up to their name, failing to bring the desired impact to the field.

Controversies

Bottom-line, 1-1 is a fair result that pretty much reflects the balance of play, regardless of the many voices whining about the “referee’s pivotal role on the outcome of match”.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a “Classico” without a light smattering of controversy and therefore let’s just analyze the major points of contention:

Sporting’s goal: Jaime Valdes is off-side the moment Rui Patricio kicks the ball, though he doesn’t handle it after. Of course the linesman could have called offside, but why did Maicon - and the rest of the team for that matter - stop? It was a tough call and you can’t really put the blame on the man in black this time…

Maicon’s dismissal: The Brazilian defender took a lot of time to pass the ball and allowed Liedson to joust for it. Living up to his ‘The Slender One’ moniker, he made the most of the contact to get his team 21 minutes with a man advantage. However, this one should have never been a red card and it may have cost Porto the chance to fight for the three points.

Maniche’s violent behavior: It's not the first time the player has acted like a thug and either the club or the league should take matters into their own hands to prevent these kind of instances from re-occuring.

Had these three calls been ruled in favour of Porto, would the outcome of the match have been different? Perhaps, but given Sporting controlled the first half of the match and also saw a few niggly fouls against them go unpunished, neither side can really complain too strongly.

Meanwhile...

Benfica got their act together after their shocking defeat in Israel [link] and beat Beira-Mar away with two goals from the returning Oscar Cardozo. The second was a beautiful shot curled from the right, just inside the box, that gave the keeper no chance.

The Eagles managed to pull away from Guimaraes who lost to Maritimo. Manuel Machado’s men went to Madeira hoping to extend their rich vein of form, but their run was halt by the ever-tricky Islanders.

Naval woes show no sign of stopping as the Figueira da Foz outfit lost at home to Rio Ave. With only five points gathered in 12 matches, can they realistically climb their way to safety?

And last but not least, the Portugeezer has to tip his hat in the direction of Jorge Costa and his Academica side, who are enjoying a very comfortable league campaign. They claimed a win at Setubal and currently sit in fifth position, one point shy of Sporting and well above their own expectactions.

Braga keep the dream alive, while Benfica are stuck in a nightmare

Sergio Santos — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Benfica and Braga entered the penultimate matchday of the Champions League group stages with everything to play for. But while the Minho Warriors have managed to keep their faint hopes of advancing to the Last 16 alive, the Eagles were left ruing a gruelling night in Tel Aviv that they won’t forget anytime soon.

Braga v Arsenal

This blog has stated it before, but Braga really did overachieve last season, and in a rather cruel way are now paying the price of the fickleness of the average Portuguese football fan. That’s the main reason why the stadium was only half filled on Tuesday evening for the match against English giants Arsenal.

The odds were heavily stacked against Braga: they had only six points, trailing both Shakhtar and the Gunners by three and with the additional disadvantage of a far inferior goal difference.

Yet, the home side approached the match positively, as if they still had a good chance of going through, even though their opposition was naturally stronger. Arsenal’s line-up differed slightly from their weekend defeat to Tottenham, with Denilson replacing Alex Song, Nicklas Bendtner replacing Marouane Chamakh, while Emmanuel Eboué, Johan Djourou and Kieran Gibbs all earned recalls at the back.

Though Arsenal held the initiative for large periods, the bulk of the match was pretty uneventful with both sides struggling to craft a clearcut opportunity.
Braga coach Domingos Paciência, however, decide to gamble on forward Elton in the 81st minute and within seconds the Brazilian played in talismanic forward and compatriot Matheus, who raced towards Fabianski and applied a simple curled finish. The lethargy felt on the terraces was suddenly broken and the locals quickly found their voices.

Arsenal, perhaps a bit shocked by conceding a goal against a team who they had scored six against without reply back in September, pushed heavily for an equalizer, and were caught on the break with the last – and definitely the most beautiful - play of the match. After an Arsenal free-kick was cleared, the ball eventually fell to Matheus near the halfway line. Braga's No.99 raced towards Fabianski as fast as he could, bamboozled three Arsenal defenders and curled a left-footed shot in off the crossbar for the second goal!

Braga now possess the same points as Arsenal but need to either beat Shakhtar by four goals or hope that Arsenal somehow drop points against winless Partizan in order to qualify. Yes, it is a small miracle, but they fought for it and will travel to Donetsk in high spirits.

Hapoel v Benfica

Hero-almost turned-zero Jorge Jesus was spot-on when he said – in a deceivingly condescending fashion – that Hapoel could play a part in determining which team would advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

What he didn’t foresee was that it would be Benfica that would succumb to the Israelis. The manager and players had all the pre-match talk prepared: “This is going to be our final”, “This will be the turning point of our season” and the objective lens of maths said their qualifying hopes remained entirely in their own hands: firstly, beat an arguably weaker Hapoel side and then thwart Schalke’s hopes at home in front of 60,000 partisan supporters. Straightforward stuff.

But, like so many times before in this kind of situation, the Eagles disappointed and left the so-called Promised Land with an embarrassing 3-0 mauling, the wounds from which will take some time to heal.

Benfica started the match on the front foot knowing a faster tempo and high pressure would give them an edge. However, their plans were quickly undone as Zahavi gave Hapoel the lead in the 24th minute when he headed home from a free-kick.

Hapoel weathered a storm early in the second half, where only sheer lack of inspiration and a disjointed team prevented Benfica from scoring more than once. They say lightning never strikes twice, but that proved to be false, perhaps unsurprisingly, as the home side – happy to sit back for most of the match - gained a rare corner kick, resulting in their second goal 15 minutes from time. How telling is it that a team that failed to make anything of 21 corners ended up conceding from a corner to a team that only had two?

With their hopes of a win dashed – bar a miracle – Benfica players lowered their guard and concentration levels, and Hapoel took advantage to pile more misery on Jesus’s team.

The unthinkable happened and Benfica left Israel wondering how on Earth they lost a match in which they had showed more quality, created more opportunities and enjoyed more possession. The Eagles are still favourites to land the Europa League spot, but they shouldn’t be careless against Schalke 04….just in case.

Jesus has already had to ride out the turbulance that followed the 5-0 hammering at the hands of mortal enemies Porto; can he somehow rebound from this humiliating result? What with the season of good will upon us, perhaps he will be granted one last reprieve...

Hits & Misses: Heroic Hulk, bobbins Benfica and middling Maniche

Sergio Santos — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:43:00 GMT

We’re already into the 11th round of the Portuguese League, and it seems a good time to stop for a moment and acknowledge the highs and lows of the league so far. Who has been a revelation? Who is still stuttering? Who has been an utter disappointment? Read on... (Please!)

HITS

Andre Villas-Boas
The 33-year-old manager arrived at Porto under a multitude of question marks. After all, his stint at Academica wasn’t enough to show he had the potential to take on the mantle from his former mentor – one Jose Mourinho.

Yet Villas-Boas is still undefeated this season and the free-flowing football practised by his team has earned him rave reviews. Where can he go? At the moment, everything seems possible. Europa League, Portuguese League and Portuguese Cup – what a breakthrough season would that be.

Hulk
Porto's explosive Brazilian forward was unable to further hone his skills last season due to the infamous suspension that left him out in the cold for a large chunk of the campaign. Perhaps fuelled by the chance to claim poetic justice, Hulk – just like his Marvel namesake – turned incredible and his performances have dazzled everyone (mostly opponents).

Last season, the Portugeezer predicted Hulk could become big if he toned down his showboating instincts and improved his work rate. Well, he’s doing just that, and Europe’s big guns are alert to his impressive 11-goal haul in the league. One thing is certain: if he leaves, he’s going to cost a lot of money.

Guimaraes
Portugal’s fourth club in terms of following and attendances, Vitoria de Guimaraes have seen neighbours Braga take the spotlight in recent years. This season under Manuel Machado, however, Guimaraes are performing well above expectations, currently sitting in second alongside Benfica.

They also managed to seal what was arguably one of the deals of the summer, selling Bebe to Manchester United for a princely sum just weeks after paying a pauper’s wage to sign him from Estrela da Amadora.
Joao Ribeiro and Tiago Targino are two players worth following.

Beira-Mar
One of the two promoted sides, the historical club from Aveiro have been playing well and currently lie in the top half of the table, seven points away from the dreaded relegation zone.

They already claimed a famous win at Braga and young manager Leonardo Jardim has been raising an eyebrow among his peers with the good results. Think of them as you’d think of Blackpool in the English Premier League: a happy-go-lucky team that overcomes a lack of talent and financial clout with a never-say-die attitude.

MISSES

Benfica
Reigning champions Benfica have failed to cope with increasing expectations and the departures of Ramires and Angel di Maria. Jorge Jesus, whose judgement was once unquestionable, is now starting to cut a fragile figure unable to steer his team forward.

The early warning signs at the Supercup would be later confirmed, as the team has struggled to get a result away from home and got a nasty reality check last week when they were handed an old-fashioned 5-0 spanking by Porto. Lagging 10 points behind the leaders, the Eagles had better focus now on the Champions League and the Portuguese cups if they want to look back at this season in a positive fashion.

Sporting
The Lions were looking to bounce back from a dismal season that saw them finish 28 points behind Benfica. Manager Costinha and chairman Jose Eduardo Bettencourt promoted a small revolution in the squad – which included the shocking sale of captain Joao Moutinho – in the hope it would lead to better results, but the truth is they look a second-rate side, years away from past glorious Sporting sides.

Next round Sporting will host Porto, and it will be interesting to see how they’ll cope with the Dragons. Their defence is anything but watertight and they lack firepower upfront. Will they ever learn from their mistakes?

Low attendances
This edition of the Portuguese League has seen the worst average attendance of the last four seasons, with a mere 10,545 people per match. Last year’s average attendance at this stage was 12,200. If the league wants to move forward, it needs to address this nagging problem that has been holding back Portuguese football. Seriously, you don’t need John Legend’s Wake Up Everybody to know it’s time. Am I right? [Yes? – Ed]

QUESTION MARKS

Not everyone can be labelled as a top or a flop at this point. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for some, the jury is still out...

Maniche
The former Benfica and Porto player arrived at Sporting to replace Joao Moutinho and, on paper, he seemed a shrewd piece of business. Cheap, much-travelled and with bags of Champions League experience, the prospect of watching him marshalling the midfield alongside Pedro Mendes was interesting.

The only flaw in that masterplan was that Maniche peaked five years ago. His all-round game has waned. Not only that, but he is still prone to silly mistakes, such as the dismissal against Guimaraes that ultimately caused his team’s collapse. He is still capable of exerting his influence on the team, but he needs to step up and show he can lead the team.

Nico Gaitan
For a guy who arrived at Benfica with a hefty €8.4m price tag, Nico Gaitan is a flop. People expected him to replace crowd favourite Di Maria overnight, apparently forgetting it took two years before the now Real Madrid player started showing what he was capable of.

The other problem for Gaitan is that he’s more of a trequartista than a winger; playing on the wing has undermined his development. Still, he scored two goals in the last match against Naval and showed glimpses of talent.

