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| Tuesday, 22 November 2011 21:40 |
Manchester United 2-2 BenficaEagles through to last sixteen Benfica sealed their place in the last sixteen of the Champions League tonight, with Pablo Aimar’s tap-in enough to earn his side a share of the points in a pulsating encounter at Old Trafford. A Phil Jones own goal got the away side off to a dream start, but Dimitar Berbatov’s header levelled matters going into the second half. An intense spell of United pressure led to Darren Fletcher stabbing home on the hour mark, but Aimar’s instant equaliser put the exclamation point on a night to remember for the Eagles, who were forced to play the final 35 minutes without the injured Luisao.
Jorge Jesus once again selected the in-form Rodrigo ahead of Oscar Cardozo up front, the Spaniard starting his third consecutive Champions League match. Young left back Luis Martins dropped to the bench, with Emerson once again eligible having served his suspension against Basel. The Eagles lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Javi Garcia and Axel Witsel up against Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick in the centre of midfield.  The main headline from Sir Alex Ferguson’s team selection was the absence of Wayne Rooney. The forward had missed Monday’s training session, and with Newcastle United on the horizon, Dimitar Berbatov was drafted in for a rare start. Having expressed a desire to renew his acquaintance with the Eagles, Nani lined up on United’s left wing. The home side started the faster, with Ashley Young and Nani looking to stretch the Benfica back line. Luisao upended the latter in uncompromising fashion with barely a minute on the clock, but United failed to test Artur from the resulting free kick. However, no sooner had the match restarted, than Benfica were ahead. The trio of of Aimar, Bruno Cesar and Witsel played a neat series of short passes in the United half, with the latter eventually finding Maxi Pereira on the right wing. The Uruguayan slipped Nico Gaitan in, and the Argentine’s cross ricocheted off first Evra then Phil Jones, and beyond David De Gea.  The Eagles could not have wished for a better start, and the next fifteen minutes saw Jorge Jesus’ side largely control the tempo of the game, looking by far the more settled of the two teams. The movement in particular of Witsel caused United a number of problems, whilst Bruno Cesar was also lively: delivering a snap shot which flew wide of De Gea’s right-hand post. United threatened sporadically, but for the most part Luisao and Garay were able to nullify the home side with a combination of timely interceptions and smart positioning. It was generally a strong defensive performance from the Eagles, who also continued to seek openings on the counter attack whenever possible. The home crowd became increasingly irate as United failed to find an equaliser, and were also incensed by Garay’s challenge on Nani as the wide man was about to burst through on goal. The Argentine was cautioned for his infraction, but Artur easily gathered the free kick that followed. With Antonio Valencia comparatively anonymous on the right wing, Ashley Young provided United’s other main outlet. The summer signing scuffed his effort after Javi Garcia’s half-clearance, but was chopped down by Bruno Cesar soon after, and continued to roam throughout the final third.  Benfica were sailing somewhat close to the edge in terms of their challenges, and it was thus no great surprise when they conceded from a free kick with half an hour gone. It was a well-worked move from United: taken short and funnelled out to Evra then Nani, and headed home by Berbatov from the latter’s cross. Replays indicated that the United man had been in an offside position when the ball was played, but the linesman failed to flag and the scores were level. The goal signalled a period of pressure from the home side. Berbatov returned the favour to Young, playing him through with a defence-splitting pass, but Artur was equal to the low effort that followed. Benfica responded immediately by hurtling down the other end and testing De Gea, but Aimar was forced wider than he would have liked for his shot, and United survived. The five minutes which followed the equaliser appeared to tire both sets of players, as the closing stages of the opening half were characterised by a marked drop in pace. Gaitan, Bruno Cesar and Aimar all had attempts on goal, and Artur gathered a number of teasing balls from Nani, but it remained 1-1 at the midpoint. The home side upped the tempo noticeably right from the restart, pinning Benfica back deep in their own half. Gaitan saw a curling effort drift into De Gea’s arms, but that aside the opening fifteen minutes were all United.  A succession of goalmouth scrambles had Jorge Jesus in fits on the touchline, as his side creaked and swayed under the near-relentless pressure. Their hopes of holding out were dealt a severe blow when captain Luisao limped down the tunnel on 55 minutes, moments after yet another intervention prevented a second United goal. Four minutes later, that goal arrived. Nani, in a rare foray into the middle, sprayed a delicious pass out wide for Fabio, whose cross was only partially cleared by Benfica. Evra dinked a precise ball back in, and Darren Fletcher snuck ahead of Garay and Garcia to get a shot off. Artur saved his first effort, but the Scotsman was perfectly placed to stab home the rebound. At this point, it seemed as if Benfica might crumble without the metronomic presence of Luisao. However, the Eagles did precisely the opposite, and marched up the other end to square things up, just eighty seconds after falling behind.  