Catching Up

After a much deserved vacation, I'm back, feeling refreshed and ready for the new season. Three weeks have gone by, and in the Benfica world, some things have changed some things have not. Talking about these past three weeks in detail would be tedious, instead, I'll run through some of the highlights of these past 3 weeks.

Petit
As i was leaving for vacation, the media reported that Petit was on the way to FC Koln, the move would eventually materialize with Benfica allowing the experienced midfielder out of his contract and annulling any wage obligations Benfica had with Petit through 2010, somewhere around 2m. At 32 years old, Petit isn't at the pinnacle of his career, and despite having been an undisputed starter at the Euro 08, Petit's season was all but consistent. Staying away from the "what have you done for me lately" mentality, there's no doubt in my mind that Petit has served Benfica, and well, the experience he brings to the team, and his leadership, are qualities that no other player in the current squad has.
I have mixed feelings about his exit, but when it comes down to it, Benfica's decision is understandable. Benfica and Petit reached a crossroads, and both parties decided well.
On one side, Petit signs the contract of his life, a contract that will see him finish his career making an amount of money he has never made before.
On the other side, despite the obvious future financial gain, Benfica stays on course with their project and opts for youth. With Binya, Yebda, Fellipe Bastos and Katsouranis, all being able to play the defensive midfield position, the sector was crowded for so many players. All 4 players bring different levels of experience, none of them like Petit, but they ensure a bright future for the project.
Thank you for everything, you have done for Benfica, wish you all but the best.

Obidos Concentration

Following the Guadiana tournament, Benfica entered a week long training camp in Obidos, a training camp that culminated with the team's participation in the Guimaraes tournament. 30 players entered camp but the squad would be trimmed before the week was out. Moretto replaced Bruno Costa mid-week, in a move that made a lot more sense than spending 2m on Real's Codina.
Zoro, Sepsi, Yu Dabao, and Bruno Costa all got their orders and by weeks end were training apart from the main squad.

Guimaraes Tournament

I was fortunate enough to be in the north of Portugal during that time, and drove two hours south to the beautiful city of Guimaraes to watch Benfica play PSG. It was just another pre-season match, but it was good to see the team up close and notice a bit of progress from the Guadiana tournament. Benfica's newest signing, Sidnei, got the surprising start and apart from PSG's 2nd goal, he really impressed me. Relaxed, strong on the tackle, and aerial game, with good feet for a center back. Quique experimented 2 separate configurations, but it wasn't until the second half, when Benfica played with 2 center forwards that Benfica, ended up being a more dominating team. The result was the least important, there was a small, but noticeable improvement from the past weekend.
Benfica would eventually win the tournament after beating hosts, Guimaraes, on monday, in a game where Quique stayed with the retracted forward configuration, with Aimar as the chosen one.

Reyes

Along with Aimar, Reyes is Benfica's biggest acquisition of the season, regardless of coming on loan, Benfica acquired 25% of the player's pass from Atletico Madrid for 2.65m, in a move that probably involved the 2 player option Benfica had from the Simao deal. At the end of the season, Benfica will have the option of acquiring Reyes.
There's no questioning the talent of Reyes, the whole issue is whether the Sagres league and Benfica's project will present enough of a challenge for Reyes, that he will feel compelled to stay in the long run, and perform above what he is known for in the short run.
Reyes is a player that is used to the highest level of competition, and despite his career looking like it has hit a snag in recent years, this may be his chance to project himself to the top. Wish him all the best.

Luis Felipe & Assis

The media had, for quite sometime, been reporting that both Luis Felipe and Assis were on their way to Guimaraes. Benfica announced their departure, on their official site on the 6th of August. Luis Felipe on loan with buy out option, Assis was let go at 0 cost, but Benfica signed a "first dibs" clause, as well as a clause in which Benfica would have to authorize the player to play for any other club in Portugal.
Assis opted to bad mouth Benfica claiming that the club had kept him in the dark about his future.

Official team introduction.

No matter how many times i have been to Estadio da Luz, it never fails to impress me. Every time i walk down the tunnel, into the seating area, chills are always present. Off course, Vitoria's flight is always one of the highlights of the night.
Benfica dominated and won convincingly, let's hope their domination at home this year is better than last years. Cardozo scored the lone goal, his 3rd in as many games. Benfica showed some more improvement from last game, and Reyes got the crowds approval when he hit the post the first time he touch the ball. Estadio da Luz was far from being sold out but still a good crowd of around 42k.

Eusebio Cup

The final, and by far, the hardest test for Benfica came against Inter in the Eusebio Cup. The team is starting to take shape, and despite still waiting for another forward, there's already routines established between the players. It was a good game, and Benfica did not dissappoint, even though they still showed some deficiencies, typical for this time of year. Inter snapped up the trophy after the penalty shootout.



With the season less than a week away and the squad more or less defined, let's hope Benfica can have a good start of season. The team shows some promise, but only time will tell, it's a rough first 5 games, with matches against Porto and Sporting.

Upcoming Posts:

- Looking at the Squad
- First month preview
- Rio Ave - Benfica Preview