Will he be given time, and a proper role in the starting XI, to flourish? Only time will tell, but Benfica supporters will have to wait if they want to see something from him...

Braga
It may be a bit unfair to label Braga’s current campaign as a question mark. After all, they already boast the Herculean feat of reaching the group stages of the Champions League after knocking out Celtic and Sevilla. They managed to improve the squad with smart moves in the market, too: Lima, Luis Aguiar and Felipe to name but three.

But Braga already trail rivals Benfica and Guimaraes by seven points, something that last season would be unthinkable. Are we expecting too much for a team not used to dealing with continental and domestic duties? Maybe, but that’s only because they’ve shown us many times that they can upset the odds.

The Gods Must Be Crazy: A wacky week in Portugal

Sergio Santos — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:21:00 GMT

Round 10 Results: Fri Nov 5 Vitória Setúbal 3-3 Rio Ave Sat 6 Nov Portimonense 2-2 Académica, Paços Ferreira 0-1 Nacional Sun 7 Nov FC Porto 5-0 Benfica, Braga 2-3 Beira-Mar, Naval 1-1 Olhanense, Marítimo 1-1 Leiria Mon 8 Nov Sporting 2-3 Vitória Guimarães

There's so much to talk about this goal-ridden round that a single post is hardly enough to describe the earthquake that shook the foundations of Portuguese football.

Understandably, all eyes were on the Porto v Benfica match that could have serious repercussions in the title race – and the Clássico lived up to its billing. With a mesmerising performance that probably alerted half Europe, Porto hammered the Eagles 5-0 and cleared any lingering doubt about which team is currently the best in the country. Such is the gulf between the Dragons and the chasing pack, that it seems we have two leagues within Liga Zon Sagres.

In hindsight, nobody would have predicted this at the beginning of the season. After all, Benfica kept their manager and invested - 'wasted' may be a more accurate verb - buckets of money to improve the team while Porto hired an unknown guy named André Villas-Boas in an apparent knee-jerk reaction. How come things have changed so much in such a short span of time?

Bad choices, bad omen
Now, about the match. If there was a moment Jorge Jesus’s ability was questioned, it was this past Sunday as the Benfica manager made two tactical changes that are quite hard to accept.

Firstly, he opted to selected Salvio instead of Saviola in the starting XI. The Atletico Madrid loanee has barely lit up the League while ‘El Conejo’ has been an ever-present figure for the Eagles since he arrived from Real Madrid last year. Why change, and why now?

More stunning though was the decision to play David Luiz as makeshift left-back instead of the impressive and already proven Fábio Coentrão. By doing that, he brought back Sidnei – who only played 259 minutes in the league last season and is far from match fitness - to the heart of the defence and moved Coentrão to a more advanced role.

The result? Sidnei looked sluggish, Coentrão was ineffective and David Luiz was consistently tormented by Hulk. It was reckless to make such drastic changes in a vital match and the decision backfired badly as every single goal from the right side - Benfica’s left.

Even if Coentrão was back at his best position in the second half, the damage was already done and Hulk was on fire. The Brazilian forward scored two goals and made one assist, carrying on his rich vein of form that is bound to attract the big guns sooner rather than later.

As predicted in the previous post, Benfica struggled to feed front duo Alan Kardec and Salvio and only managed three shots on target – pathetic for a team that not long ago wanted to be a serious player in the Champions League.

“You know, just do your thing…”
There were other surprising results this round as Braga were shocked by Beira-Mar at home and Sporting showed once again why the Portugeezer continues to dismiss them as genuine contenders.

The Lions entertained Vitória Guimarães at home and they seemed set for a comfortable 2-0 win until the 70th minute when Maniche was sent off for kicking an opponent. Supersub Tiago Targino came from the bench to lift the away team and scored two goals in two minutes before Bruno Teles completed an incredible comeback in the 90th minute.

Talking points
Porto are at the top of the world. They are unbeatable, enjoying their football and it will be really interesting to see which team will be able to defeat them. They can afford to tinker: they hold a 10-point lead in the league and are already through to the Round of 32 in the Europa League.

André Villas-Boas and Hulk, in particular, are now the target of foreign media eager to know more about this unstoppable duo. The way his team outclassed Benfica, Villas-Boas looks more and more a very capable manager, even if drawing any comparison to Mourinho at this stage is premature. Hulk once again overwhelmed his opposition with his raw power and trickery. The Brazilian has toned down his lapses and selfishness this season and has become a more consistent player. Great for Porto!

Even a revered figure like Sir Alex Ferguson would be a target if he was destroyed by, say, Arsenal the way Benfica were by Porto. Jesus’s cockiness certainly came back to haunt him; suddenly, reports emerge that the atmosphere in the locker room was far from ideal and that people within the board are not exactly in awe with Jesus anymore. Considering the psychological toll of this heavy loss, can Jesus last till Christmas?

Is there a silver lining for Paulo Sérgio? Yes, it can be argued that the outcome would have been different if Maniche thought before he acted the way he did, but Sporting only have themselves to blame. They have a second-tier mentality and lack spark.

The Sporting speech remains the same: President Bettencourt says the manager is untouchable (though we all remember the catchy ‘Paulo Bento forever’ expression and what happened afterwards...) and that they will keep on fighting. Sometimes though, one has to wonder if they have any ambitions: do they want to win silverware right now or are they planning long-term? Do they still want to nurture young talent from the Academy or are they looking to get more experienced players? Regardless of that, 14 points in 10 match is just not good enough…

Can Guimarães become this season’s Braga? Manuel Machado has assembled a solid group of players and they have been playing good football. Interestingly, they beat both Benfica and Sporting and held Porto to a draw. They are now in second place with 18 points and will play against the Minho Warriors next round in what is expected to be a fierce derby.

Porto and Benfica prepare for November title decider

Sergio Santos — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:46:00 GMT

The omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent former coach of Porto Jose Mourinho called the match ‘title decider’. Current manager Andre Villas-Boas nixed the idea. Pundits argue both ways, as pundits invariably do. So, let’s clarify one thing: can the match between FC Porto and Benfica at Estadio do Dragao on Sunday decide the title? Yes. Definitely.

The Dragons have enjoyed an almost flawless campaign and sit top of the table with a comfortable seven-point lead over the Eagles. Braga, despite their good season, are finding it hard to cope with their domestic and continental duties, while Sporting are being their usual ‘We’ll fight until maths defeats us’ selves. The only team with a real shot – however faint – at preventing Porto from winning the title this season is Benfica.

Away success would cut the gap to just four points and reopen the title race. A home victory would see 10 points separating the two sides. It would be foolish to think a seasoned team like Porto would throw that away, right?

Odds don’t favour the Eagles. First of all, they usually endure a tough time when visiting their arch-rivals.

Secondly, back in August when Benfica’s hype machine was firing on all cylinders, the Portugeezer witnessed a team being completely torn apart in the Portuguese Superleague; Porto not only gave them a free football lesson but also gained a psychological edge early in the season.

Additionally, Benfica have experienced troubles beating even small teams away. People may talk about how Benfica almost battered Lyon, but they forget that in France, they actually didn’t fire a single shot on target. Truth is, if Benfica’s key men are put on a leash, strikers Alan Kardec and Javier Saviola will be busy trying to find a way out of the deep pockets of Porto defenders Rolando and Maicon (not that one).

There are three potential battles worth following that may prove crucial in tilting the scales one way or another...

Hulk v Fábio Coentrao

The Brazilian forward has been, well, incredible (pun very much intended) this season and already claimed the Player of the Month award in September and October. He’s bagged eight goals in the league and looks menacing every time he touches the ball.

But if there is an opponent in Portugal capable of stopping Hulk it is the mercurial Coentrao, who has been Benfica’s main man so far. Coach Jorge Jesus may play Coentrao as either a full-back or a midfielder, but no doubt he’ll be on Hulk’s toes throughout the match.

Varela v Maxi Pereira

If Hulk was the only source of headaches for Jesus’ pupils, Benfica could come up with a plan to frustrate him via double teaming or rougher physical play. Things get worse, though, when both Porto wingers can be equally lethal.

After missing out on the World Cup through injury, Varela has regained the form that catapulted him into the national team in the first place, and at Aveiro he tormented Benfica’s defence. Maxi, while not a top-notch defender, has tremendous work rate and heart, and cannot afford to let his guard down for a second if he wants to keep the Eagles in the game.

Moutinho-Fernando v Garcia-Martins

Joao Moutinho, as expected, has been a revelation this year. The pint-sized midfielder works his socks off like a tireless, unselfish little ant and his understanding with Fernando is very good. The Dragons’ midfield has been working well and that is because it is able to function as both a first line of defence and a catalyst to their firepower.

Javi Garcia and Carlos Martins will play an important role in dictating play and countering Porto. The Spaniard, if nothing else, has the build to overpower Moutinho, and Martins, who recorded a full house of all four assists against Lyon, will hope he can link up with the attack in a similar fashion here.

After all, with no wingers at their disposal, Benfica will need their playmakers (presumably Martins and Aimar) to be at their creative best.

One to watch: Alan Kardec

Paraguayan hitman Oscar Cardozo has been sidelined with a knee injury and despite a large number of forwards in the team, Kardec is the only one who looks to have genuine quality to actually score. The young forward was on target against Lyon and he’ll be his team’s main reference upfront, but it may still be too early to expect a ‘Man of the Match’ performance from him.

The Portugeezer’s prediction: Porto 2-0 Benfica

Few would bet against Porto at this point. They have been playing so well and with so much confidence that it is hard to see anyone beating them.

If Benfica want to get something away from this match, they’ll need to be at their best and that means better than they were at Lyon. Roberto cannot flop like he did and the backline has to remain watertight and the midfield aggressive – otherwise they could be in for a very long night.

Expect Benfica to struggle to feed Saviola and Kardec before eventually succumbing to Porto’s offensive weapons.

Likely line-ups:

PORTO Hélton; Sapunaru, Maicon, Rolando, Álvaro Pereira; Fernando, Moutinho, Belluschi; Varela, Hulk, Falcão

BENFICA Roberto; Maxi Pereira, Luisao, David Luiz, Coentrão; Javi Garcia, Aimar, Carlos Martins, César Peixoto; Saviola, Kardec.

Aimar turns back the clock as Liverpool eye another bad move

Sergio Santos — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:18:00 GMT

The past two weeks have been especially unusual in the strange world of Portuguese football, and four stories in particular have caught the Portugeezer’s attention.

1. An infamous hot-head is one step closer to management

Former Portuguese international Ricardo Sá Pinto seems hell bent on prolonging his career in football, despite his disastrous spell as Sporting’s sporting director. Known for his short temper, it will be interesting to see how long he’ll able to withstand playing second fiddle to the relative unknown Pedro Caixinha, for whom he'll be acting as assistant manager at União Leiria.

For those less familiar with Pinto’s public displays of err…affection, let’s just say he’s famous for his assault on then-Portugal manager Artur Jorge and more recently for his physical confrontation with Liédson that ultimately signalled his departure from the Lions.

Sá Pinto is given his third yellow card of the evening...

