Benfica tied Sporting at home and dropped another 2 points to Porto, the difference is now 8. I'm not going to do a detailed analysis of the game because many of you saw it. But i'd like to point out some positives and some negatives from the game. The starting 11 was just as i predicted in the post right below this one. Although the team was set up a little different from what i had anticipated.
Welcome back Nelson, for some reason i can't stand Luis Felipe, his insecure way of playing , his lackadaisical approach to the game, his slow reaction time and his lack of speed going forward for a modern wing back. While Nelson as often caused me to curse him in the past for his inconsistencies, he is a way better player than Luis Felipe, it was nice seeing him back, a good first half an average second half. Also good to see back on the team was Luisao. Luisao is still showing lack of competitive rhythm, yet, his sense of positioning and the respect he demands is something that makes an immediate impact on the team. Edcarlos once again showed he is a great player and at this point one has to wonder if David Luiz will be able to get his spot back, nonetheless it's good to have depth at that position that has affected Benfica for a while now. In midfield, i enjoyed seeing Katsouranis, who seems to be going to a great spell of form, next to him Maxi, who seems to be alot more productive in that area of the field, as he is a player that his very combatitive as well as a workhorse, for their first time together i think they formed a good tandem, something to watch in the upcoming games. Rui Costa played in his familiar role although with a lot more freedom this time because of 2 players with defensive characteristics behind him, however he was "gone" from the game for a good 15 minutes, just disappeared towards the end of the first half, a player of his influence can't have moments like that, and maybe it was good marking by Sporting. Apparently after half-time adjustments were made and in the second half we had the Rui Costa that we all know. Great shot from the outside of the box for an incomplete Stojkovic save that Nuno Gomes incredulously could not finish. On the flanks Rodrigues and Di Maria, it's very obvious that Rodrigues was a good acquisition and it's beyond me how PSG let him go, their loss. Very active, always fighting on both sides of the ball, good performance. Di Maria also played well, and one has to wonder if that's the position where Benfica can use him the most. Up Front the lonely Nuno Gomes who, as i already mentioned, had an incredible miss...he also had a header from a Rui Costa cross that went wide, Not much else to add, Benfica fans are beginning to grow tired of his ineffectiveness and his incredible misses, a player with his salary should be doing a whole lot more for the team. The Subs: Cardozo for Nuno Gomes, Cardozo brought very little to the Benfica offense, and i'm wondering why can't they play together? they played together against Naval and it was clearly Benfica's best game.. Freddy Adu for Di MAria, once again Adu started well and even suffered a clear penalty the referee did not see right at the end of the game,
I hope we can see a lot more of Freddy. Nuno Assis for Rui Costa, this one too, brought nothing to the game.. I really don't know why the subs were done so late, i would have loved to have seen Freddy get a few more minutes.. we lost 2 points in the race for the league, the good side is that we didn't lose, and although we could have very easily won, we could have lost too. Benfica has an important game mid week for the champions league, a game we need to win, a win that would justify why we were in the second seed pot of the champions league draw...
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Benfica Ties Sporting
Friday, September 28, 2007
Benfica - Sporting Preview
Benfica hosts Sporting this Saturday night (14.15 EST) in a surely sold out "Catedral".
Rui Costa will be the playmaker. On the sides Rodriguez and Maxi will return. Upfront Di MAria will once again play behind the center forward in a mobile role, as for the center forward, most likely it'll be Nuno Gomes, due to his derby experience. Cardozo will come off the bench IF Benfica goes behind or if Nuno Gomes is not playing well.. Looking at the other 8 players, It's very probable that either Freddy Adu or Zoro will not dress, i'm predicting Zoro, Because Adu will provide more offensive power if needed, and Miguel Vitor will be the back up mid-defender spot.. Let's look at the bench players, if indeed what i described above is the starting 11. Butt, Luis Felipe and Miguel Vitor, these will be back up players. Binya and Nuno Assis will be on the list of 4 probables to come in the game. Binya to chase in the latter part of the game as Rui Costa is not much of a defender and will tire out towards the end, Binya's entrance can also give Rui Costa more freedom and a clear offensive minded role, with no defensive responsabilities. Nuno Assis has been coming off the bench, but has really not proven anything when he does, nonetheless, he will be one of Camacho's options. As i said before Cardozo will most likely come off the bench at one point in order to provide a target in the box. Adu rounds off the list of 4 possible substitutes, i'd love to see Adu play, but, it'll be hard although the logic is there.. either to one of the flanks or switching positions with Di Maria and Di Maria going to one of the flanks.
courtesy of Maisfutebol.iol.pt
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Chances
Benfica beat Estrela Da Amadora after penalty shootouts, just to resume i'd like to say it was a terrible performance by Benfica, who benefited of a bad penalty call by the linesman to tie the game and to send the game into penalties.. With that out of the way i'd like to concentrate on the players who were given playing time and what they made of that playing time.
