Benfica's exclusive option to buy Christian Rodriguez expires today. After today, any club can come in, and lure the Uruguayan international with an attractive offer for next season.
Rodriguez has been an important part of this season's team, and in my opinion, top 2 of the many acquisitions Benfica made this year.
Rodriguez's pass is currently owned by a group of investors and is valued at 8mm euros. Benfica has tried to lower the value of Rodriguez's pass along with the wages desired, which are reported to be somewhere around the 1.5mm euros/season.
Rui Costa has expressed the desire to keep both Leo and Rodriguez for next year since they are important first team players.
Certainly a player to keep, a player that is part of the core of good players Benfica currently has. It would be a great mistake not to make every effort to keep Rodriguez, a player who has demonstrated that he can be a great asset to the team, and that embodies the type of spirit that characterize a Benfica player.
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Monday, March 31, 2008
Reminder to LFV
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Benfica 4 - P Ferreira 1 - First home win of 08
Benfica holds on to second place with their first home win of 2008 over P. Ferreira by the score of 4-1. Benfica dominated P. Ferreira for most of the game to do what they haven't done in 3 months, win at home.
It was Chalana's first home game since he took over as interim coach. For this game Chalana started the following players:
Quim in goal; Nelson, Edcarlos, Katsouranis and Leo in the back. Petit was the lobe defensive midfielder while, Rui Costa, Rodriguez and Maxi composed the rest of the midfield. Up front it was Nuno Gomes as the drawn back forward to Cardozo.
A straightforward line up, with Chalana opting to leave the the workhorse Binya on the bench, while giving Maxi the start on the right, a position the Uruguayan has played countless of times this season.
Benfica started well, playing quick and emphasizing the short game while keeping possession. This seems to be Chalana's preferred method of play - possession in the midfield in order to dominate the game and create chances.
Benfica had their first warning at the 9 minute mark when Rui Costa fired a dangerous shot, that was corresponded by a good save by the P.Ferreira keeper.
Benfica's dominance was obvious, and would eventually go up on the scoreboard after a Rodriguez rocket from 25 yards out. Rodriguez saw himself free of a marker in the middle of the field and fired a shot past the P. Ferreira goalie to put Benfica up on the scoreboard. Benfica justified the advantage as they had been the dominating team up until that point.
Unlike the past games, Benfica kept on the same level of game they had shown until the goal. Although not a devastating, demolishing game, Benfica did enough to show that they were the only team with intentions to win. P. Ferreira very rarely threatened Benfica, and their incursions into Benfica's defensive area were few and far between. It was from one of few attacking incursions that P.Ferreira reached the equalizer. After a lost ball, the P. Ferreira forward chased a ball down towards the corner flag, with Nelson in close pursuit, the P. Ferreira player opted to slow down and let the chasing Nelson hit his leg, the P Ferreira went down in the box, and the referee decided to call a penalty.
40 minutes into the the first half and Benfica had been dealt an unjust blow to what they had done up until that point in the half.
Benfica went into the locker room feeling the unfairness of the scoreboard, Benfica was the dominating and the only team that looked to win the game, on the other side, P. Ferreira tried to defend as best they could, and hoped that by keeping the game close, they could frustrate Benfica into making bad decisions and eventually get the much needed tie.
Benfica came out strong in the second half, dominating much like they had in the first half, but failed to make an immediate impact on the scoreboard. Chalana subbed in DiMaria for Maxi, in a move that would make Benfica's midfield a more attacking prone unit.
Benfica would eventually go up on the scoreboard in the 69th minute, after Cardozo took advantage of a clear shot opportunity inside the box, firing a shot, that tricked the P.Ferreira keeper with a deflection.
It was Cardozo's 20th goal of the season in all competitions for Benfica, a plateau established by Luis Felipe Vieira for the Paraguayan, when he was initially questioned by the Portuguese media if Cardozo was really worth $9m.
Benfica wouldn't look back from then on, and would eventually get the "rest easy" goal in the 74th minute, on a sublime Rui Costa free kick. Chalana subbed in Mantorras in the 79th minute for Nuno Gomes, in order to refresh the attack.
The maestro would put the icing on the cake 6 minutes after that, putting the scoreboard at 4-1 in the 85th minute.
Before the referee put an end to the game Binya still had a chance to touch the ball, when he came in for Cardozo in the 86th minute.
Individually:
Quim - 6 - not much work tonight.
Nelson - 7
Edcarlos - 6
Katsouranis - 6
Leo - 7
Petit - 7
Maxi - 6
Rui Costa -8
Rodriguez - 8
NuNo Gomes - 7
Cardozo - 8
Mantorras - 6
Binya - not enough time
DiMaria - 6 - only one play comes to mind - a play in which he took off from the midfield, only to be fouled in front of the box, a foul that resulted in Rui Costas', sensational free kick.
MOM-Rui Costa
Overall Benfica played well, maintained possession and was able to establish a flow of game. The final third inefficiencies continue to exist, but are now less evident because of the dominance the midfield. Benfica continues to hold on to second place in the Bwin but has a very hard upcoming game against Boavista.
Chalana stated that the players have been happy and confident in training, and that if that same happiness and confidence was carried on to the field, then Benfica would have no problems in winning their games.
If you ask me, there's a noticeable difference in this Benfica team. Despite playing the next to last team, Benfica was able to show a change from two weeks ago, and that can only be a good sign as they approach the final games of the season, with still alot at stake.
These two weeks seem to have started something within the team, let's hope that it's not just a flash in the pan, and that the team can build up on tonight's win.
Cardozo Goal
Rest of the goals
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Saturday, March 29, 2008
Benfica - P.Ferreira - Preview
Benfica returns to action this sunday for the Bwin against P.Ferreira, exactly two weeks since their last game for the Bwin. P Ferreira is currently 15th(next to last)in the Bwin, with an away record of no wins, 1 tie and 10 losses. On the other side, Benfica has had their home woes this season, losing 15pts in all of their home games this season, certainly something that will be one of the main reasons why Benfica wasn't more competitive for the top spot in the Bwin.
So, what can be expected from benfica after this 2 week hiatus?
For one thing, this time has allowed for many Benfica players to fully recuperate from their injuries, and with the exception of David Luiz, who had successful metatarsal surgery this past week, all of Benfica's squad will be at the disposable of Fernando Chalana. Freddy Adu returns from his 4 game absence, after successfully helping the US qualify for the Beijing Olympics. With the squad practically at full strength, these two weeks have also given Fernando Chalana a chance to put into effect some of his coaching methods, it has allowed him to settle into the coaching position and create new training routines for the players. A valuable two weeks for a coach who was just given the interim position.
Here's Chalana's 3rd game roster:
Keepers: Quim and Butt
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Nelson, Léo, Edcarlos and Sepsi
Midfielders: Petit, Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Rodriguez, Maxi Pereira, Binya and Di María
Forwards: Mantorras, Cardozo, Makukula and Nuno Gomes
Chalana has opted to leave both Zoro and Luisao out, two players who only started to fully train towards the end of the week, and might not be ready to play the full 90. Freddy Adu has also been left out of the game roster, as far as i know, Freddy is not hurt, which indicates that his exclusion is a technical option, an option that is questionable, being that Freddy comes off a great moment of form. It would make sense for Chalana to take advantage of Freddy's positive momentum and confidence at this point and use Freddy, at least off the bench.
Having called that many forwards, it's obvious that Chalana will play with 2 up front, with that in mind here's my projected line up:
Quim in goal, Nelson, Edcarlos, Katsouranis and Leo in the back.
Petit will be the defensive midfielder while Rui Costa, Binya and Rodriguez will be in the midfield. Up front will be Benfica's best goal scorer, Cardozo and Nuno Gomes.
After having played this past wednesday for the National team and scoring, Nuno Gomes will be Chalana's choice to start along side Cardozo. Chalana will try to give continuity to Nuno Gomes, as he will be an important part of the season ending push, not only as a leader but also for the level of experience brings to the team, a level which will be important in the final moments of the season.