Here’s a not-so-bold prediction: Caixinha, already struggling to deliver, will sooner or later get the dreaded axe, at which point Ricardo the Lion Heart will most likely step into the void - and that’s when things could get really interesting…

2. Liverpool could be ripped off by a Portuguese club again

Seriously, it’s not like the Portugeezer has a beef with Liverpool. But after overpaying for Raul Meireles, they’re now apparently ready to break the bank for the Paraguayan forward Cardozo.

If these rumours contain a single iota of truth - and that is a big ‘if‘, granted - then it is official: Liverpool are the most ill-managed club in the world. No doubt Cardozo was pivotal in Benfica’s successful bid to the title last season, but the formation employed and the supporting cast helped him a lot. €25 million would be a lot to pay for a player still yet to convince his current club’s fans of his own ability.

"Up yours, Portugeezer - surely I'm better than N'gog..."

At 27, he would struggle with the language, the pace and physical nature of the English game (heck, he’s even dead slow for the Portuguese league) and the insurmountable pressure of having to share the goalscoring burden with some guy named Fernando Torres. Not that Benfica wouldn’t mind ripping Liverpool off, but even snake-oil salesmen would be amazed at such improbable deal.

3. The grass is greener on the other side for Sporting

For Sporting chairman José Eduardo Bettencourt the grass is definitely greener on the other side, because according to the 50-year-old, the pitch at Estádio Alvalade XXI is holding back the team.

Dazed and confused? Well, in an unorthodox move - at least for a team in Southern Europe - Bettencourt said that next year the club would replace the current playing surface with an artificial one, simply because the club has found it difficult to create perfect playing conditions, having had to replace the pitch six(!) times.

Could Sporting be about to go plastic fantastic?

That’s fair assessment and it would actually be very interesting to see the economic impact of such decision, because it is well-known that artificial pitches have lower maintenance costs and allow the owner to use them for just about every day of the year if he intends to. And while strange, it’s not like Sporting would be the first club at top level to play in an artificial pitch, with Young Boys and Spartak Moscow being two prime examples of clubs whose stadiums possess a FIFA-approved state-of-the-art artificial turf.

But that can’t cover the fact that Bettencourt is only touting the notion as an excuse to justify sub-par results. If Sporting were to go ahead with the scheme, it would come as no surprise to hear the very same man complain that away pitches were too different to the one his players are used to, following a defeat on the road for the Lisbon side.

4. Aimar turns back the clock, while Varela defies logic

Unlike the English or the Spanish League, it’s not every weekend fans in Portugal witness jaw-dropping goals that make the admission fees seem worthwhile. But it just so happens that this past weekend witnessed two of those moments.

As Benfica entertained Paços de Ferreira at home, Pablo Aimar decided it was probably about time to remind people why he was once regarded as one of the most gifted playmakers in the world.

The Argentinean – whose undoubted technical finesse still manages to hide his visible physical limitations – made a run from inside his team’s own half, dribbled past two opponents before unleashing a powerful, well-placed shot that lifted the entire stadium. An absolutely gorgeous goal that paved way for the 2:0 victory.

Benfica 1-0 Paços de Ferreira

Simão | Myspace Video

The other amazing moment occurred in the match between Académica and Porto. The soaked pitch and the intense rain throughout the match made it difficult for both teams to play football, and only an individual effort would realistically break the deadlock.

That was exactly what happened in the 43rd minute when Silvestre Varela turned around and hit a right-footed volley with aplomb from an seemingly harmless ball

Academica 0-1 FC Porto

Simão | Myspace Video

A great effort that ultimately decided the match.

How Porto stung Liverpool

Sergio Santos — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:36:00 GMT

It’s a well-known fact that football is a fast-paced environment and that things can change overnight. For instance, nobody expected someone as professional as Wayne Rooney to pull a ‘Judas’ and drop a bombshell about leaving – even if that ended up being nothing more than a cheap move to get leverage for an improved contract.

Likewise, if we compare the current and the past editions of the Portuguese League, we see two different dynamics. Last year, Jorge Jesus arrived at Benfica and turned around the club's fortunes in style; it was a joy to watch the Eagles' gung-ho style overwhelm opponents. Stadiums – both home and away - were filled, the starting XI looked like Champions League veterans and a new ‘golden era’ seemed to be on the horizon.

After years in oblivion, Benfica finally found a winning formula and they should have kept it. But like a teenager who wants new shoes just for the sake of it, Benfica went on a summer shopping spree when all they had to do was make a handful of key acquisitions to increase depth, balance the books and keep the momentum of last season.

All the glitter and razzmatazz about the impressive Benfica 2009-10 faded away and the Eagles today are a rather bland side. They win at home and struggle away, and that’s not what you want from a true contender.

Porto, on the other hand, suffered a few bumps along the way that disrupted their 2009-10 campaign. They lost Hulk to suspension and would also lose a few important players to injuries while then-manager Jesualdo Ferreira’s influence on the team was already waning.

For a side used to winning, last season was subpar and something needed to change. The Dragons surprised many by gambling on a young manager – the untested André Villas-Boas – but kept the faith with their squad, signing only players that could actually make a difference (with perhaps the exception of Sereno…). Are they much different than last year? No, they're almost the same side, just with much more hunger plus João Moutinho and increased depth.

Every bit of the João Moutinho-Raul Meireles deals was a stroke of genius. Meireles had enjoyed a lacklustre campaign and at 27 he was about to reach his potential. Sensing a good deal, the Dragons signed Moutinho – three years younger and more versatile – for €11m just before dispatching Meireles to Merseyside for €14m.

Moutinho & Meireles: "Look at the size of that comedy cheque!"

Yes, Liverpool supporters may want to think of Meireles as the second coming of Xabi Alonso, but the truth is nobody at Porto cares about him anymore – because Moutinho is simply better. And the cherry on top was the fact that it weakened rivals Sporting and signalled a clear gulf in ambition between both clubs.

The front trio – Silvestre Varela, Hulk and Falcao – have been unplayable and are as lethal as a golf club in the back of the head. They've provided 16 of Porto's 19 league goals and last weekend they all scored as the team cruised 5-1 past Leiria. Hulk’s first goal is a work of art definitely worth appreciating.

One question hovers in the air: Is there a team capable of beating this Porto side? It may be too early to tell, with only eight of the 30 matches played, but domestically the Portugeezer says ‘highly unlikely’. (Out of interest, they're also top of their Europa League group, with three wins from three.)

With minor adjustments, Porto have drastically improved and both Benfica and Braga are definitely not as strong as last season. As for Sporting, well, they started rather slow and lack firepower now that talismanic striker Liédson is in the twilight of his career.

The only match that could prove a decider is the one between Porto and Benfica in two weeks. If Benfica somehow vanquish the Dragons – and you don’t want to bet on that – that could stun the leaders. Should the Dragons shoot down the Eagles, then please tell somebody to order the 2010/2011 Championship medals.

The current Dragons have many shades of the Porto side that won the UEFA Cup back in 2003. Then, a certain special young manager rejuvenated Porto by winning a championship with relative ease and by claiming silverware in Europe.

The main difference between those teams seems to lie on the backline. Porto’s current defence is yet to be truly tested, and only when that happens we will see whether the sky is really the limit for them.

For now, let’s just say Porto have yet to be defeated this season and that André Villas-Boas has claimed 14 wins in 15 official matches (the other match being the 1-1 draw at Guimarães). Not bad, right?

To be reviewed in two weeks…

Braga achieve first victory ever among the elite

Sergio Santos — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:27:00 GMT

It was the third day of the group stages and, apart from Benfica’s slump at Lyon, it was a positive one for Portuguese football. Braga kept their dream of alive by claiming their first victory in the Champions League, while Sporting and Porto continued their relentless march towards the second phase of the Europa League with empathic wins that give them plenty of reasons to smile.

Champions League

Braga played on Tuesday against FK Partizan knowing that anything less than a victory would leave them in a bad position to extend their European journey. Manager Domingos Paciência was serious about turning the tide after two heavy losses against Shakhtar and Arsenal and he named four attacking-minded players - Alan, Paulo César, Matheus and Lima - in the starting XI.

The first 30 minutes were played at the pace of a turtle without a single chance for either side; whether it was inexperience at this level, fear of getting dumped or a little bit of both, the fact was anybody watching the match could label the experience about as entertaining as watching paint dry. That is until the 34th minute, when Lima decided to curl an amazing free-kick around the 30-metre mark

Sp. Braga 1-0 Partizan

Simão | Myspace Video

A goal that will go down in history as Braga's first ever in the top European competition and a goal that managed to galvanise the then-lethargic crowd at Estádio AXA.

Partizan then tried to move forward and dictate play but were unable to do so and barely created actual goalscoring chances. The match remained uneventful in the second half but Braga would score another goal just before the final whistle, when a quick counter-attack saw Alan set up Luis Aguiar who, in a good position, assisted Matheus for the easy tap-in.

Despite a lacklustre performance, Braga secured a 2-0 victory to keep their dream of qualifying for the second round alive. Even if working that out requires some complex math operations!

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus learnt a lesson this past Wednesday: if you’re going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk. Before the match against Lyon, Jesus attempted to play some unorthodox mind games by declaring few teams in the world played like Benfica. Well, after the referee signalled the end of the match, he must have felt lucky to get out of Stade de Gerland with just a 2-0 loss. The Eagles showed no heart, no commitment and no creativity whatsoever as Lyon were in full control for the 90 minutes, and their victory was completely deserved.

It could be argued that Nico Gaitán’s pathetic sending-off was a key moment in the match, but Benfica were already finding it difficult to pose real problems for the French backline. Again, and the Portugeezer will repeat this time and time again, the Eagles possesses no width and their forwards are paying the price. The only positive note for them was Roberto’s performance; the Spanish custodian seems to be more confident and made a string of good saves to prevent a worse result.

Still, with only 3 points, the harsh reality is Benfica need to get a win against Schalke – likely to be their direct contenders – and at least a draw against Lyon. The way they’ve been playing this season, can you actually count on that?

Europa League

Porto travelled to Instanbul to play against Besiktas, arguably their toughest opposition in the group despite missing star duo Ricardo Quaresma and Guti. Bernd Schuster was candid before the match, admitting Porto were a very powerful team, and the Dragons showed why they are a much-respected team in Europe.

Colombian striker Radamel Falcao broke the deadlock in the 27th minute when he towered above a defender to score a header from a corner. The Dragons were in complete control of the match and even had a goal strangely disallowed 10 minutes later. But when Maicon was sent off before the break, it looked like the second half could be a long one for André Villas-Boas’ men. It was a situation akin to the one Benfica faced at Lyon, but the way Porto handled it showed why they are a different team. After sustaining 15 minutes of pressure, the Dragons hit the Turks on the break when Álvaro Pereira found Hulk with a long pass and the in-form forward - with just two touches - put the ball past the hapless goalkeeper.

In the 77th minute, Porto would get their third goal in another display of ruthlessness. After a pass from Belluschi, Hulk outrun his markers, dribbled the last man and put the ball in the top right corner. Beautiful and yet simple.

Besiktas 0-3 FC Porto - Hulk

Humberto | Myspace Video.