Butt: one capital mistake that tarnished his performance, setting up the wall in a frontal area with 3 men. What was he thinking? Yes it was a great shot but a wall with a minimum of 4 men, which should be standard for a free kick in a frontal area, could have very well blocked a shot that was driven and entered the goal at medium height. He also missed one of the penalty kicks, which i was hoping would be the downfall of Benfica, because they did not deserve to be in the penalty shootout.
Nelson: nothing too flashy, but it was good to see him the full 90 minutes, he is clearly better than Luis Filipe and i hope he will start soon.
Luisao : still showing lack of competitive rhythm, yet his sense of positioning is undeniable, hope to see him in the starting line up also.
Zoro: Had a discreet performance with no major mistakes, barring the "almost" penalty he caused.. But also nothing that would make him stand out.. still needs rhythm.
Miguelito : clearly proved why he isn't called up to the game roster.. simply has nothing to add to the team.. does not take advantage of his speed, he is just a common player, that should be back at Nacional.
Binya: Not as much of a flashy performance as on Sunday, but the same work rate, made a lot of bad passes. A player that recovers a lot of balls should be able to have a high percentage of completed passes or else you might as well not be recovering those balls to start with. Will most likely sit the bench on Saturday if Luisao starts and Katsouranis comes to midfield.
Nuno Assis : Simply horrible, not even starting can Assis make a significant contribution. He is unable to take control of the game and be an influence, It won't be too long until he stops being an option off the bench. It's hard to understand how Luis Felipe Vieira declared him an important "acquisition" for the new season.
Dabao: I find Dabao to be extremely naive to the game, slow, too predictable and maybe that is due to the fact he played alone up front, or maybe it's due to the fact that he still needs to log a lot of Bwin league competiton minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if he is on the list of available for loan, come January.
Andres Diaz : continues to be just a common player.
Fabio Coentrao: Tried his best to bring speed and creativity into the game, but without much follow up from his teammates but not a bad night out..
Freddy Adu: Adu came in at half time and showed some some interesting pieces of skills, he brought a new hope for the fans at hand, yet, his efforts could not find continuity in his teammates. Showed what he is made of by deciding to take the non-existing penalty that would eventually send the game into the penalty shootout, something worth noting, Freddy seemed happy and did not waste the chance given to him by Camacho.. it will not be long until he is on the game roster week in week out.
Looking back at the game, i'm thinking that it would have probably have been better if Benfica had lost, not because i hate winning games on dubious calls, but because it just adds to the already full schedule Benfica has... Not to mention i would give up the League cup over a berth into the next round of the champion's league or even well deserved rest to be full strength for the Bwin.
Porto lost on penalties to Fatima, a second division team, yet, i can't feel bad for them as they have gotten rid of the burden that is to play the Carlsberg cup, especially when you have the Champions League to worry about and if the Champions league fails the Uefa cup, so without the Carlsberg cup to worry about Porto can now concentrate on the Bwin and champions league's. Sporting also beat Vitoria de Guimaraes in penalty shoot outs.
Saturday Benfica plays Sporting in a very important game, I'm curious to see the game roster.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Carlsberg Cup Preview - Estrela - Benfica
Benfica plays Estrela da Amadora this wednesday on a match for the Carlsberg Cup, aka League Cup. Being that it's a cup game and it's still in the early stages Camacho has decided to rest some of the starters while giving opportunities to the less used players. It will be Benfica's second game in 4 days, and with the Lisbon Derby just around the corner, it is wise to rest some of the key players.
Camacho has called up the following players:
Quim, Butt, with the German most likely to get the notch in goal. For the defensive sector Camacho has called: Luis Filipe, Luisao, Zoro, Miguelito, Miguel Vitor and Nelson. Luisao will start along side of Zoro or Miguel Vitor, Camacho hasn't had a chance to see Zoro in action and this is the perfect time, so i think he will start. Luisao is coming off an injury and needs competitive rhythm same goes for Nelson which should start on the right side while Luis Filipe will sit and be there as a back up, Miguelito, which has earned his first call up, will probably start on the left. Choices for the midfield will be: Andres Diaz, Binya, Cristian Rodriquez, Maxi Pereira, Nuno Assis, and Romeu Ribeiro. Binya will once again play defensive mid while Nuno Assis will play in Rui Costa's spot, Cristian rodriguez and Maxi will repeat the positions they occupied on Sunday against Braga.. For the attack these will be the men available to Camacho: Di Maria, Fabio Coentrao, Yu Dabao, and Freddy Adu. Di Maria will start again in a center forward supportive role while the center forward position will probably given to Yu Dabao. The only sector remaining the same from Sunday will be the midfield, the defense will most likely be brand new, yet, as good as Sunday's 4 man team.