In the midfield, it's hard to leave out Binya, but his positioning on the field will have a lot to do with his productivity. He will most likely be a little more to the right side than his usual central positioning, but will be involved in closing down the middle and helping to build, by playing in close proximity of Petit and Rui Costa, a style Chalana has been presenting, supported play in the middle of the park, which allows for the side defenders to use their lateral corridors more often. Rodriguez will play his usual left wing position.
The only objective left in the Bwin is second place, a second place that Benfica shares with Guimaraes despite Benfica having the advantage on the tie breaker. With Guimaraes having already won their game this weekend, Benfica will now have to mantain that small advantage in second place, winning their game also.
Only a win will do for Benfica, as they will need to be consistent, if they are to lock up second place.
In the first round it was like this:
Zerozero.pt - Game board
Highlights
How i saw it
Historically
10/02/20 Benfica 4-1 P. Ferreira Taça de Portugal 07/08
03/11/2007 P. Ferreira 1-2 Benfica bwin LIGA 07/08
26/02/2007 Benfica 3-1 P. Ferreira bwin LIGA 06/07
22/09/2006 P. Ferreira 1-1 Benfica bwin LIGA 06/07
07/05/2006 P. Ferreira 3-1 Benfica Liga betandwin.com 05/06
08/01/2006 Benfica 2-0 P. Ferreira Liga betandwin.com 05/06
10/04/2004 Benfica 2-1 P. Ferreira SuperLiga 2003/2004
07/12/2003 P. Ferreira 0-3 Benfica SuperLiga 2003/2004
06/04/2003 P. Ferreira 1-3 Benfica SuperLiga 2002/2003
10/11/2002 Benfica 7-0 P. Ferreira SuperLiga 2002/2003
01/08/2001 Benfica 4-0 P. Ferreira Liga Portuguesa 2001/02
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Have We Met Before?
#photo Michael GottSchalk - getty
Another grave mistake by our president.
Despite singlehandedly defeating our national team, it was nice to see him again, and wonder how this player did not have a spot on the "best squad in the past 10 years"
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Under the Knife
David Luiz will be undergoing foot surgery in the Netherlands today. As you may recall, Luiz suffered an injury to one of the metatarsals of his right foot and hasn't been able to give Benfica his contribute for quite sometime. After a brief period of indecisiveness on whether or not surgery would be the best choice, the young Brazilian and an element of Benfica's physio, traveled to the land of tulips to get a specialist's opinion, which suggested surgery would be the way to go.
Recovery period will be a minimum of 2 and a half months, putting at risk his participation in the summer games of Beijing for Brasil.
Wishes of a speedy recovery
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Looking for a few good Fans
I'm looking to get a new blog project off the ground, a National Team Euro 08 blog.
With 74 days left until kick off, i'd like to see if i can assemble a team of National Team fans that are willing to contribute to the blog in informative and creative ways. The Blog content will be exclusively based on the National team and its participation in this summer's Euro competition.
There are only 2 pre-requisites required to be a contributor:
1 - Love talking "Futebol".
2 - Love the National Team.
Contributions can be made in any language, but the main blog language will be English.
There are no limitations as to how much someone can contribute or the time they devote to this project. The most important thing is the different opinions that are brought to the table. For those of you that would like to contribute but are hesitant because you might feel you don't have the proper writing/language skills you should not let that fear hold you back, as the most important thing you can contribute is an intelligent perspective and understanding of the game.
Looking for National team fans from all over the world, Switzerland and Austria in particular.
If interested please email me at fumasslb at gmail.com.
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Type rest of the post here
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Looking in on the Dallas Cup - 4 - Updated
The Benfica juniors have ended their run in the Dallas cup losing to Liverpool by the score of 2-1. Liverpool who had annihilated the competition up until this point(7-1,9-0,5-1) seemed to have found their match in Benfica, being able to defeat Benfica by the samallest of margins, in a game in which Benfica was called "a tricky side" on the Liverpool official site. That is all the info i could gather, in the meantime if any other information surfaces i will be sure to add to the post.
Details on the game
From the Dallas Morning News
Andras Simon took advantage of Benfica goalkeeper's bobble to score the first goal in the 35th minute.
But Benfica struck back in the second half. David Simao scored from 30 yards away in the 61st minute. Boti Demel almost did the same from outside the box a few minutes later, but his shot bounced off the right post.
Liverpool turned the game around late and became more aggressive on offense. Benfica couldn't hold Liverppol off, and Nememi escaped on the left side, setting up Flynn's winning goal.
Original Article
videos
Out of this tournament we have witnessed the emergence of Fellipe Bastos as a real promise. The Brazilian 18 year old, earned praises from Junior coach Joao Alves,who labeled Fellipe a real talent that can fight for a starting spot in the senior squad next year.
If you recall Fellipe Bastos joined Benfica last January but due to his 18th birthday falling on February 1st(one day after the deadline to sign players) has not been able to compete. Despite his young age, Bastos has been a permanent fixture in first team training and was even hailed as the future by Camacho. He has been characterized as a strong center mid, being able to play both a defensive and an offensive midfield position, with emphasis on his box-2-box qualities.
Also out of this tournament, is the confirmed emergence of David Simao, a player that is often called to the training squad, and has even been part of some game rosters this year.
Back to the Talking to the Doll Blog
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Continue Reading..
Friday, March 21, 2008
UEFA spells J-O-K-E backwards
Uefa has announced that they will be suspending Oscar Cardozo for 3 games, as a result of Cardozo's elbow to the Getafe defender which earned him a red.
In the same day they also annouced that the "gentleman" featured in the videos below will be part of "Training Ground" a section on Uefa.com which features world class players demontrating their skills..
-END-
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Freddy On Fire!!!
#Photo - Bill Waughn - AP
Freddy Adu was once again the focal point of US's success. Scoring two goals from set pieces and being a constant danger to the Canadian defense.
Throughout this tournament, Freddy has been the leader of this young U-23 team that will be in Beijing. He is currently THE player at the forefront of new emerging talent out of the US. Having scored in every game he has played so far, Freddy has dominated the opposition and has shown why Benfica spent 2mm on him this past summer.
He is a player that can not be discounted off the Benfica squad, and that will quickly find his way on to the starting 11, as early as next season. Freddy has made a tremendous leap in maturity level and also in his game mentality, a change that is being reaped first hand by the US national team.
click on the link below to read the live commentary of the US Game.
Live Commentary Courtesy of Nick Giffen in simulcast with Nicks' own blog soccerticker.blogspot.com
Looking in on the Dallas Cup - 3
Having already qualified for the semifinals, Benfica played their last game of the group stages this wednesday against Mexico's Guadalajara. The final score was 2-2.
The semifinals are now set, on one side there will be Monterrey and Tigres, both teams from Mexico, and Benfica will play Liverpool, who have tallied a total of 21 goals in their 3 games of the group stages. The games will take place on Friday, with the Benfica game being the late game at 10pm est.
As of this moment this is all the info i could access, if anyone knows goal scorers and line ups please leave them on the comment box.
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Has to be Said
All day i've been stewing on this, and i must tell you that i felt compelled to post about this earlier, but i didn't want to get into it, for personal beliefs.
This morning Scolari revealed the list of players that will be be part of the team that will play Portugal's friendly against Greece, this upcoming Wednesday.
Here's the list:
Keepers: Ricardo (Betis, Esp) and Rui Patrício (Sporting).
Defenders: Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Caneira e Miguel (Valência), Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (Stuttgard) and Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista), Pepe (Real Madrid).
Midfielders: Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Carlos Martins (Recreativo de Huelva, Esp), João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso (Sporting)
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani (Manchester United), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto), Simão Sabrosa (Atlético Madrid) Nuno Gomes (Benfica) and Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen).
