An outsider’s view of Jorge Jesus’ scintillating Benfica
Portuguese giants impressing onlookers far and wide
 Benfica boarded a plane this morning, bound for the German capital where they resume their Eruopa League campaign against Hertha Berlin tomorrow. English football journalist Rupert Fryer explains why he has joined the growing band of admirers of Jorge Jesus’ exciting outfit.
On November 5th last year, I stood patiently inside a Merseyside Press Room, awaiting the arrival of a man who had just masterminded his second comprehensive victory over Premier League opponents in less than three weeks. And comprehensive it most certainly was. Benfica absolutely pummelled Everton for 90 minutes that night, dominating possession from the first minute, they were unlucky to only win by two goals.
When we took our first look at Benfica before their season began back in August, I have to admit, I knew little of Jorge Jesus – but as soon as he marched into the Goodison Park press room that night, I knew Benfica had appointed the right man. He didn’t have an air of authority about him as much as one of the dogged obstinance you might expect to find on the face of a totalitarian leader in Communist Russia. It was a look that urged the gentleman standing next to me to turn and proclaim, “Jesus, he looks intense!” I don’t think the pun was intended – but hats off to that man if it was.
Faultless tactical display
Jesus went on to reveal the game plan he had implemented to perfection earlier that evening, dropping classy Pablo Aimar in favour of a more rigid central midfield of Ramires and Javi Garcia; both sitting deep with wide men either side of them, while Oscar Cardozo and Javier Saviola took turns dropping deep into the space Aimar would usually fill. Jesus admitted: “I came here looking for one point.” After an hour of total Benfica dominance, Jesus introduced little Pablo, and Benfica instantly took the lead through Saviola. “Aimar changed the game” said Jesus, and he did. By the time Cardozo added the second 15 minutes before the end, the game was already over.
What was so important about that night is, not only was it Benfica’s biggest test of the season so far, but they came into the game off the back of their first league defeat, suffered at the hands of Jesus’ previous club Braga. It was the first time his side had failed to score a goal in domestic football, ended in a huge dust-up and was against the team who appeared to be their biggest rivals for the Portuguese Liga. With Sporting going through what their fans may call a transitional period and Porto, as ever, introducing numerous replacements for the star players they lost the previous summer, that 2-0 defeat to Braga was a huge blow for Jesus’ disciples. Since that night at Goodison though, As Águias (The Eagles) have been flying.
They’ve already scored 5 goals or more in a single match on no less than five occasions this season and Paraguayan forward Oscar Cardozo is leading Portugal’s scoring charts with 17 goals in 20 games, his striker partner Javier Saviola already has ten. Ramires has settled instantly, forming a formidable partnership with Javi Garcia in the middle of the park and most notably, Angel di Maria (the club’s prize possession) seems to finally be maturing into the talent many seem to think he already is.
Goal machine
Top of the Portuguese league, losing just once in twenty outings, they’ve scored a staggering 52 goals, with just eleven conceded; they cruised through their Europa League group winning five of their six games, including that comprehensive 7-0 aggregate double over Everton, while conceding just three goals; their prize possession is reported to have just turned down a mega-lucrative transfer to free-spending Manchester City; the fans are happy, the manager’s happy, the players are happy; all-in-all, it hasn’t been a bad few months for Benfica, whose first eleven includes EIGHT South Americans.
Benfica face struggling German outfit Hertha BSC in the next round of the Europa league and with Hertha currently propping up the Bundesliga table with just two wins in 20 league games, The Eagles look set to soar past a struggling Die Alte Dame (The Old Lady). Those odds of 20/1 you could have got on Benfica lifting the Europa crown five months ago have been cut to as low as 11/1 by some bookmakers.
We’re just about half way through the season now and with the transfer window slammed shut, Benfica not only managed to hold on to every single one of their major assets, but actually added another three South Americans: strikers Alan Kardec (wonderfully named after the French spiritualist whose ideas of achieving enlightenment through communication with the souls of the dead went down quite well in Brazil), Eder Luis and midfielder Airton, all Brazilian. While Jesus insists that the “second half of the season is won only with sacrifice and humility,” Benfica will be telling themselves… so far so good.
by Rupert Fryer
Rupert Fryer is co-owner of www.southamericanfootball.co.uk and works freelance for Goal.com. He is also writes a blog for The Football Ramble and is a regular contributor to The Oxford United Matchday Programme.
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Yes we bought the Champions League in 2004 too!
Do you guys know what the Champions League is by the way?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uefa_Champions_League
hope this helps
No? Do yourself a favour and go to youtube and have yourself a listen and then we'll see who has a laugh.
Seriously are you having a laugh?
Benfica would have to win the Europa League this season just to get a bit of notice that they are half-decent European side again. And even that is debatable. Look at Shakhtar, they won it last season and couldn't even get through the Champions League qualifiers this season.
There is a big difference between both competitions and until Benfica start regularly competing and making the knockout phase of the Champions League then I don't think anyone in Europe will be thinking Benfica are a world force again.
Here in England Porto are regarded as the dominant force of Portuguese football. Few of the younger generation are aware of Benfica's success in the dinosaur era. This is because in the last decade Porto have been consistently performing on the big stage and even won the CL in 2004.
Meanwhile Benfica have humiliated Portuguese football numerous times such as their 7-0 thrashing in Celta, the 5-1 loss at Olympiakos and more generally their lack of progress in European competitions, with the exception of one season when they got to the CL quarter finals.
It will take a long time for Benfica to repair that damage and convince everyone that they are a European force again. And lets not forget they haven't actually won anything yet this season, and even if they do -
ONE SWALLOW DOESN'T MAKE A SUMMER!!
Paulo has a great comment on how Porto sold their players and look where they are now? Fighting to get second and barely getting a win with Arsenals B team.
I hope Porto does well in Europe but show some respect to Benfica which put the Portuguese league on the map and are still ranked 8th in the world standings for clubs. They have finally recovered from that nasty low and will increase the quality for Portuguese soccer again.
Yes in the last decade or two hasn't lived up to the Glorioso's history, but that is over. The supply of youth hasn't been very lucrative either, yet that is changing as well. Players like Miguel Vitor, Roderick Miranda, and Nelson Oliveira are the seeds that will bare several pieces of silver fruit.
Today's age of futebol forces clubs like the big three to go to S. America and sign their players becuase the financial state of the futebol world. How is a country of 10 million people going to generate enough revenue to drive these teams to keep their best domestic players (some of the best in the world) nevermind keep the foreign playes they sign when they need to generate revenue. Yes Porto has done fine selling off players of late, but they are feeling the ramifactions this season. Sporting has done a terrific job of deveoping domestic youth, but they too have little to show for it.
At the end of the day SL Benfica is and will always be the Glorioso. FC Porto will always be the child in the corner crying for attention.
Either way good luck today against the "Gunners" the Liga needs good performances from the Big 3 in Europe to raise our world rankings.