A Whole Team in Waiting

This tuesday's "A Bola" published the list of all Benfica players currently on loan.


For the young ones, the hope of having a good year and returning to the "nest". For the older ones, a hope that their loan stint will open other doors, as they will most likely not return which are the cases of Jorge Ribeiro and Yebda. For players such as Freddy Adu, Shaffer, and Eder Luiz, the future looks bleak, as their experiences with the main team were not the best, and now look to resurrect themselves even if it's just to get a new lease on their career.


We all know what Adu's situation is, and i find it very hard that Benfica will ever bring him back. Aris was reluctant to keep him this coming season, but with his loan contract valid for two years, Aris will have to honor their agreement with Benfica. He was not part of Hector Cupers plans, but with hard work he might even get some minutes. This is the lowest Adu has ever been, even in the MLS, he never took on a role of 3rd stringer, he definetely has his work cut out for him.

SHaffer came in as a solution for the left back position, but lost his space, and Benfica opted to send him back to Argentina, as he had a market there. Barring a breakout year, i very much Shaffer will return to Portugal.

Eder Luiz came in as a substitute for Saviola, and got some minutes, even scoring important goals, but JJ has claimed the player was not ready mentally and he returned to Brazil. Out of all the three he stands the biggest chance to come back.

Urreta, Miguel Vitor, Fellipe Bastos, Patric, Rodrigo and Oblak, are all players that have the biggest chance to return.

Urreta is on loan with a "no-buy" clause, and in my opinion, one of the players that has room in this squad. As a matter of fact i have often said his loan to Depor was perhaps Benfica's biggest mistake of the off season.

Rodrigo has already been labelled has a player for the future, but the truth is that if he has a good year at Bolton, Real can buy him back for double what they paid Benfica, or 10m. Yes Benfica would make an easy 5m, but if Rodrigo is as talented as some of the critics say he is, we may never take advantage of his talent. Let's hope he doesn't blow up at Bolton.


Fellipe Bastos and Patric are both young Brazilians playing in Brazil, and with youth national team experience. While Bastos was once tooted by Camacho as a player not to be left out of sight, JJ had a different opinion, and instead of bringing him back for this season, opted to go hit the market in January and recruit Airton instead. At 20 years old he is still at an age to break out, and that is what Benfica is waiting for.
As far as Patric goes, JJ thought he was too green, and just like Bastos, Benfica hopes he can take it to the next level, even though his window is closing faster at 21 years old.

Miguel Vitor, also 21 yers old, is hoping that his experience at Leicester can solidify him as a good center back. With David Luiz more than likely leaving next year, Vitor knows this year needs to be an important year for him from a gaining experience stand point.

Oblak is 17 years old, and much like Rodrigo, he too is the future. Having done the whole pre-season with Benfica, but not getting any minutes, he now has a chance to gain experience at Beira Mar, but at 17, and with 2 keepers ahead of him, i doubt he will see much playing time, not to mention he will be the fourth goalie, once Beira-Mar's third goalie comes back from injury. It'll be an interesting situation.

The rest of the players are all products of Benfica's youth system, and while some of them have had a taste of the first team, whether in training or in off-season trips, i'd say at least half of them will end up running out their contract without ever wearing a Benfica jersey, which is a shame.

With the Caixa Campus in full swing , I'd like to start seeing more and more players make the senior team. What's the whole purpose of having a youth program, if only a very little percentage of players will ever make it to the senior team, losing their spots to foreign based players instead?>It makes absolutely no sense to spend money in formation, and then spending millions on youngsters from other countries. Why don't we have a "B" team playing in a secondary division? After all, Benfica is most likely paying the wages of players on loan.

Not too long ago, i read an article by Cruyff in which he praises the fact that Guardiola only has 19 players on his roster, and that both mentally and from a personnel management standpoint it as a genius move. The only reason he is able to do that is because any injury can be easily solved with a player from the B team, to make numbers.

26 players out on loan, JJ is currently working with 26 players + 3 others that have not been registered to play(Mantorras, Balboa and Zoro).A lot of money and a lot of wages to be paid, to a large number of players. Something that needs to be looked at by Benfica. There's no sense in comparing ourselves to other clubs, and their own loan numbers, there needs to be a better way to take advantage of our formation, reducing costs and ultimately being able to offer a prospective player the type of wages, that would convince him to play for Benfica.