I've never been one to question Scolari's call ups, or even been upset by them, but today i was really upset when i saw that Quim had been left out of his list.
Quim is currently, in my opinion, the best Portuguese keeper, his excellent moment of form have many believing that also. His exclusion of the national team for this game is a tremendous injustice, and something that hast left me questioning Scolari's logic behind it. Maybe another chance to see Rui Patricio? With the time running out on Scolari's final list announcement, there might be a couple uncertainties on players that are on the bubble, and deserve another look.
There's no doubt in my mind that for Scolari, Ricardo will always be number one, it does not matter who #2 is, and what his level of talent is. Ricardo "owns" Portugal's goal. I'm fine with that, and accept it, but with Quim's current moment of form i have often argued for the Benfica keeper to get a chance. But to be completely excluded? I just don't get that, and i have nothing against Rui Patricio, I think that he is a good keeper with a great future in front of him, despite having had some shaky moments this season.
Being the good soccer patriot that I am, I have never rooted against Portugal, and never will, I have never desired any misfortune on our national team. Despite being a Benfica fan and having disdain for players from other clubs, when they reach the national team, i'll root for them as i would root for any Benfica player, because it's for the nation. This is one of the reasons why I decided not to post about it earlier, but after stewing all day, i decided to come out and speak out on the injustice that it was to leave Quim out of the national team, whether or not Scolari needs to further evaluate Patricio. If you want to follow that reasoning why isn't Quim given a shot at the the #1 spot? He has shown he deserves it.
Just needed to get that off my chest.
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David Luiz - Out for the Season
David Luiz will be undergoing surgery on the 5th metatarsal of his right foot and will be out for the rest of the season. As you may recall, Luiz suffered this injury in the beginning of the season, and was able to recuperate from it, however the same injury came back to haunt him not too long ago and has kept him out of the line up. Surgery will now be required in order for a full recuperation.
David's Olympic hopes are also at risk as he might not recuperate in time for the competition.
Best of luck to David Luiz, we sure miss him and what he brings to the team.
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Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Benfica News 3/18/08
Benfica will have a long layoff before next game, as this weekend there are no games scheduled for the bwin. Sporting and Setubal will play the final of the League Cup this saturday down in Algarve and sunday is Easter Sunday.
In the meantime, click on the link below for a few tidbits of news:
- Today's "A Bola" Confirms that Chalano will remain at the helm of Benfica until the end of the season. After meeting with Luis Felipe Vieira yesterday, it was decided that Chalana, Sheu Han and Rui Aguas continue until the end of the season.
As far as a new coach, it's rumoured that, there's already a name and that preliminary negotiations stages have been initiated, although the name is being kept as secret as Osama's whereabouts.
The club had previously defined a coaching profile they would like to have, and apparently have found the right person, although that name will remain a secret until the end of the season.
- Benfica Juniors - If you have been following my posts about Benfica's Juniors in the Dallas cup then you'd know that Benfica has already qualified for the Semifinals where they will most likely meet Liverpool, who has just been killing every team they have faced so far.
Benfica has one more game in the group stage, a game which will see them face Mexico's Guadalajara Wednesday, March 19. The semifinal match will take place friday March 21st.
Keep your eyes on this Blog for updates. Information coming out of the Dallas Cup is limited so if you run accross any information please email me - afumacas at msn.com.
We also have a reader in the Fort Worth area, if there's anyone out there who is local to Dallas and is able to go and watch the games live it would be great to have a review.
- Brazilian press reveals that Benfica has shown interest in Fluminense's Thiago Neves. Neves is a center attacking midfielder and is being referenced as Rui Costa's possible successor. The 23 year old, is currently under contract with Fluminense until 2011, with a buy out clause of 30mm.
It is not the first time that Benfica has shown interest in Thiago Neves, last year Benfica initiated an approach to sign the player but it fizzled out. Thiago Neves is currently one of the best players playing in Brazil, he won the "Bola de Ouro" last year, an award that is given to the best player in the league, which is based on the player's performances throughout the season.
- It's back to white for Benfica. Benfica will be going back to their traditional all white alternative uniform for next season. After going through a myriad of colors for their alternative kit(pink, beige, silver, orange, black, gray)in the past few years, with the exception being their centenary year 3 years ago, Benfica will go back to their roots with the all white.
Also new for next season will be 3 stars above the teams emblem, the 3 stars will symbolize the number of domestic leagues won, with each one of them representing 10 league titles. Benfica's current tally is 31.
- Freddy Adu will be in action again this upcoming thursday, march 20th, when the US plays Canada for a place in the finals of the Concacaf Olympic tournament and subsequent Olympic Games qualification. The two finalists of the tournament will automatically qualify, although the winner of the tournament will earn a higher seeding for the Olympic Tournament draw.
- Still on the Olympic topic, DiMaria has made the preliminary 30 man roster for Argentina's Olympic squad. A squad that includes Lionel Messi, Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Mascherano, Cambiasso, Julio Cruz, Demichelis and Diego Milito. if you recall, each team is allowed to take a limited amount of players above the age of 23. With those names Argentina will surely be the heavy favorite.
- Oscar Cardozo has also been called on by his national team for a friendly match. The match will take place on the 26th of March in South Africa against the 2010 World Cup host country, South Africa.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Looking in on the Dallas Cup - 2
Benfica's Juniors beat Frankfurt's Eintracht today by the score of 4-2 to clinch a spot in the semifinals where they will meet the winner of bracket B. Most likely Liverpool who currently leads bracket B with 6 points.
Benfica leads Bracket C with 6 points, 4 points ahead of second place Guadalajara from Mexico, a team that Benfica will meet on the last fixture of group stages.
Benfica's 1-0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps, came at the expense of David Simao's and his 35yd strike. David Simao has often been part of the the senior team training squad.
On the score sheet against Eintracht were Fillipe Bastos, Toumany, Demel e Wang.
As you may recall, Bastos has been training with the senior squad ever since Benfica acquired him. The Brazilian u-19 national team captain, missed the signing deadline stipulated by the Portuguese League by a couple of days, due to his birthday and Benfica was unable to sign the player as a senior. Joao Alves decided to take Bastos to the Dallas Cup where he apparently has been dominating the competition from the defensive mid slot.
Next Match will be on Wednesday the 19th where Benfica will meet Guadalajara at Pizza Hut park the home of MLS' FC Dallas.
Current Standings and Results
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Looking in on the Dallas Cup
The Benfica Junior team beat Whitecaps Residency from Vancouver by the score of 1-0.
Benfica will play Frankfurt's Eintrach today.
Click on the link below to read an article about the game, courtesy of Frank Cunha at the Talksoccer.com Benfica forum.
Residency fall to Benfica in Dallas Cup
March 16, 2008
Whitecaps Residency battle with Benfica in their opening Super Group game at Dallas Cup XXIX on Sunday.Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency fell 1-0 to Portuguese giants Benfica in their opening U-19 Super Group game at Dallas Cup XXIX.
Despite creating some excellent chances in the first half and having a goal from a set-piece disallowed in the dying stages, a fine second-half strike from Benfica earned them an opening victory in Bracket C at Dallas' Richland College.
A bright and windy day in Texas greeted both teams for the Sunday afternoon contest, with Thomas Niendorf's side very unlucky not to have taken the lead inside the opening couple of minutes, as an unmarked Randy Edwini-Bonsu was unable to hit the target from 10 yards out.
Though Benfica had plenty of possession in the opening 45 minutes, it was the Whitecaps that looked far more dangerous on the counter-attack, with several more chances created by Vancouver before halftime. Their European opponents, however, held firm to take a goalless draw to the break.
The decisive moment of the match came on 62 minutes, as a Benfica player made a run from the halfway line before hitting a sublime 35-yard strike past Residency goalkeeper Simon Thomas for 1-0. The scoreline allowed the Portuguese youngsters to use a few 'professional tactics' against the Whitecaps, as the seemed satisfied enough with the one-goal result.