Besiktas would still grab a late goal, but in the end Porto showed they truly belong to the first division of continental football.

Sporting hosted Belgian side KAA Gent and, after having a tough time beating Estoril in the Portuguese Cup, the Lions turned to their European alter ego that so far has ensured eye-catching performances. Paulo Sérgio’s men were in complete control of the match and on another day, they could have added more gloss to an already impressive scoreline that will lift their spirit for domestic affairs. 5-1 was the final result with goals from Diogo Salomão, Liédson (2), Maniche and Postiga.

Both Sporting and Porto now possess nine points and getting through the next round is looking like a mere formality.

Benfica build momentum as Dragons slip

Sergio Santos — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT

October 4th, 11pm plus the five minutes of injury time given by the referee. That moment marked a milestone: not just the the first points Porto have dropped this season, but the end of their impressive run of 21 (!) consecutive league victories.

Guimarães' Estádio Afonso Henriques stadium (it's named after the first king of Portugal, a local lad) witnessed an intense match which Porto controlled for large periods. In-form forward Hulk dazzled his opponents before firing a low shot past the hapless Nilson on the half-hour.

Ten minutes later, João Moutinho missed a glorious chance to give his team a comfortable two-goal lead when he sent the ball just wide of the far post. The former Sporting poster-boy would rue that golden opportunity as substitute Faouzi leveled in the 64th minute. Porto pushed for a second goal – despite being down to 10 men after Fucile's second yellow – but were held for the first time in months.

Sporting were also held to a 1-1 away draw, surprisingly, at Beira-Mar. In all honesty, they were the better side and created plenty of goalscoring opportunities, but let's not lay the blame on bad luck. You need to have the players to be lucky on the field.

Postiga hit the post, Rui Patricio made a mess from Renan’s free-kick and Rui Rego – Beira Mar goalkeeper – enjoyed a particularly inspired evening, but that’s not an excuse if you want to be taken seriously in the league. Another two points dropped and things look pretty grim at this stage of the competition….
Goal of the round

Carlos Martins had received good news when national manager and former nemesis Paulo Bento announced his Euro 2012 squad for the crucial encounters against Denmark and Iceland. It has been more than two years since the gifted yet inconsistent Martins was called-up, but his fine recent performances have convinced Bento and the stunning goal against Braga was further proof of his good form. After a good pass from Javier Saviola, the Portuguese playmaker received the ball with his right foot, before unleashing a left-footed thunderbolt into the top of the net that gave the keeper no chance whatsoever.

Vintage Martins, who just like a seasoned sniper fancies a shot from just about anywhere!

Talking points

Last week, the Portugeezer declared Guimarães and Académica as the surprise packages of the season, even if it may be slightly too early to confirm that status. Well, it would no longer feel right to exclude Olhanense from that group. Daúto Faquirá’s men have been playing well and currently sit third in the league table. Not bad for a team who struggled for much of last season! They travel to Braga in the next round of games and it will be interesting to see if they can cause the Minho Warriors problems.

Like Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, Paulo Sérgio has joined the list of ugly duckling managers who may be too good for a relegation struggler but not good enough for a team that wants to win silverware. It is a bit of shame though, because most of what is happening is not his fault - Sporting seem to be run by the clueless - but how much longer can he realistically expect having claimed 9 points out of a possible 21?

Porto suffered their first setback – if you can call a 1-1 draw at Guimarães a setback – and are now just seven points ahead of Benfica, Olhanense and Guimarães. Was Monday's result a minor hiccup in their relentless pursuit of the title, or was it a sign they can be beaten just like anybody else?

RESULTS Fri Oct 1 Leiria 2-1 Académica Sat Oct 2 Olhanense 3-1 Vitória Setúbal Sun Oct 3 Benfica 1-0 Braga, Naval 1-2 Paços Ferreira, Nacional 3-1 Portimonense, Rio Ave 0-0 Marítimo Mon Oct 4 Vitória Guimarães 1-1 Porto, Beira-Mar 1-1 Sporting.

Lions struggle as Dragons march on

Sergio Santos — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:10:00 GMT

The weekend saw Round Six of the Portuguese Liga played, and if there was anything we learnt it was that Sporting really are currently an utter shambles.

After being defeated by eternal rivals Benfica in the previous round, the Lions were hoping to get their title bid back on track with a win against Nacional. Unfortunately, their plans were undermined by the Islanders, who managed to get away with a 1-1 draw with coach Paulo Sérgio being greeted at the end with jeers from the frustrated home supporters following the fulltime whistle.

Director of Football Costinha admitted his side hadn’t had the start to the season envisaged by the club, but if he and chairman Jose Eduardo Bettencourt couldn’t foresee this scenario, they may want to seek consultation from an optician, as the three key causes were clear to see from the beginning.

1) Sporting sold their two most prized assets (Veloso and Moutinho), only to replace them with a few suspect players. 2) The Lisbon outfit also appointed a manager with no discernable experience at the top level. 3) They also mismanaged the Izmailov saga, effectively losing the valuable contribution of the Russian. People may say the team is still gelling, but the Portugeezer believes it will be another long season for them with no silverware or pride to show off.

Not that neighbours Benfica have much to brag about either. The Eagles recorded an morale-boosting victory at Marítimo - their first away success of the season - and have now amassed a total of nine points, just one more than Sporting.

What sets the two sides apart at the moment is that the Eagles seem to be on the upward curve. Their performance levels, while still miles behind last season’s displays of free-flowing football, have steadily improved and they will look to continue building on that.

Braga struggled to get over their Champions League steamrollering by Arsenal, failing to pick themselves off the floor in time to get anything more than a draw against Paços Ferreira in round five. This past Friday however, the Minho Warriors returned to winning ways with a commanding 3-1 victory against Naval. Manager Domingos Paciência will also be pleased with the return of Márcio Mossoró, who scored a goal after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Arsenalistas are now leading the Porto-chasing pack alongside Guimarães and Académica du Coimbra, the two surprise packages of the season so far.

The two over-achieving sides met at Coimbra where the home team proved stronger in the end. Jorge Costa’s pupils have been stellar so far, and while they will inevitably hit a sticky patch some time soon, they’ll be delighted with their performances so far this season and the fact the 11 points gained so far give them an excellent opportunity to seal safety sooner rather than later.

Now, each of the three teams in the aforementioned chasing pack has 11 points, which is already a fair whack less than leaders Porto, who still boast and 100% record with 18 points.

They hosted Olhanense and completely dominated the match. Hulk has been unplayable this season and both Varela and João Moutinho will have a place on the Selecção’s starting XI, but above all their confidence seems unshakeable at the moment.

Whether it has been the magic wand of André Villas-Boas, shrewd pieces of business made during the summer or the sluggish start from the rivals, the Dragons have once again risen to the top and will be the team to beat this season

Goal of the round

The wonder goal scored by Acádemica forward Sougou against Guimarães that put his side back in front has to be the best goal of matchday six, and a contender for goal of the season.

The Senegalese star was given room to operate and from around 30-35 yards unleashed a powerful drive into the top corner that left the goalkeeper stunned. A Premier Leeague-esque goal that left Jorge Costa with a broad grin on his face.

Honourable mention goes to Carlos Saleiro who, after being introduced at the break, scored Sporting’s goal; Simon Vukcevic delivered a cross into the box and the ball rebounded to Saleiro who dispatched an acrobatic volley into the back of the net

Talking points

There is a huge match next week as Benfica entertain Braga at Estádio da Luz. Benfica goalkeeper Roberto has been unbeaten for 277 minutes now and the Eagles are starting to fly higher, but Braga will prove a stern test for them.

Benfica cannot afford to slip up again and it will be interesting to see how the match will unfold. Last season, the Eagles grinded out a narrow 1-0 win, so expect a close encounter.

Simon Vukcevic was Sporting’s top dog against Nacional. The talented Montenegrin showed once more he can become one of the stars of the league and certainly someone who should be in Sporting’s XI week in week out. His temperament can be fiery at times, but if Paulo Sérgio wants to make an impact, he has to look to Vukcevic as the key man between midfield and attack.

Porto continue to relentlessly crush their opposition. Six matches, six wins and the next stop is Guimarães away. Never an easy match, but they look odds on to get another three points. Considering that at least one of Braga and Benfica will drop points next weekend, is it too early to say another Porto victory will put them on a very comfortable position to clinch the title?

Quote of the week

“In my opinion, there were two great teams in Europe last year: Barcelona and Benfica” – Jorge Jesus

That’s a pretty bold claim of a team that ended up being battered by Liverpool…

RESULTS Fri Sep 24 Braga 3-1 Naval Sat Sep 25 Académica 3-1 Vitória Guimarães, Marítimo 0-1 Benfica, Porto 2-0 Olhanense Sun Sep 26 Portimonense 1-0 Beira-Mar, Leiria 1-0 Rio Ave, Sporting 1-1 Nacional Mon Sep 27 Vitória Setúbal 1-0 Paços de Ferreira.

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forums

Euro draws favour Portuguese quartet

Sergio Santos — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:28:00 GMT

The play-off round of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League witnessed fairytale endings for Braga and Sporting, with both teams overcoming the odds to go through.

Braga stunned half of Europe by conquering Sevilla with a 4-3 success in Andalusia (5-3 on aggregate), while the Lions went to Denmark to claim a 3-0 win that erased the shocking two-goal defeat suffered at home. As expected, Porto swept Racing Genk aside with a resounding 7-2 aggregate victory to ease into the next phase of the Europa League, but unfortunately Marítimo was unable to defeat BATE Borisov at home, bowing out before the group stages.

Now, it has to be said that none of the four teams that will play Continental football – Benfica, Braga, Porto and Sporting - has a reason to complain about the draws, but let’s break down the chances of each team.

Champions League

Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke 04, Hapoel Tel-Aviv

Benfica will most likely be involved in a three-way fight for the qualifying places. French outfit Lyon were perhaps the “weakest” team from Pot One, but cash-rich Schalke 04 are one of the toughest teams from Pot Three and with Raul and potentially Klaas-Jan Huntelaar they’ll prove a tough bunch to beat. Had the Eagles been handed this group last season, they would have had good chances of finishing top, but considering their current goalkeeping problem and how imbalanced their squad currently is, the Portuguese champions will need to show more than they have so far domestically to deserve a shot at the Last 16.

Prediction: Third place and a bittersweet memory of their 2009/2010 campaign.

Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Partizan

Having already defeated Sevilla, Braga cannot help but fancy their chances of advancing through to the last 16 of the competition. Arsenal are the obvious favourites, but Shakhtar and Partizan can definitely be defeated, especially if the ‘Minho Warriors’ keep playing like they did in the play-off round. Braga will hope their underdog status can help them spring a surprise on their opponents, but the hostile environments in Serbia and Ukraine may be too much for them to handle. They should at least guarantee a place in the Europa League, but don’t bet against them advancing into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Prediction: Third place and rave reviews around Europe about their mature displays.