Estrela da Amadora which is 1-2-2 in the Bwin Liga so far, looks to be an accessible opponent yet playing at home, they can make things difficult for Benfica.. Benfica need to come out strong and score early to take them out of the game.. Look for a good performance from Di Maria as well as Binya, the Cameroonian will look to build up on Sunday's performance in order to remain a permanent fixture in the starting 11. With Luisao's eminent comeback to the center of the defense, the return of Katsouranis to his normal role is more than obvious, Katsouranins is at this moment one of Camacho's favorite players, not only for his versatility but for his great performances. Binya will be looking to prove he is the man for the job, while Petit recovers from knee surgery. Maxi will need to play better if he wants to keep his spot on the right side of the midfield. Up front Dabao will try to establish himself as a choice man, with Mantorras back in training he knows he must show what he is capable of or he might go on loan in january, as Benfica will hit the market looking for a goal scorer. On another note, it's Adu's first call under Camacho, he will undoubtedly be ready, he needs to compete with Nuno Assis for the number 2 CM position and chances like this might not come too often, after not earning call ups for the league games, he needs to be ready if he is called on. If the game turns one sided quickly, look for Adu to come off the bench, to either play in a CM position or in Di Maria's position, which will most likely be saved for this weekends important match we can most likely expect Fabio Coentrao, in for Rodrigues.
Benfica needs to win in order to gather momentum going into the important weekend clash with Sporting, and after the tie in Braga the supporters have begun to doubt the teams capability to fight with their closest rivals for the League, already 6 point behind of Porto, Benfica will need to get back on track, and while this is only a game for the League Cup, it will serve not only as a momentum builder as well as a chance for players to show Camacho they can be options.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Stall in Braga
Benfica lost 2 points to leaders Porto this past Saturday tying in Braga in a lackluster performance. Camacho started: Quim in goal; Luis Filipe, Katsouranis, Edcarlos andLeo composed the defense; Binya, Rui Costa in the middle, with Binya in a more defensive/work horse role and Maxi and Rodriguez on the wings; Di Maria roamed free in a supporting role to Nuno Gomes. Cardozo sat out, after end of the week criticism( incentive in disguise)from Camacho's part. I thought Camacho's choice was the right one as Nuno Gomes is in a clear rise of form while Cardozo has hit somewhat of a standstill and has begun to raise questions by the Benfica faithful as to whether he is worth the 9 mil Benfica spent on him. I liked Binya's performance, i hadn't seen this player in action yet, and he surprised me with his work rate as well as his simple football . Rui Costa seemed to show tiredeness, maybe from the Pharyngitis that affected him mid-week that forced him out of practice, nonetheless at 35 he continues to be the driving force behind the team but one can't expect him to play week in week out without some kind of a breakdown. Other notables; Quim with a couple of game saving saves, he is for me, the best portuguese keeper and i think Scolari should give him a chance. The save from Linz's header was out of this world. Katsouranis remains very stable and solid in the back, Ecarlos is quickly getting used to the Portuguese game, showing a no nonsense style of playing. Maxi didn't have all that great of a game, maybe troubled by the head butt he suffered in the first half, and the worry that such cut on a bald head does not appeal to the ladies. Rodrigues, fought and played well, from his feet came the biggest Benfica chance, he took a shot inside the box from a tight angle that Braga's keeper made a good save.. but i wonder if he could have done better with it, maybe a lateral pass to Nuno Gomes.. Di Maria had a discreet performance as well as Nuno Gomes. I can't understand how Benfica can not make a cross that goes to a challenge area, all crosses seem to be going over the center forward beyond the second post or short, i lost count of how many crosses were just long or short.. and it's hard to put it in someone's head every time, but at least put it in an area where a player can challenge a ball... Horrible second half by Benfica, with Braga clearly showing signs of tiredness from having played on thursday, Benfica failed to capitalize, not to mention the horrible substitutions Camacho made Nuno Assis for Di Maria and Cardozo for Nuno Gomes. Why not Cardozo for Maxi? Nuno Gomes drops to Di Maria's position and Di Maria goes to the right.. I didn't understand the Di Maria substitution being that he is a player that is very strong on the one on one and at anytime he could create danger, That one was just beyond me. In a game that was not supposed to be easy, Benfica came out with 1 point, Benfica fans can't consider themselves happy, because these are the games where you establish your favoritism and your place in the league. As far as the refereeing.. unbelievable call on Binya's clean heel tackle that earned him a foul and a subsequent yellow card, a foul, which i might add, was called a good 5 seconds after the play. For all Benfica Fans this was somewhat of a let down, having won the past 2 league games by 3 goals and thinking the team is starting to gain momentum, this was somewhat of a reminder how much work Camacho still has to do not to mention the players that are hurt that are important to the team, Luisao, Petit. Benfica Plays mid-week against Estrela da Amadora for the league cup then plays Sporting at home, in a game that is very important not to loose points.