The Whitecaps, however, remained undeterred and pressed to find an equalizer late on. Second-half substitute Drew Russell struck a header off the target with ten minutes remaining before Navid Mashinchi also failed to test the Benfica goalkeeper with a free-kick effort.
Vancouver then thought they had finally broken through in the last minute of the game. From a free kick, the Benfica keeper spilled the set-piece in the box before the Whitecaps were able to knock it over the goal-line. In the melee, the keeper had fallen over Whitecaps substitute Kyle Porter, and the referee deemed the collision to be a foul on the Benfica shot-stopper – thus disallowing the Whitecaps goal.
Despite the disappointment of losing Sunday's contest, Niendorf felt much will be learned by his team. "I thought we played a good game," he told whitecapsfc.com from Dallas. "The windy conditions made it a challenge for both teams. Benfica were a well-organized and physical team, but we were unfortunate not to take our opportunities when we had them. Playing teams with the qualities of Benfica is important for our players. That is why we are here."
The German tactician also felt a draw would have been a fair result after viewing a replay of the late disallowed goal. "I've just looked at it again on video, and the goal looked good to us," he said.
In the other Bracket C match at Richland College, Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt drew 1-1 with Mexico's Chivas Guadalajara.
Whitecaps Residency will now prepare for their second game on Monday, as they play Chivas Guadalajara at Richland College. Kickoff is 10am Pacific Daylight Time.
For the Whitecaps to reach next Friday's semifinals, they must win Bracket C or claim the wildcard place from the three groups competing this week.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Maritimo 1 - Benfica 1 -Different recipe, Same old Stew
It was the 4th tie in a row for Benfica in the Bwin. Not being able to beat Maritimo, Benfica continues in a state of decline, which could have very well been put on hold in this game, but once again the team's apathy and mental shutdown in the second half contributed for another poor result and yet another peek at what will in the end of the season be considered a catastrophic season.
It was Chalana's first Bwin game at the helm of Benfica, and for his fist game Chalana made significant changes here's the starting 11 that he fielded:
Quim in goal; Nélson, Katsouranis, Edcarlos and Léo in the back; Petit and Binya in the defensive midfield, with the Cameroonian having more freedom to go foward. In the midfield, it was Luis Felipe on the right, Sepsi on the left and Rodriguez, polaying closer to Cardozo.
Not much of a change in the back, as there aren't any better alternatives, with Zoro, Luisao and David Luiz all hurt, Edcarlos continues to get the playing time he wouldn't otherwise get.
In the midfield, Rui Costa's absence and the inclusion of Luis Felipe was the biggest surprise, transforming Benfica's midfield in a clear defensive minded midfield. With the exception of Rodriguez, all of Benfica's midfielders were all players with clear defensive characteristics. A surprising posture for Benfica who needs desperately to win. With that many defensive players in the midfield, it is obvious that Benfica will control of the midfield, but what about transition play? Who is going to lead the team into the attack?
Perhaps it's easy to criticize Chalana's choices now that the game is over and we all know the result. While the midfield choice i can somewhat understand, i can't understand the use of only one forward.
Onto the game:
Benfica took 10 minutes to get into the game, but was able to take control of the game around the 10 minute mark, much because of the high numbers in the midfield,. With more men in the midfield, Benfica had a clear advantage and more possession, Benfica's midfield played simple and short, the players supported each other and it allowed for a flow of gameplay, an improvement from the last games. Although Benfica held control of the midfield and played a safe solid game in that sector in the first half, it was the lack of an offensive midfielder that held Benfica back from going up on the scoreboard sooner than the 25th minute, when Cardozo met a Sepsi cross to put Benfica ahead on the scoreboard. Rodriguez roamed from one side to the other of the attack, but without another man to penetrate the final third of the attack Benfica's midfield-attack link was deficient, even though the opportunities presented themselves.
The second half, was has if someone had turned off the switch. A complete about face from the first half, a team lost, without direction, and allowing Maritimo to control the game, which they did.
Maritimo's counters and organized play became more frequent and Chalana put in Rui Costa in the game, for Luis Felipe in hopes that Benfica could once again regain control of the game and dictate game tempo, but that didn't happen. Maritimo "grew" in the game and would eventually get the equalizer in the 75th minute, when Maritimo's forward beat a way too passive Edcarlos to beat Quim. It was the inevitable result to what Maritimo had been doing up until that point. Maxi(72') and Nuno Gomes(80') made their way into the game for Sepsi and Petit, but couldn't really bring anything new to the game.
Quim - 7
Nelson - 6
Edcarlos - 5
Katsouranis - 6
Leo - 8
Petit - 6
Binya - 7
Sepsi - 7
Luis Felipe - 6
Rodriguez - 8
Cardozo - 7
Rui Costa - 6
Nuno Gomes - 5
Maxi - 5
MOM - Leo
While i enjoyed the first half and thought it was one of the better first halves Benfica has played in a while,the second half was just in line with the poor quality Benfica has gotten us used to. The visible inability of Benfica to turn around a game or to even put a game out of reach(as they have shown so many times)in the second half makes me think that securing the second place is going to be a very hard and complicated task. Benfica currently shares 2nd place with Guimaraes and there are still 7 games left in the league.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Laughable
Just to show you how desperate some papers are to sell papers, here's today's RIRcord cover
"Chalana at Risk"
In today's edition, "Rircord" go as far as to state that Chalana's error margin is very short and that Belenenses' current coach Jorge Jesus has already been approached, for short term replacement if need be.
It's comical, to say the least, with 7 games left to go, why would Benfica bring along a brand new coach, that despite knowing the Portuguese league doesn't have the minimum of conditions to coach Benfica? Not to mention he doesn't know the team as well as Chalana does. That is just the most idiotic thing i have ever read. A shameless attempt to sell papers,and a poor attempt at comedy.
When you read these papers be sure to keep logic and an open mind side by side, as you will often be coerced by this level of sensationalist press.
While many Benfiquistas might fall for this type of gossipy and destabilizing news, I tend to get a good laugh out of it, and marvel at the audacity many of these papers have to report such untruths.
-END-
Maritimo - Benfica Preview
With second place at risk, Benfica travels to the island of Madeira to face Maritimo this Sunday. After bowing out of Europe, Benfica now faces and equally important period of the season, when every game will be looked at as a final. With seven games left in the Bwin and Guimaraes bitting at the heels, Benfica will need to find away to put a run together until the end of the season, if they are to meet their goal of automatically qualifying for the Champions League. Maritimo is currently 8th in the Bwin and have had a decent year that saw its best moments in the beginning of the season, nonetheless, playing at home, Maritimo is always a tough opponent.
With his second game roster list this year, Chalana has called the following players:
Keepers: Quim and Butt;
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Katsouranis, Nelson, Léo, Edcarlos, Sepsi and Wagner;
Midfielders: Petit, Rui Costa, Rodriguez, Maxi Pereira, Binya, Di Maria, André Carvalhas;
Avançados: Nuno Gomes, Mantorras, Makukula, Cardozo.
Not much change since last Wednesday's list, with the only new face being the junior center back Wagner. Cardozo and Binya return after their European suspensions. Still suffering from injury are: Luisao, David Luiz, Assis and Zoro continue to recuperate from theirs injuries.
It'll be the the first time we'll be able to see where Chalana differs from Camacho. While the personnel shouldn't change much, the formation will be a tell tale factor to find out Chalana's ideology. 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, that will be the big question. While in Spain Chalana didn't have much of a choice, back in the Bwin under "normal" circumstances it'll be interesting to see.
Being an offensive player himself,in his playing years, Chalana likes a more attack minded game, which means he will be most likely field 2 forwards in his Bwin debut.
