'Tis the season, many of you are returning some less than desirable gifts - the ugly tie, the 3 pairs of green socks your grandma gave you, or even that argyle sweater you got from one of your distant aunts. Well Benfica is no exception.
Zoro was Benfica's first acquisition for the new season, arriving on a free from Italian "powerhouse" Messina. Zoro was referenced as a powerful center back that could play on the right as well. Zoro played 300 minutes in the Carlsberg Cup, picking up 2 yellows in 3 games. Marc Zoro never seemed to even be a second choice for Camacho, he was unfortunate to be hurt during the beggining of the season, and missed a clear opportunity to prove himself and grab a starting job, during the time Camacho had no one to play center back, but the Junior Miguel Victor and Katsouranis. The only memory I'll have of Zoro is his incredible miss that allowed Setubal to send Benfica out of the Carlsberg Cup. Zoro is one of the players with the largest salary in the squad and refuses to go on loan if his financial situation detiorates, although immediate playing time will increase his chances of being called up for the CAN by his country.
Andres Diaz arrived at Benfica along with with Di Maria, in a deal that looked like 2 for 1. Despite being part of the world champs u-20 Argentinian squad, Diaz never really impressed many people at Benfica. He got limited time in the Carlsberg Cup, never really showing anything more than average skills. He is currently being sought by some Argentinian teams, and wether he will be sold or go on loan still remains to be seen. Depending on what the player currently makes, Benfica should give him another year or two to see what comes of him. Obviously, if he was called to the u-20 there might be something there but needs time to develop.
Bergessio came to Benfica from Argentina's Racing, he was received with a lot of expectations, labelled as a strong, workhorse second striker. Bergessio was the player that dissappointed me the most. He couldn't seem to catch the right break, and every time he was given an opportunity, which were plenty, he failed to capitalize. He was given plenty of minutes to convince Camacho, with minutes in the Champions League, the Bwin and the Carlsberg Cup. Even when the team tried to "carry" him and put him on the right track, he would fail miserably. Many Benfica fans, including myself, wanted to see this player do good but Bergessio never turned out to be the player that people had expected him to be. The memory that stands out the most, is his game against Boavista. He came in on the 79th minute, of Benfica's Boavista trouncing, and was given the chance to score Benfica's 7th goal from the penalty spot. The Benfica players convinced Bergessio to take the penalty, hoping that with the penalty he could somehow get out of his bad funk, but Bergessio ended up missing the penalty, in what it was a mirror of his short Benfica career, opportunity and opportunity wasted. Perhaps he didn't have time to adapt, and ultimately falls victim to the fact that one of the sectors Benfica needs to strenghten is the one he plays in. He vows to vindicate himself to the fans and the club upon his return. He has several clubs interested in him in Argentina, and at this time he will most likely be sold, rather than loaned.
Zoro was Benfica's first acquisition for the new season, arriving on a free from Italian "powerhouse" Messina. Zoro was referenced as a powerful center back that could play on the right as well. Zoro played 300 minutes in the Carlsberg Cup, picking up 2 yellows in 3 games. Marc Zoro never seemed to even be a second choice for Camacho, he was unfortunate to be hurt during the beggining of the season, and missed a clear opportunity to prove himself and grab a starting job, during the time Camacho had no one to play center back, but the Junior Miguel Victor and Katsouranis. The only memory I'll have of Zoro is his incredible miss that allowed Setubal to send Benfica out of the Carlsberg Cup. Zoro is one of the players with the largest salary in the squad and refuses to go on loan if his financial situation detiorates, although immediate playing time will increase his chances of being called up for the CAN by his country.
Andres Diaz arrived at Benfica along with with Di Maria, in a deal that looked like 2 for 1. Despite being part of the world champs u-20 Argentinian squad, Diaz never really impressed many people at Benfica. He got limited time in the Carlsberg Cup, never really showing anything more than average skills. He is currently being sought by some Argentinian teams, and wether he will be sold or go on loan still remains to be seen. Depending on what the player currently makes, Benfica should give him another year or two to see what comes of him. Obviously, if he was called to the u-20 there might be something there but needs time to develop.
Bergessio came to Benfica from Argentina's Racing, he was received with a lot of expectations, labelled as a strong, workhorse second striker. Bergessio was the player that dissappointed me the most. He couldn't seem to catch the right break, and every time he was given an opportunity, which were plenty, he failed to capitalize. He was given plenty of minutes to convince Camacho, with minutes in the Champions League, the Bwin and the Carlsberg Cup. Even when the team tried to "carry" him and put him on the right track, he would fail miserably. Many Benfica fans, including myself, wanted to see this player do good but Bergessio never turned out to be the player that people had expected him to be. The memory that stands out the most, is his game against Boavista. He came in on the 79th minute, of Benfica's Boavista trouncing, and was given the chance to score Benfica's 7th goal from the penalty spot. The Benfica players convinced Bergessio to take the penalty, hoping that with the penalty he could somehow get out of his bad funk, but Bergessio ended up missing the penalty, in what it was a mirror of his short Benfica career, opportunity and opportunity wasted. Perhaps he didn't have time to adapt, and ultimately falls victim to the fact that one of the sectors Benfica needs to strenghten is the one he plays in. He vows to vindicate himself to the fans and the club upon his return. He has several clubs interested in him in Argentina, and at this time he will most likely be sold, rather than loaned.
2 comments:
And meantime, Roque Santa Cruz, that was with a foot at Benfica in the summertime (not good enough for Benfica... :|) goes on shining at Manchester City... :(
there were a lot of people with a foot @ Benfica according to the media. Unfortunately Benfica does not have the World Projection they once had, and that counts for a lot, if you are a world class player, and you are trying to prove yourself at the world stage, you'd certainly pick the premiership over the Bwin. until Benfica is in the top 10 best clubs in the world, the Bwin will only serve as a trampoline to bigger and better things.
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