Europa League

Group C: Sporting, Lille, Levski Sofia, KAA Gent

The Lions are a big question mark in the Portugeezer’s book. Their formation, their starting XI and their tactical ideas aren’t settled yet and that is also why they’re currently stuttering. Regardless of their form, they should have no problems dealing with Levski and Gent, but Lille will provide a sterner test. With players like Landreau, Mavuba and Gervinho on their starting XI, the French outfit are a solid and will rival Sporting for the top spot. With Paulo Sérgio still shaping his team, it‘s tough to confidently predict his team will finish top, but they should have more than enough to qualify for the knock-out stages.

Prediction: Second place

Group L: FC Porto, Besiktas, CSKA Sofia, Rapid Vienna

The last time Porto were not in the Champions League, they won the UEFA Cup and the Dragons are once again one of the teams to beat in the competition. The draw dictated the return of former golden boy Ricardo Quaresma to Estádio do Dragão – even if just for one night – but that is actually the only interesting fact from the group. Considering the depth of their squad, Porto will be able to tinker without worrying too much about not finishing in the first place.

Prediction: First place and bring on the good teams...

What do you think? Can the four Portuguese teams advanced to the next stages of the competition? Share your views below…

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forums

Porto set early pace as rivals struggle

Sergio Santos — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:19:00 GMT

In a second round of fixtures with very few goals – an embarrassing total of 10 – there were a few interesting results.

Benfica went to Nacional to redeem themselves after their shocking home collapse in the opening round, but left Madeira with another 2-1 defeat.

The Eagles now have the same number of losses they had last season. Roberto was once again one the culprits as stated in my previous post, but credit should not be taken from the resilient Islanders.

Nacional played very positively with a rather dynamic midfield trio. Luiz Alberto looked like Yaya Touré bossing the engine room, while Rene Mihelic and Diego Barcellos provided the creative spark behind their attacking threat.

Despite Benfica never really being in control of the match, the first half was a fairly evenly matched contest. After the break though, Nacional improved and scored through Luiz Alberto and Orlando Sá. Carlos Martins would score a late consolation goal for the visitors, but it was too late to salvage a draw.

Porto continue to quietly flex their muscles in the early stages of the championship. They entertained recently promoted Beira-Mar at home and strolled to an easy 3-0 victory.

Colombian predator Radamel Falcao netted a brace to move top of the League goalscoring charts, with Argentinean playmaker Fernando Belluschi scoring the other goal from a stunning free-kick.

Falcao moved top of the goalscoring charts

Without even pushing too hard, the Dragons ooze confidence and have already seen their three title rivals drop points. A dream start for young André Villas-Boas who could barely be in a better position to manage his players.

Sporting were made to sweat by Marítimo before clinching their first three points of the season. The Lions – who were exposed at home in the Europa League match against Danish side Brondby – wanted to change their fortunes in front of their own supporters and Paulo Sergio switch to a 4-3-3 formation with a midfield trio of Maniche, André Santos and Spaniard Zapater.

Upfront, Sérgio decided to field quicksilver Djaló and flamboyant Vukcevic alongside Liédson, but the first half the match was even with opportunities for both teams.
The Lions seemed more determined to win after the break, but they would only claim their victory in the 89th minute when Liédson was tripped in the box. Chilean playmaker Matias Fernández made no mistake and gave the team an invaluable morale-boosting result.

The match was marred though by an incident involving Joao Pereira. The Sporting right-back sustained a skull fracture after accidently clashing with teammate Rui Patricio. He was rushed to the hospital shortly after, but Sporting doctors already said he’s recovering well.

Goal of the round

Fernando Belluschi struck an amazing free-kick that gave Beira-Mar keeper no chance and virtually killed off the match. The former Olympiacos midfielder has grown since last year and looks a more comfortable player on the pitch. He had scored a good goal against Genk and will be please to be on the scoresheet once again.

Talking points

On the 1st of August, Benfica manager Jorge Jesus said that it would be very difficult to stop this Benfica side. Three weeks later and that bold prophecy was confirmed in a way; the only thing he didn’t expect was that it would actually be very difficult to stop them losing.

Benfica are currently struggling and Roberto is the laughing stock of Portuguese football, but it is Rui Costa and Jorge Jesus who have every reason to feel responsible.
They failed to do their homework in the summer and are now left with one week to do the one thing they were neglected to do over the past three months: sign the right players for a reasonable price.

With the dream of reaching the group stages of the Champions League so near, Braga decided to make a few changes in the starting XI – resting Alan, Paulo César, Rodríguez and Vandinho – and were unlucky not to get away with more than a goalless draw. Even though they went to Setúbal to win, their minds were a little further south - in Sevilla, to be accurate.

The match against the Spanish side will be one of, if not the most important match of their history and everyone will give the proverbial 110% to achieve what could very well be one of European football’s biggest giant killings in recent history.

Now that Sevilla have sold Frenchman Sebastien Squillaci to Arsenal, it may be a good time to use the pace of attacking trio Matheus, Alan and Paulo César to wreak havoc in their backline.

It will be a very entertaining match and one every football lover should tune in.

Good luck for the Arsenalistas and may their dream run continue!

ROUND 2 RESULTS Fri Aug 20 Académica 1-1 Olhanense Sat Aug 21 Nacional 2-1 Benfica, Vitória Setúbal 0-0 Braga Sun Aug 22: Porto 3-0 Beira-Mar, Leiria 0-0 Paços Ferreira, Sporting 1-0 Marítimo, Portimonense 0-1 Naval Mon Aug 23 Vitória Guimarães 0-0 Rio Ave.

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forums

Lisbon neighbours off to a bad start

Sergio Santos — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:18:00 GMT

The 2010/11 season may have just started but its opening weekend already offered a few surprises. There were four away successes, but the highlights of the round were defeats for both Benfica and Sporting.

Braga were the first team to play and they looked as solid as last season. Granted, it was against new boys Portimonense, but they have done well in the transfer market and they seem to have kept their dominant attitude to matches.

Thumbs up to Matheus for breaking the deadlock and being a threat throughout the match and to signing Leandro Salino for scoring a goal on his debut.

Porto had to fight harder than they had thought to seal a late 0-1 victory at Naval. The Dragons produced a relatively average first half, but improved after the break with the introduction of Columbian midfielder Freddy Guarín.

Unlike the match against Benfica where Varela was on fire, this time it was Hulk who upped his game a notch, creating some opportunities and scoring the 84th minute penalty that won the game.

Sporting and Benfica were dealt an early blow in their title quest as they were both deservingly beaten.

Playing at Mata Real is never easy and the home side, Paços de Ferreira, proved once again why. Relying on their never-say-die attitude and young talent David Simão and Caeteno, the team known as ‘the Beavers’ showed no fear of going forward and were eventually rewarded in the second half with a goal from Venezuelan striker Rondon.

Sporting had enough opportunities to at least claim a draw, but their forwards must have worn the wrong boots and the closest they came was hitting the bar through Helder Postiga.

The biggest upset of the weekend however was Académica 1-2 win at Estádio da Luz. The Eagles were determined to start their title defence in style, but were dismantled by an organized and resilient side who had studied their lesson at home.

If Benfica were a major threat from dead balls last year, this year they seem to fear them and it is probably due to lack of trust in goalkeeper Roberto.

It was therefore no surprise when Académica scored from a free-kick in the first half. New boy Franco Jara – who once again came off the bench – scored an equalizer, but despite playing against 10 men, Benfica would concede a second goal in the last minute and raise early question marks as to whether they’ll be able to reproduce last year’s levels of performance.

Goal of the round

It’s always better to start in style, right? Here’s the situation: Benfica, current title holders, are playing at home in front of 49,000 supporters and at 1-1 they’re pushing for a victory in the dying minutes. Substitute Laionel then decides to hit a wonder strike to silence an entire stadium and give the Students a famous victory. Cloud number nine for Academica and the 24-year old Brazilian striker!

Talking points

Sporting need to sort out their problems upfront; if the Lions possessed someone with half Liedson’s goalscoring prowess, they would have claimed another result. The Brazilian-turned-Portuguese striker is not getting any younger, and both Yannick Djalo and Postiga couldn’t hit the ground if they fell off a ladder.

That issue can be minimized with someone like Simon Vukcevic. There are not many players like the Montenegrin in the Portuguese League and while he may have a short temperament he also seems to be an ugly duckling type of figure at the club. His talent alone would justify his presence on the starting XI and the reason to include Jaime Valdes ahead of him is unknown to the Portugeezer

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus bemoaned bad luck for the home loss, but shouldn’t he just admit he made some mistakes? The Portugeezer admires his man crush on Cesar Peixoto, but including him on the starting XI won’t take him far. Peixoto is a utility man, a squad player to be mostly used as a sub.

The ‘new’ 4-3-3 formation is not the problem: the problem is not having the right players for such formation; Peixoto is not a winger, Saviola cannot open up defences if pushed to the wings and Amorim cannot link-up with the frontline like Ramires used to do!

There is a surplus of players in certain positions and a deficit in others, which certainly doesn’t bode well for the Eagles. With two weeks before the transfer window closes, can the Eagles find the missing piece(s) in their jigsaw?

RESULTS Fri Aug 13 Braga 3-1 Portimonense; Sat Aug 14 Marítimo 0-1 Vitória Setúbal, Naval 0-1 Porto, Paços Ferreira 1-0 Sporting; Sun Aug 15 Rio Ave 0-1 Nacional, Beira-Mar 0-0 Leiria, Benfica 1-2 Académica; Mon Aug 16 Olhanense 0-0 Vitória Guimarães.

Porto starting new season on a high

Sergio Santos — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:46:00 GMT

Enough of pre-season matches and never-ending debates on whether this or that team is stronger than last year. The start of the ‘exciting-at-times’ Liga Zon Sagres is upon us, so it’s finally time to get down to the real business - predictions!

Despite the imminent start of the new league season, the Portuguese media are currently more interested in Manchester United forking out €9 million for yet another youngster from Portugal.

Having previously signed much-heralded starlets such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson, the Red Devils this time went one further and picked up a virtual unknown.

Tiago Correia – commonly known as Bebé, which, perhaps predictably, means 'baby' in Portuguese – had only moved to Vitoria Guimaraes five weeks before on a free transfer. That’s ridiculously speedy rise through the game is quite a fitting for a boy who once lived on the streets and represented Portugal in the Homeless World Cup just two years ago.

Congratulations and good luck to him, but we’ll analyze this deal in more depth at a later stage, because right now we have a new season starting!

Braga v Portimonense

New boys Portimonense would have wished for an easier start than a visit to in-form Braga. The Algarvian side are arguably one of the weakest teams of the competition and will take some time to settle into top flight. Braga has too much experience and firepower to let this one slip away. Braga stroll to easy win.

Marítimo v Setúbal

Mitchell Van der Gaag has done remarkably well at Maritimo as a manager, and judging by how his side have played in pre-season and in the Europa League qualifying stages, they seem capable of emulating last season results. Setubal, on the other hand, have lost key men Helder Barbosa and Keita over the summer, and therefore might lack some quality upfront. Home win.

Naval v Porto

The Dragons start their domestic campaign on a high after a morale-boosting victory against arch-rivals Benfica and, quite frankly, they should have no problems beating Naval. Watch out for a good old battering and for new Porto coach André Villas-Boas‘ honeymoon period to continue. Definitely a Porto win.