Projecting a 4-4-2 it will look something like this:
Quim in goal; Nelson, Katsouranis, Edcarlos and Leo in the back. The one defensive midfielder will be Bynia. Petit is not in his best condition and Binya is the best choice. "Names" don't play, form does. Let's see if Chalana thinks the same.
The midfield trio will be Rui Costa, Rodriguez and Maxi, but it wouldn't surprise me much if Sepsi got the start in the left wing, pushing Rodriguez to the right in detriment of Maxi. Up front, it'll be Cardozo and either Makukula or Nuno Gomes. A more balanced front line would include Nuno Gomes, as Nuno Gomes and Cardozo have styles that complement each other. Makukula plays the same style as Cardozo and it would make the front line, one dimensional.
It's true that returning to his former club, Makukula might have extra motivation, but at this point of the season every player should have extra motivation, whether or not that motivation was questioned as recently as last Wednesday.
The start should go to Nuno Gomes, despite being very far from decent form, Nuno Gomes will get the start for the above mentioned reason - balance.
Benfica is trying hard to take control of their season, and stop what it seems to be the start of a downward spiral. After tying at home to last place Leiria, Camacho stepping down, and crashing out of Europe, Benfica now sees Guimaraes in a provisional second place and needing to win to re-take that second place.
It's time to reach down, if there's any chance of saving what remains of the season.
Chalana closed the door of Benfica's training session, for the first time this season, another departure from the Camacho days, who worked everyday under the public and media eye, a clear sign that he wants maximum focus from the players to the task at hand. There's not much else to say, Benfica needs to outright win. We all know the team has its limitations, the injuries haven't helped much either, but this is where the team needs to unite and find a way to get the boat back on it's course, despite everything that affects the team.
While the League is a mirage, second place and the Portuguese Cup are realistic goals and should be the focus of the team. Benfica will need to find a bit of consistency and build on it, only that consistency will help them save what's left of the season.
A little curiosity, Chalana will not be listed as "coach" in the game report, as he does not posses a Level 4 Coaching certification, Sheu Han(Benfica's Assistant) will be the name that will appear as coach in the game report.
Last Round:
Perhaps one of Benfica's biggest wins of the season. Freddy Adu claims his goal against Maritimo was the highlight of the season for him so far this season.
Extended Highlights
zerozero.pt game grid
How I Saw it
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Adu strikes again!
#Photo - Doug Benc - Getty Images
Freddy Adu score his second goal in as many games, this time to help the US get past Panama, by the score of 1-0.
Freddy scored from the spot in the 42 minute, after Altidore was taken down in the box.
Freddy was once again the most dangerous man in the US squad.
Click on the link below for a ticker of Freddy's performance, courtesy of one of our readers Nick Giffen
Freddy Adu Game ticker:
30 seconds in - Freddy sends in a good cross from the left side that just misses the head of a teammate, and Panama has to clear for a corner. Freddy makes his mark on the game early.
10 minutes - The USA has been unable to find Freddy's feet other than the early cross and one other time along the sideline.
20th minute - From the right side of the box, Freddy does well to get a little space, and chips in a ball that is headed out for the corner on the right side. Freddy plays a short corner, and it is played back to him, and he beats his defender with a beautiful Cruyff cutback move, and the defender can only trip him for a free kick. The ensuing free kick is sent in dangerously by Freddy, but Panama eventually clears.
30th minute - Freddy plays a nice ball to the right side that springs Eddie Gaven on the side of the box. Freddy continues his run, and Gaven centers back to Adu who is about 10 yards from goal, and Freddy whiffs on the right footed shot. He was under a bit of pressure and it was on his weak foot, but could have done better.
33rd minute - A cross by Gaven is sent in, and headed down in the box. Freddy is the first to the ball and gets a touch to it, and falls down in the box. The ref blows the whistle...but for a foul on Adu. He said Freddy came in with a bit of a high boot. A no call would have been better, no foul, no PK. But the ref blew for a foul on Adu.
42nd minute - Jozy Altidore gets free on a 1v1 breakaway. He rounds the keeper and is brought down by the goalkeeper and earns a penalty. Freddy Adu calmly steps up and hammers it into the far right for a goal! Great penalty, the 'keeper guessed correctly, but had no chance. 1-0 USA.
53rd minute - Freddy does well with his right foot to earn a free kick from about 22 yards out. Teammate Stuart Holden takes it and misses a few feet wide.
55th minute - On a USA throw in, Freddy is just standing there, and a Panama player punches him in the chest for no reason. The refs miss it and Freddy is down for a few minutes and is attended to and comes off. He comes back on a minute later.
73rd minute - Freddy accepts a throw in down in the left corner, and nicely beats two defenders down the end line heading toward goal, he feels more pressure and lays it off to a teammate who is fouled at the corner of the box, just outside. Great stuff there.
93rd minute - Freddy is subbed out. The last 20 minutes or so he had some nice touches but nothing too spectacular. He picked up a yellow for walking off the pitch too slow.
The final whistle blows a minute later and Adu's penalty stands as the game winner, USA 1 Panama 0.
All in all, Adu did not have as good a game as the Cuba game, but even when he was a bit off, he was still one of the top 2 players on the pitch. He showed great skill and vision, a few of his decisions were a bit slow, but were successful anyway. He also could complain to the ref a bit less, but that is just a small detail.
The USA should be ok to advance, even if they lose to Honduras, it is likely Panama will beat Cuba, who have only 11 men on their roster total after the defection of some players. Thus, look for Freddy to come out a bit early in the Honduras game if either team is up by 2 goals, or if it is tied late. Also with Freddy already having a yellow card, and Panama and Cuba playing first, Freddy might be given a rest ahead of the semis. If you recall Cuba has only 11 men after the remaining players defected.
Good game from Adu, a bit less spectacular overall, but solid and even when he is a bit off, he is still one of the best U23 players on the pitch every time.
Thanks again Nick
Adu Back in Action Tonight
Freddy Adu and the USMNT will be back in action this Thursday night against Panama in Tampa, Florida. Kick-off is at 8pm est.
Fox Soccer Channel will be covering the game as well as ESPNDeportes.
ESPN360.com will be streaming the game.
-END-
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Getafe 1 - Benfica 0 - Adios UEFA
#Photo - Bernat Armangue - AP
Benfica finally say goodbye to European competition, after losing 1-0 to Spaniards Getafe. Amidst a troubling week, with a home tie against last place Leiria, which resulted in Camacho's voluntary step down, Benfica added another layer of dirt to their 07/08 season burial with their elimination from the UEFA Cup.
Despite being down 1-2 on aggregate, Benfica could have very well turned the aggregate around, after all, Getafe is a middle of the table team in la Liga and a team that is only 24 years old with a little more than 20,000 registered fans.
I am by no means trying to say that Benfica is better than Getafe,for those reasons or should have beaten the small Getafe, I'm just saying that Getafe was the better team spanning the 2 games and they deserved to win.
Perhaps you can find some logic for Benfica's elimination in the disparity between the two leagues. How a 10th place team from La Liga could dominate the second place team of the Bwin, and the fact that Getafe has a bigger payroll than Benfica.
And yes there is a logic to that, but that can automatically be an excuse for conformism for many Benfiquistas.
The truth is that Benfica should have easily eliminated Getafe, but considering the ups and down, the injuries, the lack of some kind of a game style among the other things made this elimination a reality. At the time we eliminated Nurnberg, there were many, myself included, that though that playing the same quality of soccer we played against Nurnberg against Getafe, would mean that it would be a much harder task, if not impossible, to get into the quarter finals by beating Getafe.
All and all it's a just ending, the image Benfica have given us this season have made us realize the overall quality of the team, and its obvious limitations.
Too long of a topic to go into right now.
On to the game
Chalana's first 11 wasn't much of a surprise, I think Camacho would have done the same with the same men available.
Quim in goal; Nelson, Katsouranis, Edcarlos and Leo as the back four, Petit as the only defensive midfielder; Rui Costa, Maxi and Rodriguez the attacking midfielders supporting Nuno Gomes and Makukula up front.