The goal owed much to some slack defending from the home side. A poor back pass led to a poor clearance from De Gea, seized upon by Bruno Cesar. The Brazilian barrelled into the area and drilled a low ball across goal, which Ferdinand failed to deal with, presenting Pablo Aimar with an unmissable opportunity. The travelling support, nestled down by the right corner flag, were delirious, but they were not to be in for a comfortable 25 minutes. United continued to pour forward in search of a winner, with Nani in particular a man possessed. Nemanja Matic entered the fray in an attempt to shore up Benfica’s defences, but in truth the Eagles benefited as much from profligate finishing on the part of United as they did from their own stout resistance. Fletcher fired over from outside the box, and Berbatov missed a glorious chance to win it with thirteen minutes remaining, scooping over from the penalty spot.  Rodrigo fired wide in the closing stages, and the home side mounted a grandstand finish, but the closing period was largely quiet, as the reality that a point would be an acceptable outcome perhaps began to dawn on all concerned. Top spot will be decided on match day six, when Benfica host Otelul Galati at the Estadio da Luz; though the Eagles now hold a head-to-head advantage over United. FC Basel, who defeated Otelul 3-2 in Romania, could still progress: though they must defeat United in Switzerland to do so. Benfica top Group C on 9 points, United have the same, whilst Basel have 8. Goals [0-1] Jones (OG) 4’ [1-1] Berbatov 30’ [2-1] Fletcher 59’ [2-2] Aimar 60’ Benfica: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisao (Miguel Vitor 59’), Garay, Emerson; Javi Garcia, Axel Witsel; Nico Gaitan (Matic 67’), Pablo Aimar (Ruben Amorim 82’), Bruno Cesar; Rodrigo. Ben Shave |
How do the police let it get to that state... seriously a bunch of amateurs in Portugal.. I saw the stewarts holding people back from the section on fire.. how about putting out the fire.
The whole thing looked staged almost.
You both are great fans and I think it will never come to that, or at least I hope it won't.
I would like to see two more Euro Cups/Champions League wins for Benfica and at least 1 WC & 1 Euro for Portugal.. before I go.
I think it is a very reasonable request for a nation that wears the cross over its heart, don't tell Nick or else he might stop supporting the NT..lol
Like you NJ I too appreciate that the Liga is a selling league.. I don't have delusions of grandeur beyond getting the Super Liga above Serie A in the rankings so I can laugh at my Italian friends. We are much closer than people think..
Because of the Portuguese National Team.. being so popular world wide the Liga has been getting much more air time world wide and more funds for tv deals.. because it is known as a birth place to elite players. It is becoming very popular.. because of it which generates more money and allows for higher transfers which grease the wheels that need to turn and funds more players coming through. They should get credit.
Now part of that was the rise of Porto.. part of it is Sporting and selling CR & Nani.. some even down to Benfica with DiMaria & Coentrao... but the majority of that popularity is afforded to us because of the popularity of the National Team.. and its success over the last 15 years or so.. with players such as Figo, CR, Rui Costa, Nani, Deco, Pepe, Carvalho, & Coentrao coming through..
Sure the Liga had a great finish to the Europa last year.. and that helps the campaign.. but the fact is for the perception of being a talent producer to be true we have to keep generating stars.. not just foreign ones as if that becomes the case then these other rich teams will just go to the source and cut out the middle man.
Our main supply of talent that is plentiful is of Portuguese stock.. and this we can dominate in.. without having to fight bidding wars with giants over.
So for us to continue to have that great developmental league that foreigners want to come to and we can produce national stars it is imperative that we have many skilled local produce... In the long-term or else we will fall to below the Ukraine & Russia in stature and end up in the Greek, Dutch, & Turkish League area.
Garay like I said.. I like... is very serviceable.. but is not a world beater and may go as soon as the Jan window.. because of other teams desperation's. Like you said Vitor will fill in nicely..
Neither Vitor or Amorim is a wide back.. both lack the foot speed needed to counter other speedy wingers.. Amorim who was exceptional two seasons ago in midfield.. needs to be in a central location same as Vitor.. and for me are better than Javi.. who is a taller version of Petit without the shot. Both were/are useless defenders. Javi looks like he has the tools but the brain.. not so much.