Paços de Ferreira v Sporting

Mata Real (Paços de Ferreira stadium) is traditionally a tricky turf for any side, and Paulo Sérgio’s men will have to prove they are up for the task. Last year, the Lions were held to a goalless draw and there’s no reason to believe the change in direction promoted by Costinha and Bettencourt has yet to inject the necessary spark. A 1-1 draw in what will be the first of many tests for this enigmatic Sporting side.

Rio Ave v Nacional

Carlos Brito – the perennial Rio Ave manager – has conducted some quite shrewd business this summer. Bringing in the likes of Fábio Felicio, Tiago Pinto, Bruno China, Braga and Joao Tomas has increased both the depth and the quality of the squad. Considering how consistent they are at home, they’ll beat a Nacional side that will need to prove they can be as hard to beat without their former coach, Manuel Machado. Narrow home win.

Beira-Mar v Uniao de Leiria

Newcomers Beira-Mar host Leiria and the sheer excitement of playing the first match of the season at home will give them an extra edge. The Portugeezer sees some goals in this match, but it ultimately ending in an entertaining draw.

Benfica v Académica

The Eagles will have to show something different if they want to woo their supporters. An almost packed Estádio da Luz will give the players some extra motivation, although they shouldn’t really need it as they have more than enough quality to see off the Students. Comfortable win for Benfica.

Olhanense v Guimaraes

Guimaraes lost a few important players such as Desmarets and Andrezinho and will travel to the south of the country to face Olhanense, who have managed to make some interesting additions to their squad. The ‘home factor’ could play a key role here and the Algarvian side will manage to get their first three points of the season. Narrow home win.

What do you think? Do you expect any surprises in the opening day?

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Home
Join in: Twitter * Facebook * Forums

Porto give Benfica plenty to ponder

Sergio Santos — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:53:00 GMT

Perhaps for the first time in recent years, Porto went to a match against Benfica as clear underdogs, as the two sides did battle for the Supercup on Saturday evening.

Having finished in third place and not impressed during pre-season, there was the feeling that the Dragons had to prove themselves and naysayers they could still do it against the reigning champions.

Well, not only Porto shot down the Eagles with a 2-0 victory, but they managed to do it with such ease that Jorge Jesus may still be wondering what went wrong.

Surprises in the starting XIs

There were two major surprises in both teams’ starting lineup - despite his encouraging performances in pre-season, Benfica new boy Franco Jara was surprisingly dropped for Cesar Peixoto; such move saw Coentrao play as a winger as Peixoto slotted in the left back role.

For Porto, it was Jorge Fucile – who may still leave the club – who didn’t start with manager Villas-Boas opting to give the nod to Cristian Sapunaru.

Capitalizing on a dream start

Porto started the match in brilliant fashion, breaking the deadlock in the third minute. After a corner from Joao Moutinho, centre-back Rolando was quick to pounce with a header and gave the Dragons an early lead.

The goal managed to stun Benfica who were completely unable to leave their own midfield in the first 30 minutes.

The midfield trio of Airton, Aimar and Carlos Martins were anonymous due to effective marking from Fernando and Moutinho and with no room to explore, Benfica couldn’t create a single clear-cut opportunity.

Many expected Jesus to introduce Jara after the break to try to turn the tide, but he would only do that at the hour mark.

Unfortunately for him, it was Porto who continued to have the best chances and they would clinch the all-important second goal in the 68th minute when the red-hot Varela found space down in the left flank, dribbled Luisao and crossed to predator Falcao who was quick to anticipate the defender and score another goal

The final whistle couldn’t come any sooner for an outclassed Benfica side that had no answer for a much superior opponent.

Highs and lows

Varela was back to his scintillating best as he tormented Benfica defenders all night long, especially Ruben Amorim.

The 25-year old winger - who had broken his fibula at the end of last season – was simply unplayable and was without a doubt the man of the match.

If Hulk – who was somehow shut out by Peixoto - had one of his inspired nights Benfica could have left with more goals in the bag.

Moutinho may have just played one official match, but he already endeared himself to the Porto faithful with a very promising performance.

The former Sporting captain lived up to this hefty price tag and showed a great understanding with his teammates, a good omen for the Dragons.

Benfica supporters were probably curious to see how Roberto would fare in his first official match for the club, but unfortunately for them the Spaniard confirmed their worst fears.

Roberto mistimed almost every cross thrown into the area, he looked nervous with the feet and could have done better in the first goal. Not only he looks far from justifying the €8.5 million invested in him, but he looks a genuine liability.

Supporters may have thought about Reina and Casillas when the club signed him, but they’re now thinking about Moretto...while shaking their heads in disbelief.
Coentrao was also not as effective as he would probably have been had he played at left back.

He’s fast and can dribble, but he’s so much better when attacking from deep, which is why the decision to play him on the wing backfired. He looked uncomfortable in that area and subsequently Benfica suffered.

What next for Benfica?

Benfica are now forced to go back to June and rethink their strategy because their transfer policy this summer has been pretty mediocre.
Gaitan? Not the player to replace Di Maria, and it’s not clear how he’ll fit in the current formation. Roberto? Not a goalkeeper who can win you matches. Rodrigo? A €6 million player from Real Madrid who may yet be loaned out to Guimaraes. Jara? The only good signing so far and in a position where Benfica already possesses quite a few options.

If they’re serious about using the 4-3-3 formation, they’ll need to buy a Ramires type of player that can complement Airton/Garcia and Aimar/Martins and fast.
Running against the transfer deadline may be dangerous, but hey, after wasting buckets of money in random players, why would they stop now, right?

One last note: congratulations to young André Villas-Boas who despite all the razzmatazz surrounding his ability to lead the Dragons already claimed one title, Porto’s 17th Supercup.

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...

Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Forums * Home
Follow us: Twitter * Facebook

Can Benfica seal another title?

Sergio Santos — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:26:00 GMT

OK folks, the Portugeezer is back from his off-season duties and ready to start looking forward to 2010/11. And while teams are still trying to identify the last pieces of their jigsaw, the first pre-season matches have already given us a hint of what we can expect.

Regardless of whether Benfica can claim another championship, Braga go one better than last year or Sporting or Porto make a triumphant return to the top, there is one thing we do know for certain: the league’s official name is now Liga ZON Sagres. Kudos to the marketing geniuses who pulled out this brilliant name from God knows where...

Anyway, let’s start this pre-season discussion buffet (the plates are to your right) with Benfica, current title holders and perennial contenders.

The Eagles enjoyed a tremendous 2009/2010 season, playing some of the finest football their supporters have seen in the last 20 years. However, the title win means two things: 1) they’re now the team to beat, and 2) they’ll have to handle more pressure to match both their domestic and European ambitions.

In the six matches they’ve played so far Benfica continue to show an above average goalscoring prowess, but are leaking more goals than last year.

Granted, “it’s just pre-season”, but questions are already emerging about Spanish goalkeeper Roberto Jiménez. One would expect a real asset for €8.5M, but worse than not being one is the fact he may become a liability. See for yourself his pre-season ‘greeting card’...

Strengths

So far, and baring in mind we're still some way off the start of the 2010/2011 season, the Eagles have managed to keep their most prized assets with the exception of Ángel Di Maria. They’ve acquired Nicolás Gaitán and Franco Jara, who look capable of becoming useful squad members. Moreover, players such as Ruben Amorim, Javi Garcia, Airton and Coentrão, arguably Portugal’s best player in the World Cup, are now more mature and experienced, and can offer more to the team.

Weaknesses

Even with their immense attacking ability, Benfica lack width. Gaitán is not a pure winger and lacks the raw pace and dribbling ability of Di Maria, now at Real Madrid. Surprisingly, they have loaned out Urretavizcaya, who could have been the one to take up the mantle of Di Maria. Apart from the wings, the aforementioned Roberto must be giving manager Jorge Jesus a migraine: the decision to splash that amount of money on Atletico’s third choice ‘keeper is something that may come back to haunt him.

Who should they buy?

Simão. The former Benfica captain is capable of playing on either wing and is not an invaluable piece at Atletico. With the Spanish club rumoured to be interested in Santi Cazorla, Simão may become available for a cut-price fee which would interest everyone involved. Not a Di Maria type of player, but would add experience, versatility and danger from set-pieces.

Who can they afford to lose?

Cardozo. While Benfica would like to retain the core of last season’s squad, they are neither immune to the financial crisis nor stubborn to the point of not selling a player if a ridiculous offer comes in. Losing David Luiz, Fábio Coentrão or Ramires right now would be a huge blow – except for the coffers obviously – but can the same be said about Óscar Cardozo? The Paraguayan striker was at his sharpshooting best last season with a total of 38 goals, but his limited pace and technique has made some people question whether another striker couldn’t have done more. With Jara in the squad and Kardec more settled, shouldn’t the €25 million offer from Shakhtar have been accepted (if it was ever submitted)?

The verdict

It has been a while – 1983/1984 to be precise – since Benfica last won back-to-back championships. Can they produce the same kind of free-flowing football that dazzled their opponents last season? Yes, but they have to keep the core of last season’s squad to be seen as front-runners...

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...

Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Forums * Home
Follow us: Twitter * Facebook

Benfica splash cash on new keeper

Sergio Santos — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:27:00 GMT

With the World Cup hogging the spotlight, it’s trickier to effectively report on the domestic developments.

Nevertheless, the latest juicy bit from Portugal is too good to pass up and a flabbergasted Portugeezer has to share what is going on at Benfica.

While the national team was getting ready for the clash against Brazil, Benfica quietly announced the signing of Spanish goalkeeper Roberto Jiménez, which would hardly be news if it wasn’t for the fact the former Atlético Madrid player cost €8.5M.

If you’re thinking “I bet that’s a typo”...well, you’re wrong because Benfica have to announce their transfers to the Portuguese securities market commission and the figure is unmistakable.

Now, let’s all calm down and analyze for a second what the Eagles have just done: Quim, their first-choice goalkeeper throughout the 2009/2010 season, while not a world-beater is a good keeper who has been at the club since 2004.

At 34, he’s not getting any younger, but he wasn’t the weak link of the team last season and he could always pass on his experience to a younger, promising custodian.

Still, with his contract expiring this summer, what did Jesus and Rui Costa decide to do? Let him go. Then again, there’s always the argument that Jesus had already stated he wanted a keeper capable of winning matches for his side.

Portuguese number one Eduardo was rumoured to be on his way to Estádio da Luz, but his minimum release fee of €4 millions quickly cooled down any interest from the reigning champions.

Argentinean international Sergio Romero and Spaniard David de Gea were some of the other options mooted, but the problem remained the same: they were all perceived as expensive.

So finally, after scouring the world for a goalkeeper good enough to save shots from God knows where, the club made up their mind and spent the lavish amount of €8.5M on Atletico Madrid’s third-choice goalkeeper, 24 year-old Roberto Jiménez.

Whether he’s good or not, truth is both De Gea and Asenjo are regarded as better shot-stoppers and that’s why Atletico loaned him out to Zaragoza last season in the first place.