A classic 4-4-2, but with a different look from the few 4-4-2s we have seen this season. Maxi and Rodriguez, positioned themselves closer to Rui Costa in the middle, in an act to provide Rui Costa more support. The wings were left free for Nelson and Leo, in an attempt to create mismatches with their forward runs.
Benfica started strong and even created a few opporunities, one in particular an incredible miss by Makukula who mis-kicked a ball that hit the post. The first 25 minutes, Benfica commanded the whole game and tried to create something with changes of pace in the attack, but a well organized Getafe knew what to expect and alllowed Benfica to have the initiative, as they sat behind the ball closing off the middle and Rui Costa's playing. Getafe would occasionally come into the attack, but always in counter attacks, that was their strategy, close down in the defense, counter to take advantage of any type of over zealousness from Benfica.
From the 30 minute mark, Benfica's initial all out attack seemed to have lost some of its steam, and Getafe little by little asserted themselves, having even gone to halftime being the controlling team. Benfica's initial pressure was defended well and Benfica seemed to have run out of fresh ideas to penetrate. Up front Makukula and Nuno Gomes, showed a lack of competitive rhythm, they too, were not offering goal scoring solutions. Rodriguez and Leo were clearly the more offensive men in Benfica in the first half, Rui Costa wasn't the dominating player he usually is, much because how Getafe was closing down the spaces and passing lanes.
In the second half Benfica began just like they finished the first, a team without solutions, a team that with every minute that went by, saw themselves slipping away.
At the 59th minute mark, Chalana took the underachiever Maxi out and put DiMaria in his place, but even the creativity he though DiMaria would bring to the game was non existent and proved to be another failed solution, much because of the Argentine's continued inability to play a simple soccer. Chalana would later make 2 other substitutions Mantorras came in for Nuno Gomes(66m)and Sepsi would come in for Edcarlos (74m), while the first one came in to refresh the position, Sepsi came in as another attacking solution. With nothing to lose, Benfica now played with 3 defenders while Sepsi joined in the left of the midfield. It was shortly after that period that Getafe put away Benfica for good, a through ball for Katsouranis to outrace the much faster Albin, finished with the Uruguayn chipping the ball over an oncoming Quim.
The sentence was handed out. Maybe the game would have gone differently if Makukula had put away that ball that hit the post, the truth is that once Benfica was shutdown, they saw themselves without alternatives and ideas, and that provided for a stale second half for Benfica, the type we have seen so many times this season.
Individually, I wanted to mention Leo, Rodriguez and Quim, as the players who really performed above and beyond.
There was an article in today's paper that spoke of Benfica's interest in Diego Cavallieri, Palmeiras' current goalie. If there's any truth that, I have to wonder why would Benfica want to buy another goalie, when they have in goal the best Portuguese keeper and on the bench, a man that is supposedly the future goalkeeper of Benfica? No, not Butt, the other porkchop that's there, Moreira.
Benfica closes down another competition front, there's now only one more left, it's not too late to change things up a bit, to make us more competitive for that front, off course, the second place in the Bwin is far from secure, just keeping that second place will require a change of its own.
Nuno Gomes(responding to Camacho) told the media that maybe it's lack of talent that this team has, but it's not lack of motivation, well it's time they show us that. (The motivation part, because the talent we all know which players lack it)
I liked Chalana's first time, i found the change in Maxi's and Rodriguez's positioning very interesting. It allowed Benfica to play a supported type of soccer in the midfield which allowed for longer possession periods, something that Benfica lacked. The substitutions were done at the right time, and considering what Chalana had on the bench, the substitutions were also the best he could have made.
It's not going to be an overnight change, or a even a week, but we will soon see Chalana's touch on Benfica. Let's hope he can see something that Camacho never saw in Freddy Adu, after all, he was the man that turned Valencia's Miguel into a right back.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Adu we know and love
#Photo Credit - Doug Benc - Getty Images.
Freddy Adu put the US on top against Cuba in the 13th minute and had a ball returned by the crossbar 13 seconds into the game. Freddy's goal wasn't enough as the US let Cuba tie the game after a defensive breakdown, the game finished 1-1.
Click on the link below to read a detailed Adu performance ticker, courtesy of one of our readers, Nick Giffen.
just to recap Freddy's performance
43 seconds in...hits the post with a beautiful curling left footed shot.
1 minute 15 seconds in, takes a corner and it is cleared out back to him, he beats a defender with a beautiful Cruyff cutback move and sends a cross in that one of the US players misses.
7 minutes in, Adu passes to set up Jozy Altidore for a 1v1, but Altidore hits his shot right at the goalkeeper
8th minute - Adu hits a 25 yard strike that forces the goalkeeper to parry wide for a corner.
13 minutes in Freddy plays a corner short to Robbie Findley, and Findley plays it back to Adu. Adu plays a swinging ball in, and it creates confusion as it looked to be a cross, but nobody touched it and it bounced into the net.
28th minute - Adu takes a swerving freekick from 22 yards out that forces the goalkeeper to punch over the bar.
52nd minute - Adu has a ball laid off for him right at the top of the box, and he hammers a left footed drive low and inches wide.
53rd minute - A minute later, Adu sends teammate Robbie Findley clear through for a 1v1 breakaway, but Findley's first touch is a poor shot right at the goalkeeper.
About 65th minute - Adu on the right side of the box, rounds his defender and looks like he may be in on goal, but he is called for a foul that never actually existed...bad call by the ref.
About 88th minute - Adu takes a freekick from the top right side of the box. Swerves over the wall, dips down, and misses by half a foot.
All in all, Freddy was a level and a half above everyone else on the pitch tonight for both teams. All Benfiquistas should be proud of his play tonight. He will be a capable fill-in for Rui Costa. However, there will be growing pains, but he has shown he can absolutely DOMINATE in his age group, so as he gets more experience, age, and skill...he could be a special one for Benfica!
Thanks Nick
Link to ussoccer.com article about the game
Freddy's quotes after the game (from ussoccer.com)
On not getting the win:
“First off, when you go into the game, you go into the game with the same mentality. Whether you’re the underdog or not, you just go into the game, prepare for it. It’s 0-0 when the game starts and today I felt like we had a lot of chances. We were a bit unlucky. I think we’re going to go back to the drawing board and just rebound.”
On the team possibly slowing down after the first goal:
“Peter hit everything on the spot. It’s tough. He did tell us we have to keep playing the same way we’re playing. It just felt like maybe, maybe, we took our foot off the pedal a little bit. But, then again, that’s something you learn from, and you know, come back the next game and keep going. Because if you relax just a little bit, when everyone’s all over the place, that’s when the other team starts going and getting chances.
Next game we’ll do a much better job of being compact and being harder to penetrate and play against.”
On the play that led to the goal:
“That corner kick we’ve practiced; we talk about it – yesterday obviously – and we talked about when the right time was to do it in a game. It was the right time to do it and you always want to hit those on goal. On goal in this case, no one touched it so it’s a goal and that’s what happened today. Charlie Davies, I give all credit to him, he made a great dummy, and the ball went in the back of the net. It’s all a team, and we were able to execute it so that was good.”
On the free kick towards the end of the game:
“As far as the free kick goes, when the ball is on the right side like that, usually a lefty hits it. So, we talked about it, and I asked Dax [McCarty], if he wanted to hit it and he said, ‘nah, you should hit it.’
Obviously I wanted to hit it, so whoever’s feeling it at that time, is the one that hits it.”
On frustration for missing chances:
“Obviously, it does get a little frustrating, but that’s soccer. You’re going to hit some on target, some of them are going to go off target. You just rebound, you know, that plays over, and you think about the next play and you just move on. That’s what happens. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. That’s the way game goes. As a professional, you can’t worry about it, you just move on and keep playing for the next play.”
