Second Test of the Season

Benfica started their Guadiana Tournament with a loss against Blackburn Rovers. In a game where Quique gave chances to the players on the bubble to impress him, Benfica presented themselves a level above the Benfica we had seen against Estoril. It's natural for the team to show progression at this stage of the season, and progression they showed, despite the team still being far from what Quique desires.

Quique showed 2 different 11s once again,
In the first half:

Moreira in goal, Luis Felipe, Luisao, EdCarlos and Sepsi from right to left. Yebda, Fellipe Bastos in the middle, Nuno Assis and Carlos Martins on the sides of the midfield. Urreta and, the 16 year old, Nelson Oliveira were up front.

In the second half:
Moreira, Luis Felipe, Katsouranis, Miguel Victor and Sepsi on the left. In the midfield, Binya, Amorim, Balboa and Assis. Aimar made his Benfica debut upfront with Makukula

Two 11s, two different configurations,

In the first half, the classic 4-4-2 with Yebda played in front of the defense while Fellipe Bastos was the man that supported the attack. Both players showed good coordination in filling in for one another in their interchanges. Assis and Martins are far from being wingers and played interesting roles in this set up. Both players are interior players but when put on a more lateral role they provide for an interesting dynamic. Up front, your run of the mill 2 forward set up, both Urreta and Nelson Oliveira are not your classic static center forwards which fits well with the Martins/Assis set up, both forwards can show themselves on the corners of the box to combine.

In the second half, Quique experimented with the 4-2-3-1, with Aimar very close to Makukula. Both Amorim and Binya acted has defensive midfield stoppers while Assis, now a little more to the middle, supported Aimar. Balboa was in his natural winger position, glued to the line. Makukula provided the presence in the middle of the two central defenders.

As I posted following the Estoril game, it is unfair and meaningless to post about the team's performance this early in the season. These games are really to put what's been learned in training to work, and Benfica, especially the midfield, shows some interesting progression and understanding of individual movements that help the collective as a whole. The midfield seemed the most synchronized out of all the sectors, especially in the first half, when Yebda and Fellipe Bastos were on the field.

Individually:

Moreira - Continues to make up for lost time, up until this time, he has been the main goaltender used by Quique, mainly because Quim is not 100% yet. He had a few lapses, but nothing that compromised his good showing.

Luis Felipe - Nothing new here, he continues to show he is not a player for Benfica, he is certainly one of the players to go elsewhere by week's end. In all fairness, Luis Felipe is not a bad player in general, but ever since he got to Benfica, the "weight" of the shirt seems to have taken him down a few notches, and he hasn't been able to rise above that pressure.

Sepsi - He had an important opportunity yesterday, but, in my opinion, might have sealed his faith. An erratic performance, and misses that are not acceptable for a player who is involved in a 3 way fight for a spot on the left side of the defense. Along with Luis Felipe he might have just boarded the one way greyhound.

Luisao - With 3 days of training under his belt, Luisao still has a lot of work to do.

Edcarlos - In contrast with Luisao, Edcarlos has been with the squad since day 1, and the signs of a new player trying to emerge are minimal. It's no surprise why Benfica has acquired Sidnei, as Edcarlos is very far from being an adequate back up, both from what he showed last season and what he has shown so far, he will need to make major improvements if he is to remain at Benfica.

Yebda - Continues to not disappoint, strong on the physical confront and secure on the build up, out of all the new faces, he seems to be adapting the best.

Fellipe Bastos - It was the first time that i've watched him in action, and there's no doubt in my mind that we are in the presence a serious talent.
Quick, strong, tireless and maturity at decision time, are some of the qualities exhibited by Fellipe Bastos. He is a serious contender for a starting job, after what i saw yesterday, and what has been written about this youngster.
Camacho wanted Benfica to loan him out, after he got shutout of the Bwin signing window, but Benfica decided to keep Bastos under lock and key at Seixal, and now we know why, he can very well be one of the biggest reinforcements of the 08/09 season.

