Portuguese Bwin Liga: Guimaraes set on breaking the mould

Northern club determined to shatter traditional triumvirate

With FC Porto having wrapped up the Portuguese Championship title five rounds before the end of the season, distracted onlookers could be forgiven for thinking all interest was lost in the rest of the campaign.

Not in the slightest. The superb run of Guimaraes, the club based in the historical cradle of nation, has brought a refreshing, albeit unfamiliar look to the top of the table as 2007/08 draws to a close.

With three matches remaining Guimaraes are lying in second place, three points clear of Sporting and a further point ahead of Benfica, languishing in fourth. There was a time when little importance was attached to anything other but first place, but Champions League qualification has made a podium finish crucial in terms of prestige, and perhaps more importantly, the financial gains.

Portuguese football continues to spawn some of the world’s most talented players on a remarkably regular basis, but the fact that most of them move abroad at the first opportunity is indicative of the desperate financial plight afflicting even the country’s top clubs.

Hence, second place, giving automatic entry the group phase of the Champions League, brings the prize of a guaranteed and much-needed boost ailing coffers. Guimaraes have kept the duo from the capital at bay practically all season and are now well positioned to claim the coveted runners-up spot.

Coach Manuel Cajuda took over the club 18 months ago and deserves tremendous credit for first guiding Guimaraes back to the top flight, then moulding a formidable team built on a watertight defence that fully merits its current standing.

Passionate fans

The wily coach admits the team’s fervent fans provide a huge incentive to the players and are a rarity in Portugal. “The Guimaraes fans are very different in the way they live and breathe football. Almost all of the population of the city were born here – they didn’t come to the city to work – and they feel the club with great intensity since childhood. Being a Guimaraes fan is indoctrinated from the cradle to the grave. There’s a great mysticism and passion around the club that I cannot explain,” says Cajuda.

Indeed, the club can boast remarkable backing from Guimaraes residents, with home crowds averaging over 23,000 in a city whose population is little over double that figure. In a country where everybody is seemingly a fan of one of the big three and top-flight matches regularly attract under 1,000 spectators, the fanatical support of the Guimaraes faithful may provide that extra push the club needs to secure second spot.

“Here you don’t hear people talking about Benfica, or Porto or Sporting,” explains Cajuda. “It’s great to know that the big three now view us as enemies and are extremely worried about us. We’re not stealing a place from anybody, just fighting to do as well as we can.”

Threadbare budget

Even the huge gulf in funding fails to deter Cajuda from his ambitions of turning Guimaraes into a force. The budget for Guimaraes this season was set at 3.75m euros. Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo alone cost 9m euros. “To continue to fight for European places Guimaraes have to invest more over a five-year period. The recent lesson of relegation must be learned, to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But it’s not necessary to spend huge amounts to build a good team.”

Guimaraes host champions FC Porto this Sunday, while Sporting and Benfica will be looking to bounce back from defeats last weekend as they host Maritimo and Belenenses respectively.