As for your list of players it is like I was saying because of the lowest common denominator mentality that is the brain trust at the top of the Liga.. bar Paciencia.. Portuguese young stars who in the past would get more time are now playing for small teams on loan or in the reserves.. when they should be with the team and alternating in.
Most are wasted in purgatory where they don't play for the reserves and are on the squad list and don't see a game for the big club.
This will only get worse.. if allowed to continue.. I appreciate that LFV has done a great job of finding young Portuguese talent but what use is of it if you have JJ running the ship and playing none of them.
Let's face facts.. the only reason JJ tries all these weird stunts with player selections in big Euro games and such is because he wants to be known as a genius so that he can land a big job abroad.. his puppeting on the sideline is to gain attention.. not to rest on his laurels.
LFV has assembled a pretty killer squad.. with many rich Portuguese talents.. and as he said the future will be based around using more of them... I just hope JJ gets the memo.. because clearly his plan is to only play Portuguese players that are below form.. unless forced to do so by injury.
Which has always been the case with him. Any great Portuguese talent coming through on his watch has come through because of injuries.
Also your attempt to rouse me into creating a list that you can mock is part of your fallacy..
We both know Nolito will not score off of the bench, we know that Eduardo can't make JJ look like a fool again if he sits on the bench (Not saying that Artur is not good.. just that JJ is wrong about his evaluation of Eduardo who is just as good if not better)..
We know that AVB with this squad would be winning comfortably.. in every game bar the Man U games that I thought JJ out did himself.. by not making his usual rash of retarded starters. He stuck to mostly what he deemed was his starters and that was an improvement on years past where there was always big surprises for big games.
In continuing the thought Cardozo can't lead the league in goals again if he is a sub... Aimar will get more assists playing next to better players.. Garay will look good next to Luisao..
Benfica will never WIN important games if JJ doesn't play the best players he has.. with the right formation (Making Everything Look Difficult - With the Best Players- For Happy Lowered Expectations -TM)
and "Portuguese players will not look good if they don't get good playing time with good players next to them, in big liga games. "
JJ and the Brainfarts at the top of the Liga.. make you look more right every day NJ.. the more they play other southern turds the more it looks like we do not have talent.
They can point to statistics to pad their philosophies.. look at the goals scored.. like I said superman can't be superman if you don't let him do anything.. then point to how weak he is because you didn't allow him to do anything.
Hey I never said Nuno Gomes was anything more than a super sub.. and one of the best of them.. he is selfless tho and always worked well with Cardozo because he passes and provides somethings Cardozo couldn't.. the comparison was to Saviola.. and Kardec who got the nod.. you seem to think we will get a return on Saviola.. when if they benched him last year we would've.
Now that he was allowed to play poorly.. odds are a free transfer.. FAIL on your part NJ.. same with Aimar.. we could've got paid.. yet they were kept past their shelf life.. and we will probably get nothing for them.. although Aimar might still pay off if they sign and sell although with his age that is a huge risk.
I will also argue that if Nelson Oliveira was given half as much time as Gaitan he would've provided a better alternative on the right.. even though I will admit.. Gaitan over the last few Euro games has finally started to do some things right. It only took half a season.. wonder what Nelson would look like after half a season of trust.. or Nolito for that matter.
Just reading Jon's post now and he makes a lot of realistic points..
Italy is a bad league for Portuguese and they are not offered any help there.. Eduardo was caught trying to do too much.. in Italy with a porous team of offensive players.
It led to many errors.. as for the NT games people blame Eduardo for the team being extremely lousy under Quieroz.. again he was trying too hard I will remind you that CR was playing worse than Eduardo and deserved more blame.
A GK can't score goals.. or defend.. they just stop shots.
For Benfica.. he has been perfect.. albeit in what 3 starts.. meanwhile at this point Julio the Brazilian Chicken Cesar.. had played in 10 matches as a sub last year. Apples to Apples my friend.
I am not saying that Artur is not good.. I am saying Eduardo should be the starter.. too many games.. Artur needs a break.. and it is a concerted effort by JJ to keep him off the field.
In the end like I have said.. I think Eduardo is as good as if not better than Artur... you don't stop so many great players in the WC with miraculous saves.. only to be beaten only by an offside.. and then just lose it.
You can't hang the horns on Eduardo for the poor NT start because under Bento he started and won too... and helped with the turnaround. It was only later that Bento went to the Portuguese Frango.. because Eduardo was not playing.
I agree with you Amorim is a midfielder and is played grossly out of position on the wings.. he is too slow to be a full back.
Again Jon... I will say .. you are right but if a player doesn't get playing time in good formations they will never improve.. and like I said to NJ.. JJ.. just will not let it happen. He is anti-Portuguese.