Ready, Set, SPECULATE!
Camacho hasn't even been gone 48 hours and the speculation is already starting. Despite Luis Felipe Vieira telling the media that he was in no rush to find a coach, Portuguese dailies have started their speculation, why? Because it sells papers.
In today's "A bola"
Queiroz and Peseiro are the two domestic candidates, they are joined by:
Carlos Bianchi ( Argentinean)
Malesani ( Italian)
Fatih Terim (Turkish)
In Record
Belenenses' Jorge Jesus and Malesani are the front runners to the spot.
In 24horas
Scolari, Deschamps, Malesani, Queiroz, Zacheronni and Bianchi
In "Correio da Manha"
José Mourinho, Humberto Coelho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Alberto Malesani and Alberto Zaccheroni and Humberto Coelho, who has publicly admitted he would consider the offer it was made to him.
The papers are certainly having a field day speculating who the next Benfica coach will be, bottom line is that whoever it is, it'll be a choice that will fall entirely on Rui Costa, as that person will answer directly to him.
The Italian connection - Malesani and Zacheroni are coaches that Rui Costa knows well. In my opinion the choice will not be made right away, but will be made before the season is out. In the meantime, everyone is discounting Chalana and what he can do with the team until the end of the season.
Buckle your belts, as much of the media will fill you up with fantasies and possible future scenarios for Benfica and their new coach. There is a much bigger concern at hand, starting with the game this wednesday.
With the Portuguese Cup up for grabs, and the automatic Champions League birth, via second place, still very much up in the air with 8 games left to go in the Bwin, premature talks of a new coach will take a way from the focus that needs to be maintained until the end of the season.
PS - Today's " O Jogo" reports that Belenenses' 23 year old midfielder Ruben Amorin has signed a pre-agreement with Benfica for next season. April 1st is the start of the signing window for next season.
-END-
Monday, March 10, 2008
Getafe - Benfica - Uefa Cup 2nd Leg preview
This wednesday, Benfica plays perhaps the most important 90 minutes of their 07/08 season. With an unfavorable aggregate of 1-2 obtained at home, Benfica has a very tough game playing against Getafe in Madrid for a place in the Uefa Cup quarter finals. On the other side, Getafe hopes they can hold on to the aggregate and make club history.
Here's the list of Players that traveled to Madrid this afternoon ahead of wednesday's Getafe clash.
Keepers - Quim, Butt and Moreira;
Defenders - Luís Filipe, Nélson, Edcarlos, Léo and Sepsi;
Midfielders - Petit, Maxi Pereira, Katsouranis, Cristián Rodríguez, Rui Costa, Di María, David Simão and André Carvalhas;
Forwards - Makukula, Mantorras and Nuno Gomes.
Edcarlos is the only true center back, as the only other one available, Zoro, was injured during Sunday's game. Petit and Maxi are back, as is Makukula, Nuno Assis continues to suffer from muscular problems and did not make the trip.
After Camacho's resignation, it'll be up to Chalana to lead the team, Chalana will be at the helm until the end of the season at least.
What can we expect from Chalana? Not much change for now, but we will most likely see a 4-4-2 rather than the usual 4-2-3-1, and not because that is Chalana's preferred system, but because the game situation calls for 2 men upfront. Having to score 2 goals to win on aggregate, it makes no sense to play with 1 forward.
Here's my projected line up:
Quim in goal; Nelson, Edcarlos, Katsouranis and Leo will make up the back four. Petit will most likely be the the defensive midfielder, although his physical condition remains unknown. Dimaria, Rodriguez and Rui Costa will make up the midfield trident, while up front it'll be Nuno Gomes and Makulula, whose physical condition is also a mystery. If Makukula can't go, there's a strong possibility of either Dimaria or Rodriguez supporting Nuno Gomes, with Maxi, whose physical condition is also a mystery, jumping in midfield.
The starting 11 will depend a lot on how, Petit, Makukula and Maxi will feel, they are the big variables. And then, there's the outside shot of junior Andre Carvalhas starting on one of the wings.
Getafe is also suffering from the same problems as Benfica as they will have 9 players unavailable to play this wednesday - Esteban Granero, Daniel 'Cata' Díaz, Mario Álvarez, David Sousa, Miguel Pallardó, Ikechukwu Uche and Manu del Moral, all hurt. Braulio Nóbrega and Pablo Hernández will serve suspensions.
Benfica will need to come out hard from the start, there's nothing to it. Needing to score 2 goals, the team will have to push forward. Getafe is expecting that and will be prepared, while setting up for quick counters. Getafe is quick on the transition and can very well be at the other end with 5 quick touches.
Edcarlos hasn't inspired much confidence in me, but he will have to have a good game, if Benfica are to have any success, the same can be said for the whole defensive unit as a whole. The home crowd will try to push the home side into an historical feat, so Benfica will need to go up early in order to take the crowd a little bit out of the game.
Benfica should be optimistic about this game, after last week's game, most of the squad felt that they could have beaten Getafe, they will surely carry that confidence into the match. Also of note, is Benfica's performances away from home this season, playing away has been Benfica's home, naturally the players will also be aware of that and will play a more calm relaxed type of soccer, as they have in many away games. I also think the Camacho factor will play into the team's performance, after hearing Camacho tell the media he could no longer motivate the players, or find a way to motivate them, the team will come out and try to prove Camacho wrong. I don't believe there was any type of an underground movement against Camacho, but if there was we will see a different mentality in the players.
I hold a certain optimism in Benfica's advancement, but that will depend on what Benfica will show up. If Benfica plays well, they can beat Getafe easily, off course 2 goals is no easy task, but i think Benfica is capable of that. The realist in me has to wonder what Benfica can do with so many crucial players missing, especially Cardozo, who seems to be a big game player.
Many factors and circumstances surround the game, i just hope that the players can take a hold of the positive energy and run with it, and get through. Despite all the problems and the shortcomings, I would consider elimination at this stage to be a failure, as Getafe is very much within reach of Benfica.
Let's all hope for a good game and a positive result in the end.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Camacho Resigns
Following today's home tie against last place Leiria, Camacho announced that he was resigning. The announcement came in the press conference that followed the game. With Luis Felipe Vieira by his side, Camacho mentioned the fact that he can no longer do anything else for the team, that he doesn't know how else to motivate the players, and for that reason he was resigning.
I have to say that i found some of Camacho's body language a bit peculiar during this Sunday's game, his posture and facial expressions gave away a certain conformism, a certain acceptance of Benfica's current situation, and the fact that the squad isn't capable of much more. Long gone are the days in which we saw Camacho screaming from the touchline, with incessant instructions to the players on the field. That was the behavior that Camacho was known for and supporters identified him with during his first spell coaching Benfica. He was a coach whose fighting spirit and "never give up attitude" fell in the graces of Benfica supporters, naturally when Camacho was announced as the man who replaced Fernando Santos, many fans, myself included, rejoiced. But the Camacho that took over for Fernando Santos after the first game of the season was a different Camacho, while some of his usual speech was still coming out of his mouth, his behavior on the bench was far from what supporters remember him for. A quieter more laid back Camacho, was now the man on the bench, and he caught some slack for that, often times the media has pointed out that Camacho's posture and behavior on the bench was a far cry from the Camacho who led Benfica to their last Portuguese Cup. It's true that the past week hasn't been the greatest for Camacho, with the passing of his father, but I'd have to say that this decision of his has been a short time coming. Camacho always said that he would leave when he felt he could no longer be useful to the team, and apparently he feels that's his current situation.
So now what?
Fernando Chalana will take over as interim coach and will most likely remain at the helm until the end of the season. The league title is far gone, and Benfica's realistic goal continues to be 2nd place. The Uefa Cup and the Portuguese Cup are still competitions in which Benfica is in, but much of Benfica's success in these 2 competitions will depend on how the team will respond to Camacho's exit.
