Benfica 3 - Estrela da Amadora 0 - A Tale of 2 Halves

Benfica finishes out the year with 3-0 win over Estrela da Amadora, putting an end to their Bwin 2 game losing streak. With the win, Benfica solidifies second place, and continues their chase of leaders Porto.

Camacho repeated the starting 11 from this past weekend's loss against Belenenses, with the exception on Binya being in for the injured Petit. Quim was in goal, Nelson, Luisao, David Luiz and Leo were the back four. In the midfield it was Katsouranis and Binya in front of the defense, while Rodriguez, Rui Costa and Maxi, supported Cardozo up front.

4-2-3-1 -vs -4-4-2

It's hard to think that after Saturday's poor performance, Camacho wouldn't make any changes to the line up, but he didn't. Sticking to his 4-2-3-1 with Binya coming in for the injured Petit, Benfica started the game in the same fashion as they ended the Belenenses game, slow, inimaginative, without offensive solutions. Not a very good start, for a team who has title hopes and needs to put on a strong run if they ever expect to fight for the title. Once again the defensive midfield seemed to be unable to provide passing lanes for Benfica's build up game and Benfica could not get a good flow of play. Rui Costa often dropped back to initate Benfica's offensive game, leaving Cardozo as an authentic island, unsupported and surrounded by "sharks". It wasn't all bad, Benfica did have a couple of chances in the first half, with both Cardozo and Rodriguez having good chances, but these chances were few and far between, the real problem lay in Benfica's inability to establish any sort of game flow, and although Benfica didn't deserve to be up on the scoreboard at the half, they did have most of the initative in the first half; but their lack of consistency and organization was reflected on the scoreboard at the end of the first 45 minutes of play.
Camacho didn't wait long and had Both DiMaria and Nuno Gomes warming up before the half even ended.
The same 2 players came in for Rui Costa and Nelson. Nuno Gomes joined Cardozo up front, while DiMaria went to the right wing, with Maxi dropping into the right defender slot. It didn't take too long for the change to be noticeable, the midfield was now touching the ball around, up front there were combinations and Benfica seemed like a whole different team then the one from the first half. It wasn't too long before the change would bear its fruits, after Binya hitting the crossbar with a well placed shot, Benfica would get on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute. Rodriguez headed a Binya long throw to put Benfica up. The Cameroonian's long throws are a real weapon for Benfica, as Binya can easily reach the penalty spot from the sideline. Rodriguez took advantage of the throw to score his 4th goal for Benfica. Di Maria, despite playing in his less favoured side, turned out to be a real headache for the Amadora defenders, utilizing his speed. Di Maria, turned out a good performance and provided the offensive spark Benfica needed on the right side. Nuno Gomes was also being a factor, playing closer to Cardozo, and combining with the midfield, to establish the game flow that Benfica had been missing. Even Cardozo benefited from having someone closer to him, playing a more relaxed and accurate game, often creating room for himself. Benfica's domination was clear and Benfica created several chances, Benfica was a more dangerous team, the midfield controlled the game with Binya assuming the offensive transition game, the Cameroonian played well, although he still needs to work on his passing accuracy. Benfica's dominance would once again payoff, this time from the p.k. spot. David Luiz suffered a clear foul inside the box and Cardozo stepped up. Cardozo equaled Nuno Gomes' 5 goal Bwin tally with a well placed hard shot, 71 minutes had gone by. Freddy Adu came in for Rodriguez in the 83rd minute, in time to see Nuno Gomes' score Benfica's third, his 6th for the Bwin, after another good combination play on the right from DiMaria, who assisted the Nuno Gomes's tap in.
3-0 was the final score in a game where the 4-4-2 "defeated" the 4-2-3-1. It's very clear that Benfica is better "equiped" to play in the 4-4-2 at this time. The 4-2-3-1 is a very good sytem, but you have to have the right personnel in order for it to function properly.

Benfica heads into the holiday break with a lot to figure out. January market is right around the corner and Benfica needs to sign their targets as soon as possible. 2-3 players is what Camacho needs in order to better the squad. After signing these players, Camacho will need to sit down and figure out how he's going to set up the team. It's very possible that he will stick with the 4-2-3-1, but for that he will need at least one player to make the system more effective. On the other hand, the 4-4-2 seems to be the system in which Benfica plays best in. With the new players coming in, what will be Camacho's options?

The new year brings the final match of the first round for the Bwin, a very difficult match against Setubal, a team that has only lost one game for the Bwin. Benfica will need to come out firing on all cylinders with the new year, they can't afford to lose anymore points to Porto, for that they will need to put together a very good domestic winning streak, and hope that Porto will slip.

The Uefa cup is also at stake, and despite having a very accessible adversary in Nurnberg, Benfica will need to be consistent, if they want to have any type of longevity in this competition.

The Portuguese Cup is, at this moment, the most realistic domestic trophy for Benfica, and even though Camacho will, most likely, give playing time to the less used players, Benfica still need to have a strong showing.

Saudacoes Benfiquistas and a Merry Christmas to all my readers

Alfredo Fumacas

Photo Credit FRANCISCO LEONG/AFP/Getty Images