Benfica 3 - P.Ferreira 2 - Adjust As Needed

Benfica defeated P.Ferreira this past Sunday, coming away with maximum points from a game that had all the makings of being a difficult one. Coming off a good performance against porto, it was important for Benfica not fall in auto-pilot mode, but rather to take the controls, and steer the ship in the right direction through this arduous and difficult month of February. It was an easy game on paper, but when a team comes to Estadio da Luz and practically lines up with two straight lines in front of their defensive third it becomes more of a bus stop rather than a game.

For this game, Quique decided once again to go with his training pitch knowledge and provide the fans with another debut as David Luiz showed up on the right of the defense rather than Miguel Vitor, who has been the alternative to Maxi. On the left side, it was the return of Jorge Ribeiro, while Luisao and Sidnei seem to be the partnership of choice by Quique. In the middle, Katsouranis and Carlos Martins were in charge of Benfica's constructive processes, as Yebda was spared of the possibility of picking up his fifth yellow. On the flanks it was Reyes and Amorim, while up front Aimar supported Cardozo.

As i wrote in the first lines of this review, it's very hard to play against a team who virtually lines up with two very compact lines in front of the defense, and Benfica found it difficult to find spaces to penetrate. The space in which Aimar roams, was very closed off and Benfica found themselves going from side to side of the pitch trying to find a hole to penetrate. The first real dangerous situation came early in the game following a free kick, (the only way Benfica could bring some danger to the opposing goal) Luisao had the cross bar deny him, and Aimar had the keeper deny him from the rebound.
At that point, I thought the opposing keeper would have one of those games that serves as a bedtime story for their grand kids as their moment of glory. But the truth is that Benfica had a very hard time penetrating and creating danger for the opposing team, always finding the passing lanes very congested and the markings very tight.
P. Ferreira on the other hand, was very clear in what their intentions were, and their passiveness in the attacking front, and their stubbornness in defending with all 11 players behind the ball, ended up steering Benfica into a very predictable and unimaginative game.
Half time couldn't come soon enough, as i hoped Quique would be able to make adjustments and find a way to open up the P. Ferreira team.

The second half, didn't bring many differences from the first half, P. Ferreira still defended with 11 men behind the ball, and Benfica still tried to find way to penetrated, but low and behold, it was P.Ferreira that had the first very big opportunity of the game until that point. The lone P.Ferreira forward got behind the Benfica defense and when faced with Moreira was ale to dribble the goalie, but was not able to gather his balance and his shot to the empty net ended up being defended by David Luiz. The scare seemed to spur Benfica to life, and led by Quique's first substitution(55'), Benfica seemed to be a team determined to get the win.
If you ask me, the substitution had a lot to do with it, because it had a direct impact on 2 of the 3 goals. DiMaria came in for Martins, Amorim drifted to the middle, and all of the sudden Benfica's midfield was revamped. DiMaria entered the game inspired and Amorim brought more consistency and more simplicity to the midfield. It wasn't long before Benfica would give their first warning as Sidnei missed by very little, following a cross from Reyes off a corner kick. Benfica were coming closer and closer to scoring and Cardozo ended up breaking the deadlock at the 69th minute mark, following a miscue from the opposing goalie. It was what Benfica needed to break open the game, and the P.Ferreira parked Greyhound.
4 minutes laster Amorim, gathered a ball outside the box, and fired a shot into the far side of the goal. But when you got the feeling the floodgates were about to open, P.Ferreira got one back, with a lot of fault going towards the Benfica defense and their lack of closing down. I had a quick flashback to the game from the first round, and wondered why Benfica is still lacking the ability to put games on ice.
DiMaria would eventually put the fans to rest with definitely one of the best goals he will ever score. A dipping volley over the keeper from long range into the opposing side. But the party was far from over, despite only 4 minutes to the finish, P. Ferreira, was once again able to get on the score sheet(92'), but they would eventually end up running out of time. Time that they could perhaps have used had they not, spent 1 hour defend.

A hard, well earned win for Benfica, who is now able to go into the Sporting game with positive momentum and a very good feeling about the clash with their arch rivals.
I have written here once before, and I will write it again, Benfica is a team that is too conforming to the adversaries they play. I have very seldom seen Benfica dominate a much weaker team, on the other hand, the games against porto and Sporting this year have all brought out the team's performance to levels never seen before. it's nerve wrecking to watch a team like Benfica, full of individual talent, unable to demolish a weaker team such as a team in 12th place, or only play what is necessary to win.
After the Sporting game, Benfica will face weak and weaker teams, the key in getting to the end in first, is to be able to overcome these weaker teams. It almost seems like there's a dial that's turned and the team only plays to the value the dial has been turned to.