And even if he turns out to be that good, the universal laws of supply-and-demand tell us that €8.5M is not the price you pay for a want-away keeper who didn’t play a league match in the 2008/2009 season for Recreativo Huelva.

With neither Atletico nor Jimenez keen on staying together, Benfica could have either got him on the cheap or looked elsewhere for a cheaper alternative (e.g.: Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio or Nacional goalkeeper Rafael Bracali).

Financially irresponsible and sportingly questionable, this signing seems more of a Woody Allen-ish fetish than a well thought out strategic decision to improve the club’s squad.

It shall be interesting to see his first performances for the Eagles nonetheless...

Benfica seal title as question marks already surround Sporting-bound Sergio

Sergio Santos — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:59:00 GMT

At last Liga Sagres has a winner, and (…drum roll…) it is Benfica!

Over 64,000 supporters packed Estádio da Luz to see their team being crowned 2009/10 Champions and when Paraguayan hitman Óscar Cardozo scored in the third minute, few believed the Eagles would somehow drop the ball.

Things would get even easier eight minutes later, when Wires was sent-off for a tough challenge on Brazilian midfielder Ramires.

With everything seemingly going for them, Benfica controlled the match without pushing too hard for a second goal. However that move suddenly looked to have backfired as Rio Ave somehow leveled through Ricardo Chaves in the 72nd minute to give Braga a glimmer of hope.

But that late drama would only last seven minutes as Cardozo grabbed his second goal to not only confirm the title but also surpass Porto forward Radamel Falcao as the league’s top goalscorer.

As for Braga, even though they were only able to claim the runners-up sport – which is a still an immense achievement considering their expectations at the beginning of the season – they can hold their heads high after a terrific campaign that drew many supporters and will see their team fighting for a place in the Champions League, ‘le crème de la crème’ of continental football. They have surely come a long way and it will be interesting to see how well they will fare next season.

Are Benfica deserving champions?

Though the Eagles have played the best football the Portugueezer has ever seen them play (hey, I am young!), their title isn’t without its shades of controversy: the tunnel controversies, some dubious penalty awards and the relatively high number of matches played against 10-men.

Managers usually whisper that the number of decisions for and against them pretty much evens out, but it is hard not to wonder how the Eagles would have coped with more decisions going against them.

Marítimo pip Guimarães to final Europa League berth

Guimarães enjoyed a somewhat slow start, but under Paulo Sérgio the team eventually blossomed into a rather plucky and organized side and for a while it seemed like they could dethrone Sporting from fourth spot.

However, they will be very disappointed to miss out on next season’s Europa League at the last hurdle as Mitchell Van der Gaag steered the Islanders to a surprising 1-2 away win to secure an unexpected fifth place.

Worth watching is Marítimo’s winner in the 81th minute, an example of simple yet beautiful team play!

Thumbs up to the young Dutch manager and thumbs down to Paulo Sérgio who will now be heading to Sporting with more question marks surrounding him…

Welcome Beira-Mar and Portimonense!

The duo were in pole position to clinch promotion ahead of the final round of matches in Portugal’s second tier, and both claimed wins in the final day (Beira-Mar 1-0 Carregado, Oliveirense 0-1 Portimonense) to join the big fish in the scenic pond of the Liga Sagres 2010/11 season.

How they will perform and whether they are capable of beating the drop next year remains to be seen, but we’d welcome any opinions on the matter below.

Just one point of interest to finish off, next season will be first since 1988/1989 that the Portuguese top-flight features two Algarvian teams (Portimonense and Olhanense). It is also interesting to note that in a region with few developed clubs , nobody will play at Estádio do Algarve, one of the stadiums specifically built for the Euro 2004.

And to think AC Milan and Internazionale share their stadium!

RESULTS Sun May 09: Paços Ferreira 2-2 Olhanense, Naval 0-1 Académica; Vitória Guimarães 1-2 Marítimo, Benfica 2-1 Rio Ave, Nacional 1-1 Braga; Sat May 08: União Leiria 1-4 Porto, Vitória Setúbal 1-2 Belenenses, Leixões 1-2 Sporting.

Only Benfica capitulation save Braga's title dream

Sergio Santos — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:30:00 GMT

RESULTS Sun May 02: Rio Ave 0-0 Vitória Guimarães, Marítimo 2-0 Vitória Setúbal, Porto 3-1 Benfica, Belenenses 5-2 Leiria, Olhanense 1-0 Leixões, Sporting 0-1 Naval, Académica 3-3 Nacional, Braga 1-0 Paços Ferreira.

You know the old saying ‘It ain’t over till it’s over’? Well, that pretty much sums up the title race in Portugal at this moment.

With decisive issues still to be settled at both ends of the table, all of last weekend’s round 29 matches started at 20.15 GMT adding an extra bit of intrigue and excitement to the Liga Sagres.

The matches at Porto and Braga could have decided the title – they didn’t by the way but you probably knew that already – while Leixões had their last chance to avoid relegation as they visited fellow strugglers Olhanense.

The ever-fierce ‘Clássico’ between Porto and Benfica hogged the media spotlight in the week running up to the penultimate round of matches, as newspapers tried to milk the clash in every conceivable way (other than literally).

However, even with such big hype-job, the Portugeezer found the match to be a fairly lukewarm affair, and that’s probably being generous.

From the start it seemed clear that Benfica were happy to play for the draw, while Porto wanted to avenge their Carlsberg Cup final defeat and make their fierce rivals pay for the infamous tunnel controversy that helped derail their season.

The Dragons broke the deadlock three minutes before the break when Bruno Alves scored with a powerful header from a corner, but when Jorge Fucille was sent-off at the beginning of the second half, it looked like the tables would be turned.

Brazilian centre-back Luisão would eventually level matters in the 56th minute, but the Eagles’ celebrations were short lived as forgotten striker Ernesto Farías would put Porto in front again just 3 minutes later.
The game remained delicately poised until Fernando Belluschi produced a piece of magic in the 82th minute.

The Argentinean playmaker nutmegged Pablo Aimar and unleashed a powerful shot from just outside the box that stunned Benfica goalkeeper Quim and sent the stadium into raptures.
After the match, both teams complained about the referee – can they ever stop whining?

Several questions were raised by the two sides: was Porto defender Jorge Fucile wrongly sent-off? Should Fábio Coentrão and Luisão have been sent-off? Should Benfica have been awarded a penalty when Hulk handled the ball in the box? Why was Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira sent to the stands?

No matter what, after all the dust settles, the fact is Porto were the better team and they taught Benfica a valuable lesson: don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.

Since Braga narrowly defeated Paços de Ferreira at home with a goal from Meyong, the 2009/10 champions will be decided in the very last day.

Yet Braga are still left praying for Benfica capitulation on the final day in order to clinch the title. They have to win their match at Nacional and hope Benfica lose at home to Rio Ave, which could be a big ask given the Eagles have dropped just two points at Estadio da Luz this season. If Braga can somehow pull it off, it would certainly make for one of the most amazing league endings ever, wouldn’t it?

Meanwhile, Leixões will accompany Belenenses in the Liga Vitalis next season, as they were edged out by Olhanense at Algarve.

The Matosinhos side has been far from the heights reached last season and rarely looked a top-flight team which is why their relegation doesn’t come out as a surprise.

Just like Belenenses, maybe now it is time to regroup and rethink the way the club has been run.

Talking points

Benfica or Braga: which side will claim the championship? They were definitely the most consistent teams and the ones that played better, so either one of them would be deserving champions.

The odds clearly favour Benfica, but stranger things have happened in life...Regardless of the outcome, kudos to Braga for their incredible campaign and for the Champions League spot. That is a huge, huge achievement in itself.

The Liga Vitalis will also witness a nail-biting finish as five teams can still clinch the much-coveted promotion.

Beira-Mar look to be in pole position as they have 51 points and will host basement boys Carregado in the last match but the other spot is far from settled.

Yet the key clash could be second placed Portimonense's (51 points) trip to fourth placed promotion rivals Oliveirense (49 points). Elsewhere third placed Feirense (49 points) and fifth placed Santa Clara (48 points) will play against Estoril and Aves respectively.

Anything can happen and it is almost guaranteed that throughout the 90 minutes the top two will change a couple of times.

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Forums * Home
Follow us: Twitter * Facebook

Braga keep up the pressure on Benfica as title race hots up

Sergio Santos — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:40:00 GMT

RESULTS Fri Apr 23: Rio Ave 0-0 Marítimo; Sat Apr 24: Vitória Setúbal 2-5 Porto, Benfica 5-0 Olhanense; Sun Apr 25: Nacional 1-1 Paços Ferreira, Leixões 1-3 Académica, Naval 0-4 Braga, Leiria 1-1 Sporting; Mon Apr 26: Vitória Guimarães 2-0 Belenenses

Wow, what a terrific weekend for the Portuguese League!

Not so much for a particular match – though there were plenty of goals – but mostly due to the myriad of people that flocked to the stadiums in support of their team. Why can’t it be like this week in week out?

With the European places pretty much decided, the main interest was to see whether this round would produce the 2009/10 champions.

Benfica hosted Olhanense on Saturday hoping a good result would heap the pressure on Braga and cause a wobble, and the Eagles executed the first part flawlessly.

If the 62,000 supporters were not enough to push the home side on to victory, Olhanense midfielder Delson was.

The Brazilian handled Weldon’s cross inside the box in the third minute and would be sent off just five minutes later when he made a reckless tackle on Angel di Maria.

After Oscar Cardozo scored from the spot, Benfica never looked in trouble of dropping any points and naturally created many opportunities throughout the match.

Di Maria scored the second goal and in the second half Cardozo would go on to complete a hat-trick before Pablo Aimar added some gloss to the scoreline as it finished 5-0 to the league leaders.

Many teams may have crumbled under that pressure to perform, but not so this incredible Braga side.

Seven thousand roaring supporters travelled to Figueira da Foz and must have left the stadium with a strong sense of pride as Braga dominated the match and thrashed Naval 4-0.

Uruguayan playmaker Luis Aguiar broke the deadlock in the 24th minute with a stunning free-kick, and then when Brazilian forward Matheus doubled the title chasers’ advantage a few minutes before half time, everyone knew any title decision would be left to the final two matches.

Six points continue to separate both teams and Benfica will now visit their nemesis Porto next weekend.

Considering Benfica’s poor record at Porto, the bad blood between the two clubs this season and the Dragons’ hunger to inflict some damage to their rivals, one may think everything will be settled in the final day.

It would certainly make an intriguing end to this season, but let’s wait and we’ll see how the ‘Clássico’ plays out next week.

Elsewhere, in-form Porto striker Radamel Falcao received a controversial yellow card in the match against Setúbal that makes him unavailable for the titanic clash against Benfica.

After all the controversy with the harsh punishments of Hulk and Sapunaru, have Porto genuine reasons to feel aggrieved? We will discuss this in greater detail come the end of the season, but will the 2009/10 campaign ultimately be tainted by these off-field quarrels?

Vitória Guimarães are ending the season on a high as they close in on a respectable fifth place finish. As announced last week, manager Paulo Sérgio will be heading to Sporting next season in a somewhat surprising move by the Lions.