A New Cycle
After much talk from Luis Felipe Vieira about the start of a new cycle, here we are the start of a new cycle. It's tough to say what the mood was like in the Benfica locker room, certainly as a team, Benfica seems like a close knit group, off course, i base this on how the team leaders have come out and defended players in times where these players were being highly criticized by the supporters, most recently, Rui Costa speaking out and defending Cardozo for his red card. In several occasions players have spoken about how the team is together and united.
How will Camacho's exit affect the team? With several experienced players and leaders on the squad, the team shouldn't be negatively affected by his exit, especially when there's 3 months left on the season. I have often thought the team is capable of playing an attractive soccer and maybe they will. That remains to be seen, there is the possibility that the squad was unhappy with Camacho, which would explain their motivation, or lack thereof. It will all be seen in the course of the next 2 weeks how the team will behave, that behavior will be a true indicator of the affection the team had for Camacho.
With Chalana taking over the team, it's possible the team will steer away from the 4-2-3-1 but not entirely, there's the possibility that the positioning will be a bit different.
With Camacho's exit, it will also mean a new chance for certain players to prove themselves. Freddy Adu for one, has probably been the biggest victim of Camacho's stubbornness, he should get a almost fresh start with Chalana.
Many questions to be answered in the next upcoming weeks. In the meantime, the team will need to focus on this Wednesday's game in Madrid where they will have to try to turn around a 1-2 result from the first leg against Getafe.
Benfica 2 - Leiria 2 - Bad, Very Bad.
The "home ghost" continues to haunt Benfica, this time it was a tie against last place Leiria. A game that Benfica had the obligation to win. With Leiria being the worst team in the league and going through a complicated financial situation, supporters anticipated an easy game that would help the team carry momentum into the second leg of the Uefa Cup against Getafe, but it wasn't to be.
Starting 11:
Quim
Luis Felipe, Zoro, Edcarlos and Leo
Binya
DiMaria, Rui Costa, Rodriguez
Nuno Gomes, Cardozo
Nuno Gomes returned to action since his last game on February 2nd, Zoro and Edcarlos partnered in the center of the defense, Luis Felipe filled in for the suspended Nelson on the right side of the defense.
I could very easily copy/paste some of my other game reviews to illustrate this game, and it would probably all be spot on. Slow start, shaky defense, allowing the first goal, nothing new for Benfica fans.
In the center of the defense Edcarlos continues to be an absolute nullity, with his bad positioning and frequent mistakes, he was at least part of 2 dangerous situations in the first half, and was also connected to Leiria's goals among other Leiria chances, Edcarlos was constantly caught in no man's land while the Leiria man streaked behind him.
Benfica once again gave the first 25 minutes away and really didn't start playing until the last period of the first half, coincidentally when Leiria scored their first goal(42m). The defense-midfield-attack linking barely existed, and when it did, it was done slowly, when Benfica would apply pace into their transition and flank play they would bring danger to the Leiria goal. Just one play comes to mind from the first half, a Rodriguez shot that met the crossbar, clearly Benfica's best opportunity of the half.
In the second half, Benfica came out strong and with a different attitude and would complete the scoreboard turn around needing only 11 minutes of the second half. The 1-1 came from a Zoro header, who got the second ball on a Nuno Gomes goal attempt. The 2-1 came from an Oscar Cardozo pinpoint free kick.
Benfica would make things right for the moment, but their letting off led to Leiria's improvement and subsequent threats, always in the form of a counter. It was from a counter that Leiria equalized in the 70th minute, a ball played behind a lost Edcarlos in which neither Quim nor Zoro could stop N'gal who made full use of his speed to bring disappointment to the 29,000 at hand. Camacho subbed in Sepsi for the injured Zoro, yes another injured center back, in the 72nd minute and he subbed in Mantorras and Assis in the 79th minute for DiMaria and Nuno Gomes, substitutions that in my opinion should have been made earlier. Once again Benfica's lack of concentration and pace in the final third ended up not yielding the winning goal.
Individually
Quim - 6
Luis Felipe - 6
Zoro - 7
Edcarlos - 4
Leo - 7
Binya -7
Rui Costa - 7
DiMaria - 5
Rodriguez - 7
Nuno Gomes - 6
Cardozo - 7
Sepsi - 6
Mantorras - 6
Assis - 6
MOM - no one really stuck out.
Shortly after the game camacho announced his resignation, stating that he motivate the team.
Bad win for Benfica, who despite missing key players, should have easily beaten last place Leiria. With Camacho's exit and the Getafe game this week, let's home the team does not go into a tail spin.
Highlights
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Freddy Adu Workout Video
Go on over to Freddyadu.com to watch a video of Freddy working out in the Benfica weight room.
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Type rest of the post here
Benfica - Leiria Preview
Benfica hosts last place Leiria this Sunday. Leiria has a combined record of 1 win, 15 losses, and 5 ties, having never won away from home. Leiria's relegation is imminent as they have shown no capabilities of climbing the table. The club's current financial situation has also destabilized the team, who have lost 3 of their forwards. Joao Paulo left for Romania, while Maciel and Ferreira have rescinded their contracts with the club due to owed wages. Benfica comes from a draining defeat against Getafe and will look to get back on the winning track and carry momentum into the Getafe game this upcoming week.
Game roster
Keepers: Quim and Butt;
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Edcarlos, Zoro, Léo and Sepsi;
Midfielders: Rui Costa, David Simão, Binya, André Carvalhas, Abduolaye, Nuno Assis, Cristian Rodríguez, Di María;
Forwards: Cardozo, Nuno Gomes and Mantorras.
Notable absences - Nelson(red) and Katsouranis(5 yellows)are both suspended. Luisao, David Luiz, Petit, Maxi and Makula are all hurt, while Freddy Adu is away on international duty. Returning are Nuno Gomes, who seems recuperated from an injury that kept him out of action since the 2nd of February. Camacho called 3 juniors to make the 18 man list, David Simao, Andre Carvalhas and Abduolaye, with the last one making his game roster debut with the senior team.
Projected line up
Quim in goal, Luis Felipe, Zoro, Edcarlos and Leo as the back four. Bynia in front of the defense, Rui Costa, Rodriguez and Assis in the midfield, DiMaria or Nuno Gomes supporting Cardozo. There is also the possibility that Camacho rests Rui Costa, in which case, Assis would take over that role, while Nuno Gomes would support Cardozo upfront, and DiMaria would be back on one of the flanks. Those are 2 of the possibilities, at any rate, it is almost certain that Benfica will not play with 2 defensive midfielders and with 2 forwards, It wouldn't make any sense to play with one forward against the last place team.
Should be an easy win for Benfica, who despite playing the last place team, can't underestimate their opponent. Benfica's defensive needs to start stronger than how they have in the last few games. Zoro has a real chance to prove that he can be the 3rd option for central defender, he played well against Getafe and will need to seize the opportunity. Benfica needs to go up early and manage the game, going up early will give Camacho a chance to manage the squad and give some rest to some players, that are on 2 days rest. Maybe we can even see one of the Juniors make their debut in the Bwin.
Last round it was like this:
Game details via zerozero.pt
Highlights
How i saw it
Benfica and Leo back to the table.
Today's "A Bola" reports that Leo is going back to the table with Benfica in hopes of reaching some kind of an agreement to stay with Benfica. The lenght of the extension is a reported 1 year with an optional second year.
After Rui Costa telling the press that Benfica hadn't decided on Leo's future, a comment he made right after the Sporting game, and then again following the Getafe game in which he told the media that Benfica would do everything possible to keep Leo, these reports surface.
Leo's extension should be one of the priorities for the upcoming season. Unquestionable starter, consummate professional, and the spirit and fight that are at the club's image, makes Leo an indispensable player for next season. I think the optional second year is the right move, off course that option will mean more money for the first year, and this is where Benfica and Leo will have to reach an agreement.
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