Benfica have once again started the season off on the wrong foot yet again as they were unable to win their season opener for a ninth consecutive season. Five out of the last nine season opener's have been under the management of head coach Jorge Jesus.
After the 2-1 loss to Maritimo on Sunday August 18, 2013 at the Estádio dos Barreiros, JJ admitted after the game that perhaps Benfica went into the game underestimated Maritimo and hoping for their long awaited first three points of the season. Teams like Maritimo know that they can never win a season the way the big three do in Portugal however, defeating one of the big three is often considered to be as prestigious as if they had won the league. (Bragging rights)
Benfica's lineup on Sunday was fair but some would argue not their best eleven as we saw Ruben Amorim in the starting 11 which appeared to be a 4-4-1-1 formation. Amorim has always been a player who is versatile on the pitch and can play multiple positions such as a 6, 8 on the wing or as a full back.
MIA
Benfica were without their two most transferred rumoured players Eduardo "Toto" Salvio and Oscar "Tacuara" Cardozo. Salvio may be suffering from the same syndrome as Gareth Bale and that is the "Silly Season Syndrome." Whereas Cardozo is likely to return to train with the squad but may also be a part of the "Silly Season Syndrome" as we keep hearing reports of offers from Fenerbahce, Napoli, Russian teams, Cardiff City and the most recent West Ham United. (This just in, Cardozo is rumoured to sign a 2 year deal with Toronto FC... why can't I?)
Newly appointed Benfica Serbian Lazar Markovic was unable to make he game as he suffered an injury during training. However, we did see our amazing new 9.5 Filip Djuricic who I must admit was out of the spotlight for this game which is disappointing considering his impressive pre-season performance.
OVERALL
Anyone who watched Benfica's performance on Sunday is of the same belief as myself that this team needs a lot of work to come out on top of the Liga Zon Sagres during the 2013/14 season. There are many concerns going forward
CONCERN#1 There are too many Forwards, Wingers, on this team.
It is always good to have depth and overall if Benfica can keep the likes of John, Gaitan, and Salvio (highly doubtful) for another season, and they can remain loyal and happy being rotated constantly then our wingers can all stay. The issue with this is let's say Gaitan has an amazing season does and John gets less playing time, will John want to stick around? or in the case of Salvio would Sulejamani then want to leave? Coaches undoubtedly always have favorites but can JJ be a fair coach and rotate the squad fairly?
In terms of Forwards, Lima and Rodrigo are looking like they are going to carry this team without Cardozo. As a fan, I have some questions:
A) Why loan out Nelson Oliveira to France at a time in which we know Oscar Cardozo will move on from Benfica and Benfica will need a third striker?
B) Why did Benfica pick up River Plate forward Rogelio Gabriel Fures Mori who at 22 has scored less goals in his entire career then Cardozo did last season alone?
Mori will be another Alan Kardec or Eder Luis. He will get a few minutes here or there, score the odd goal and then when he departs from the club, no one will even remember what he did or where he came from.
CONCERN#2 The pressure on Jorge Jesus
Some are of the belief that if Benfica lose week #3 to Sporting at the Alvalade that he will be dismissed as Benfica's head coach. Providing that Benfica win week #2 to Gil Vicente, Benfica will only have 3 of 9 potential points. If the Liga Zon Sagres is as competitive this year as it was last year then at this point Benfica can kiss the league title goodbye.
I am only presenting this theory due to the fact that Benfica fans expect results and if their team gets off to a bad start then they would want the blood of not only JJ but also President LFV.Okay, 3 weeks in may be a little harsh even for Benfica fans, but by Christmas if this team is below 2nd place, JJ and LFV can all go to hell in my books. It was bad enough losing a third straight season in a row to FC Porto but to make it a fourth this season is not acceptable. Especially since Benfica went out and spent money on "Team Serbia" and as of recent there is talks of future Serbs joining the team. It was not long ago that LFV was in Serbia making deals with FK Vojvodina in what appears like Benfica will be have exclusive rights to contract future prospects.
THE REALITY
For LFV to come out after the Maritimo game and still stand behind JJ and his squad, it means that JJ is not going anywhere. JJ just signed a 2 year contract with Benfica worth approximately 8 Million Euros. Whether or not he stays for 2 years or is fired, there is a stipulation in his contract which will guarantee him his full wages.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We as fans expect our teams to be successful always. This is not always possible due to circumstances out of our control and theirs. However, mistakes can be avoided. It has been four seasons since we have had a proper left back and yet the Benfica organisation refuses spends money foolishly on excess wingers and strikers. It was reported only a few weeks ago that Benfica had over 100 contracted players, more then half of which are not used, sit on the bench throughout the season or on loan. Can we not remove this excess fat and buy a quality left - back to compete in league and European competition?
Although, it is silly season and we should not believe everything that we read, I was excited to see that Benfica was interested in signing Manchester United LB Alexander Büttner who is now on his way to a loan deal at Besiktas in Turkey. This is a id who has a prosperous future coming from the ranks of Ajax and of course Man U.
It is true that it is still early in the season to make assumptions. Anything is still possible. Sporting defeated a newly promoted team and are already being praised as this year's champions. There are still 29 games left in the league, plus cup games and European competition. Last season in France PSG started off terribly losing their first four games of the season and they came back winning the Ligue 1.
Benfica will have a lot of pressure on them this season but with the new additions to the squad, and hosting the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League Final it's time to move forward. What happened in 2012/13 should not reflect what is going to happen in 2013/14.