The Guimarães manager has a CV in many ways similar to Carvalhal’s which begs two questions:

1) Is Paulo Sérgio the right man to bring silverware to the club?
2) Are Bettencourt and Costinha showing lack of ambition by signing a manager who is unproven at top level?

Leixões wasted a good chance to close the gap on Olhanense and now have just one more chance to avoid the much-dreaded demotion to Liga Vitalis.

Fernando Castro Santos’ men are four points behind Olhanense and the two will be facing one another next weekend.

Anything less than a victory and Leixões will accompany Belenenses on the painful summer journey to the second tier of Portuguese football. Can they do the unthinkable and leapfrog the Algarvians in the league table?

Goal of the round

Braga star Luis Aguiar takes the cake because he scored two good goals. The first, as mentioned above, was a delightful curler from 30 yards out that paved the way to his team’s victory.

His second goal, though not as good, was a clever lob that settled the match in Braga’s favour. Are FC Porto regretting the decision to ditch him two years ago?

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Forums * Home
Follow us: Twitter * Facebook

Benfica edge closer to title after derby success

Sergio Santos — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:00:00 GMT

RESULTS Tue Apr 13: Benfica 2-0 Sporting; Mon Apr 12: Vitória Setúbal 1-1 Académica; Sun Apr 11: Marítimo 3-3 Belenenses, Leixões 2-0 Paços Ferreira, Vitória Guimarães 1-1 Olhanense; Sat Apr 10: Leiria 1-2 Braga, Rio Ave 0-1 Porto; Fri Apr 09: Naval 0-0 Nacional.

As the title race goes down to the wire, the much anticipated clash between Benfica and Sporting was the highlight of the round.

Even though the Eagles enjoyed a six-point gap to title chasers Braga, they knew an eventual loss against the pressure-free Lions would weaken their position as they still have to play Porto away.

Furthermore, tradition in the Lisbon derby says that the team playing worse is usually the team that ends up winning the match.

Maybe that’s why it wasn’t that surprising to see Benfica starting the match in a way reminiscent to how the Portugeezer plays FIFA on the Playstation: with no creativity and an uncanny ability to remain in his own midfield. Not that Sporting were doing much better though as striker Liédon barely had any support from their teammates.

At half-time the 0-0 result flattered the Eagles and for a while it seemed they would settle for a draw instead of going all-out for the win.

The second half was different though as Benfica pushed for a goal and started looking more dangerous. The goal came in the 68th minute as Carlos Martins ghosted past two defenders and his long cross met Fábio Coentrão who assisted Cardozo for the easy tap-in.

If some were expecting some sort of reaction from Sporting, they would be left disappointed as the Lions kept quiet and unable to pose a real challenge to the home side.

The match virtually ended 10 minutes later. Ramires found Pablo Aimar with clevery through pass and the Argentinean dribbled goalkeeper Rui Patricio before sending the ball into the empty net. After that goal, the Eagles cruised to register another invaluable victory and move closer to the title.

No matter how the season will end for Braga –and it seems they will be able to clinch at least the runners-up spot – the 2009/2010 campaign will be a historic one for the Arsenalistas.

Working on a much tighter budget, Braga has played attractive football, made the right moves in the market (and that includes selling right-back João Pereira in January by the way) and were simply a cut above the other ‘non-Big Three’ teams. The fact they’re still going strong under pressure confirms how well they have performed.

On Saturday’s match against Leiria, they did what they were asked to, earning a 1:2 success over one of the surprise packages of the season. Leiria scored first, but two goals in 3 minutes from Meyong and Rentería ensured Braga would keep their title bid alive.

At the other end of the table, Leixões were given a lifeline in their quest to avoid relegation as they beat Paços de Ferreira 2-0 at home. It will still be quite tough for them – Olhanense is 4 points away – but at least the 3 points won may give them something to build on.

Can Benfica still finish in second? The match against Sporting was on paper their second most difficult match and should they win at Académica – the other remaining away match apart from the one against Porto – it will be all but certain they’ll be the next Portuguese champions.

This time is for real. Belenenses were saved from relegation last season after Estrela da Amadora were deemed bankrupt. Unless something similar happens – and it doesn’t look like it will – they will be playing Liga Vitalis football next season. And deservingly one must add...

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Forums * Home
Follow us: Twitter * Facebook

Much-hyped Benfica look to come of age at Anfield

Sergio Santos — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:00:00 GMT

Benfica face Liverpool tonight in one of the biggest matches in their recent history.

At the legendary Anfield, the Eagles are fighting for more than a place in the Europa League semi-finals; they’re fighting to return to the glory days of the 1960s, when the club was respected and feared in equal measure worldwide.

In the first leg, Benfica recorded a narrow 2-1 victory courtesy of two penalties from Paraguayan striker Cardozo, but the result has left the tie very open, everything to play for.

Considering what happened in that game and taking into account their most recent performances, The Portugeezer would say the clash between the two teams is a 50-50 bet, but the Portuguese side will be rightly cautious ahead of the game.

Even though Benfica beat a plucky Naval side 4-2 at the weekend, they had to overcome a two-goal deficit and looked sluggish at times.

The match will certainly have drained the Reds’ stars and coach Jorge Jesus admitted some of the players are a bit tired, but in all honesty he only has himself to blame.

Squad players such as Sidnei, Ruben Amorim or Weldon could and should have been used more often to ensure the team could match their ambitions in every competition.

The Eagles played on Monday and had one day less to rest which on paper may give Liverpool a slight physical edge.

Benfica will also be missing Javier Saviola. The pint-sized Argentinean forward has been a revelation this season and is usually the key to open defences and free Cardozo.

Unfortunately, he fractured a toe a fortnight ago and will be sorely missed.

Weldon is injured, Vélodrome hero Kardec is not ready to start and Nuno Gomes does not possess the required match fitness either which means Pablo Aimar will likely be deployed in the supporting striker role.

Liverpool also hold home advantage, and playing at Anfield is a tough job for any visiting team.

The incredible atmosphere at the stadium lifts the team and guides the players to a better performance, especially on a European night.

When the Scousers start a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” one realises they actually mean it.

Yet there are also reasons for Benfica to feel optimistic going into tonight’s game.

Liverpool and Rafa Benítez are not exactly enjoying their happiest days.

They stumbled at Birmingham City last weekend and the Spanish tactician shocked everyone when he decided to replace the prolific Fernando Torres with the ineffective David N’Gog.

Captain Gerrard, in particular, was astonished by a decision that may have affected the team spirit. After all, Liverpool are in real danger of missing out on a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.

Benfica will also go into the tie with that goal advantage. If they play a clever game, they’ll invite Liverpool to go forward so that they can hit the English side on the counter, which is certainly one of their strengths with the likes of Angel di Maria in the side.

Expect through-balls similar to the one made by David Luiz against Naval to be employed in order to exploit Di Maria’s pace.

Prediction: Liverpool 1 Benfica 1

This is a tricky affair but The Portugeezer is making a bold prediction.

Both sides on their day are able to kill off a match, but it may well be that both lack the mental and physical strength to deliver a knock-out blow tonight.

Though previously rated as a 50-50 encounter, should Benfica survive the expected initial onslaught from the home side, they’ll have a better chance of going through.

They’ll have to sweat blood and tears, but if they play like they did against Marseille, they will be in the semi-finals.

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Portugal: News * Stats * The Portugeezer
FFT.com: Blogs * News * Interviews * Forums * Home
Follow us: Twitter * Facebook

A cracking weekend that changed little

Sergio Santos — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

It is not every day Liga Sagres sees so many goals in just one round, but last weekend offered a tally of 26 goals, which is even more impressive when considering that two matches ended in a 0-0 draw.

The match between Braga and Guimarães was the textbook definition of a thriller: five goals, four penalties, four red cards and an awful lot of controversy.

Guimarães had been the first team to defeat the Arsenalistas this season and knowing the fierce rivalry between both sides, many accurately predicted a tough match for the title chasers.

Interestingly the visitors were the first score, but Braga were able to come from behind as both Alan and Meyong scored from the spot.

The best was yet to come though as 10-men Guimarães were awarded a penalty in the second minute of injury time; Andrezinho scored what could have been the goal that dashed Braga’s title hopes, but there was still time for another goal.

Wason Rentería fell inside the box and the referee incredibly pointed to the spot for a fourth time and sent-off three Guimarães players for protesting the decision. Meyong made no mistake again and one minute later the match would end as Braga continue their relentless pursuit for an unprecedented title!

Porto defeated Marítimo at home in a match that witnessed a frenetic start with three goals in just 8 minutes! With 15 seconds played, Japanese midfielder Taka took advantage of the initial apathy and scored from outside the box to give the away side a surprising lead.

The Dragons weren’t fazed though and 3 minutes later Radamel Falcao scored what will probably be the goal of the season. Hulk - who put in another good performance - crossed from the right flank and the Colombian striker connected with the most beautiful of bicycle kicks.

Late coming spectators were probably still trying to get into the stadium when Raul Meireles put the Dragons in front with a speculative header that goalkeeper Peçanha was not able to hold.

Buoyed by their encouraging start, Porto wouldn’t allow the Islanders to get back in the game again and pushed for more goals. Falcao would eventually score his 20th goal in the league and Hulk added a fourth to secure a more than comfortable victory for the Dragons.

Sporting entertained Rio Ave at home and gave Carlos Brito’s men a high five. The man of the match was the usually ineffective Yannick Djaló who scored a hattrick; Djaló actually scored the other wonder goal of the round as he acrobatically volleyed home a cross from Liédson.

Liédson and Moutinho scored the other goals in a game where Sporting were by far the better side.

It is also very curious how quickly Marat Izmailov fell out of favour with the club.

The Russian, who hadn’t featured since his apparent refusal to play against Atlético Madrid, came on in the 72th minute under loud jeers from the Sporting faithful but would be sent off 10 minutes later after a foolish tackle. Pretty sums up his current demise...

Benfica played against Naval on Monday knowing they could not afford to slip-up but the home side was in no mood to make things easy for the high-flying Eagles.

Naval reached a 2-0 lead with just 12 minutes played to test Benfica’s title credentials, but Jorge Jesus’ men were quick to react. Weldon – a surprising inclusion in the starting XI – scored two goals in 3 minutes to draw level and Di Maria would put his team in front before the break much to the relief of many Benfica supporters watching the game.

The current table-toppers controlled the match in the second half, especially after Cardozo killed off the match in the 55th minute, and will be happy for their inspired reaction; however, it is impossible to overlook the fact Benfica are a team running out of gas. The players looked tired and the team as a whole looked sluggish. Do they have enough in the tank to beat Sporting?

Round 25 Results: Mon Apr 05: Naval 2-4 Benfica; Sat Apr 03: Olhanense 2-2 Vitória Setúbal, Paços Ferreira 0-0 Belenenses, Académica 0-0 Leiria, Porto 4-1 Marítimo; Fri Apr 02: Braga 3-2 Vitória Guimarães, Nacional 1-0 Leixões, Sporting 5-0 Rio Ave.