Assis - Despite all that's been talked about about his eminent exit to Guimaraes, Assis continues to plug away, yesterday was no different. Assis played the whole 90 and put in an impressive amount of work. Yesterday he showed up on the left, and then in a more interior role as Quique continues to see if there's a slot available for Assis in his plans.

Martins - A slight improvement from the Estoril game, but in a different position, he was crucial in Benfica's first goal setting up Fellipe Bastos for the shot that Urreta finished off. With Aimar and the possibility of two more defensive minded midfielders(Petit and Fellipe Bastos)in Quique's preferred line up, his chances of breaking into the starting 11 might be limited, he has handful of opportunities ahead to make his case.

Urreta - Scored on an opportunistic rebound, and showed himself to be very mobile by dropping back into the high midfield to offer support to the midfielders. His stay at the club is very dependent on who's yet to come for the front line, even so, he has shown arguments to stay.

Nelson Oliveira - the 16 year old won't forget theese past weeks, although he has shown great talent and potential, his tender age and his inexperience will eventually send him to the junior squad, but he will be in the list of players to be called up by Quique if the need arises.

Katsouranis - Just like Luisao, 3 days under the belt and still a lot of work to do. His future is still undecided, one thing is for sure, if he is to remain at Benfica, he will be in the defense and not in the midfield. It wouldn't surprise me if Benfica tried to involve Katsouranis in some kind of a deal for another player. With Benfica asking for 10m for the Greek, he would have a better chance of leaving on a "swap" deal, but then again, Benfica would be dictating where he would go, and as everyone knows, Katsouranis wants somewhere closer to Greece.

Miguel Victor - Continues to work like every player on the squad, with Sidnei's arrival, Victor, just saw his chances diminish. He needs to take advantage of every opportunity. Depending highly on Katsouranis' future, he is in a 3 way fight with Edcarlos and Zorro, for 1, possibly 2 spots on the defense. If I had to choose between the 3, I'd pick Victor. He is young, has a bigger margin of progression and is a product of Benfica's formation.

Maxi - Not a lot of work done yet, but Maxi brings more consistency to the right side of the defense.

Jorge Ribeiro - Also one of the latest players to join the team, Ribeiro is poised to fight with Leo for the left back starting spot, especially after Sepsi's performance yesterday.

Binya - Nothing we hadn't already seen from the Cameroonian, Physically strong and with a set of lungs that allows him to be where he is need. He remains to be a diamond in the rough, as some of his skills are not as developed as they should be. Question is, does Quique think he can improve him through the season? or will he ultimately be involved in the trade that will bring Smolarek over from Spain's Malaga?

Amorim - Out of all the new players, Amorim is the one that has impressed me the least. I know the player and i know what he is capable of, but i find him lacking confidence, let's hope we are not in the presence of another player who can't bear the "weight" of the sacred mantle.

Balboa - Continues to impress, his speed and his quick dribble make him a pleasant surprise on the right side of the midfield. Considering we had absolutely no right midfield last year, Balboa's arrival and his capabilities takes on an even bigger importance.

Aimar - Not too much can be asked of Pablo yet, but on his Benfica debut, he showed why he is a world class "10" with little details here and there.
Still a lot of work ahead for the Argentinean, but being able to see him in action and thinking of what he can bring Benfica is a reason to be excited.

Makukula - He is running out of time to prove his worth, but yesterday he scored some point with Quique. Not only for the goal he scored but for also the physical presence and concentration he showed in ground game.

All and all not bad for a second game, which was once again a good observation point for Quique. Benfica plays every game to win, but yesterday's loss can't be seen as defeat.

Sunday we will see a set of new faces. Quim, Leo, Petit, Nuno Gomes, Zoro, Cardozo maybe even Sidnei are all set to make appearances this Sunday, along with a supporting cast of players who are in better physical conditions.
The game itself, despite being against our eternal rivals, is not as important as all the other ones this season, but a win would be nice.

I thought it was strange that Quique chose to not have a keeper on the bench. Bruno Costa, who has been with the team since day 1, should also play on Sunday, and if he doesn't then the writing is on the wall, as far as Benfica needing another keeper.


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