Porto showed why they are in first place with a hard fought win away at Pacos de Ferreira, these are the games that count at the end of the league.
Sporting tied at home against Vitoria de Setubal, a team that has not lost yet in the Bwin, Sporting was down twice, but managed to tie 5 minutes from the final whistle, the second goal for Vitoria seemed like a "frango" from the Sporting Serbian keeper Stojjkovic, from the replay it looked like the ball took an irregular hop on the worst field in the Bwin presently.
Loose ones:
- Benfica has not lost in 26 games in the portuguese BWin.
- Benfica has not given up goals in 4 games for the Bwin.
- Binya was on his way to Estrela on loan, Camacho stopped the move and kept him in the squad..
Thursday, September 20, 2007
What Now Ze' ?
The"Bomb" dropped early Thursday morning, much to the surprise of the soccer world, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea mutually agreed to go their own separate ways. Insiders claim this has been in the making since January. Multiple clashes with Chelsea's directive, namely Abrahamovic, some of them public, some of them now coming to light have been said to have been the catalysts of the rupture. England - there is no way Mourinho will end up in England at least not in the very immediate future, meaning, this season, he would never do that to his players. Even next season I very much doubt Mourinho will return to England as a coach. He has won everything there is to win in the Premiership and being a man of challenges, the Premiership no longer presents a challenge to Mourinho.
Italy - There were rumors that Inter's Mancini might be on the outs, after an abysmal start of season. I think Mourinho would only coach one of the big clubs ( Milan, Inter, Roma, Juve) but, Inter is the only one where he could step in due to their current situation.
Spain - Mourinho has coached in Spain before as an assistant. Spain would probably be country that he would be willing to move to.. Real's Schuster has publicly said that there's a possibility that he will only finish out this year, after what apparently seem to be disagreements with the Board.. I think Mourinho would fit right in and Real's current squad seems to be a more traditional Mourinho squad than the one from last year or the year before that. Barcelona, Seems like Rijkaard seems to be in hot water already, a lackluster start of season has brought out criticism and displeasure from the fans. Out of all the teams in Spain Barcelona would be the last one Mourinho would opt for. Too many stars, too many individualistic personalities, not a squad for Mourinho, who relies heavily on Team chemistry. I can see Mourinho stepping onto Sevillha or maybe Atletico or even Valencia. These are teams that fit his style..
He might also take time off from coaching.. But reports already surfaced this morning that he wants to work, and his agent has already confirmed an offer from a big club in Europe.. I really don't see him going anywhere else other than Italy or Spain... It's too early for the national team, and the FPF is going to let Scolari finish out his contract and then go from there.
Wherever he might go he is destined for sucess as he has proven that despite his abrasive, arrogant personality he is one of the best... The only thing i know for sure is that, he will never take on a team he doesn't feel he can coach. Mourinho is known for taking average players and making them into superstars as a result of team success and that's what he will do.
We all wait and speculate in the mean time.
Greetings - Welcome to Talking to the Doll
Hello...Here I am. I've been kicking around the idea of starting a blog for quite sometime, but was unsure on what i could put together that would interest people to visit, then i realized that i would get enjoyment from just posting for myself, sort of like a diary. The idea first started a few months ago when i started regularly visiting soccer related blogs. I was impressed with how some of these blogs were put together, the information contained in them and the way it was presented to the reader. I didn't always agree with some of the statements i read, but respected them, which is the beauty of it. You say(write) what you want, if it's interesting enough people comeback, if it's not they don't, nonetheless they give you different points of views. I have visited close to 100 different Blogs and have a good 25 that i usually return to. Most of them are Portuguese soccer related Blogs, I find some of them very interesting because they express different and interesting points of view, almost like hanging out with your friends talking soccer and debating difference of opinions. This was what attracted me to Blogging... Anyway, My Blog will most likely be soccer driven and will mostly talk about the Portuguese Bwin league. I am not an expert journalist, but consider myself someone with an above average way to see and understand the game. It was based on this, that i decided to start this blog, most of the Blogs i visit are in Portuguese, this one will be in English, maybe some of the Portuguese citizens spread throughout english speaking countries can find this a place where they can visit often, if not I will just be "a falar para o boneco". In any case, this blog will be entirely for my enjoyment if people enjoy it and decide to comeback, it'll be great.. Welcome to Talking to the Doll
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