The talent will come through when they are given the opportunity.. and like you saw with Vitor.. that might only come with injury.
Without any malice I hope every foreigner breaks a leg.. so that you can see what I am talking about.
We have talent.. it just never plays.. not for the big 4 anyways.
As for NJ and the Portuguese all want to get paid abroad argument.. the same is true for the foreigners.. miraculous how Gaitan only really shows up in the Champions League..
I was a big fan of Eduardo when he was at Braga, but after his horrendous spell in Italy, his form has dropped considerably. He was by far the worst keeper in Serie A and in the first 2 games of euro qualifying he made some costly mistakes. Artur has been excellent this season and there is no way he'll be benched.
Ruben Amorim is a solid central midfielder, but he is only utilized at right back and on the wings occasionally. He is definitely good enough to be a back-up for Witsel, but I don't think that he should start. Luis Martins has plenty of potential, but he is still extremely young so he isn't ready to start.
Nelson Oliveira and David Simao are good players for the future, but I they are not yet ready to start for Benfica. David Simao was excellent with Pacos last season and he developed well, so staying on the bench in a club with many talented attacking midfielders ahead of him isn't going to do him any good.
While we do have a few talented Portuguese players on Benfica, many of them are not yet ready for the big stage. There are plenty of affordable Portuguese players in foreign countries that we could sign. Players like Rudy, Vieirinha, Nelson, Manuel Fernandes, Manuel Da Costa, Sergio Pinto, Eliseu, Paulo Machado, the list goes on.
The problem is that we are way too reliant on South Americans. We'll buy seven or eight promising players and only one or two will be good enough to stay with the club and make a profit. I would like to see us invest in more Portuguese players, but at the moment, only Miguel Vitor has any shot at starting.
Those pundits you seem to feel that I follow, couldn;t be further from the truth. Actually maybe I am one of those pundits.
And I thought that the British were the most dellusional about their players. I guess every country is exactly the same. Even the US thinks all their guys are great.
First and foremost we are a selling league. That is a fact. Next we must sell what is wanted and profitable.
Let's go over some of your statements.
Miguel Vitor played in several preseason games and he look very good in one, 1, of them. He also came in for Luisao and played great vs Man United. But for some reason we are all supposed to hail him the next great center back. The best in Portugal. Really?
Last time I checked Garay has played pretty well. I'm actually thrilled that we have someone to step in once we sell Garay. That will most likely happen this summer, due to the collapse of several defenses throughout Europe.
Amorin? Really? He's Maxi's sub and I shutter to think that he could start as a defensive mid. Please, I've watched plenty of matches.
Why do feel that we are not developing Luis Martins. We gave him a huge vote of confidence in starting him in a huge match. By the way, it was Vitor's (he replaced Luis in that match) mistake that cost us a goal.
Are we still talking about the Nuno Gomes that can't play a whole match. Yes, he's a sub that can come in and help. Am I the only that recognized that he was a figure head, and was ok with that.
Listen I'm all for playing as many Portuguese as possible. I would love to be rooting for Portuguese players. I know that I do when they play abroad. But if you think that I would sacrifice Benfica's success for it, you're crazy. Oh yeah, you say we can have both. Maybe, but I don;t see any other club doing anything different. Carrico, Really? Paciencia sent his ass to the bench. Yeah, Paciencia doesn't know anything.
It's frustrating when someone is looked as unpatriotic because he just wants his squad to do well. It's crazy.
I rooted for a ton of Portuguese that played on Benfica, and there will be others.
In getting back to my point, we are a selling league. benfica is a selling club. Whether we like it or not, Gaitan is obviously our next big chip to play. They are pushing and will sell him sooner than later. Hence him getting a longer rope than Noliti and others. Is it fair? No. Do i agree with it? No. But as long as we are winning, so be it.
This is what I would love to see.
Orlando, maybe you can put a list together of Portuguese players that shoudl start at Benfica, Sporting and Porto. After that, come up with some more that would do teh same for the rest of the league. Obviously the Big 3 we get the best because they could pay the most.
On this list there should be players playing abroad. Especially the onse that are doing well. They moved for the money already.
Please tell about all these wonderful players that apparently the FPF and Bento have also missed. All I saw were retreads on the bench.
By the way, let's congratulate Pizzi since he scored at Atletico Madrid. How dare Braga, who needs scoring, let him go. Where the beating of the drums about that one. Don't forget Silvio.
Let me add that Benfica already stated that due to the current economy we wouldn't be investing in foreign players as much.
Yes JJ is learning a couple of thigs.. this year.. he has learned another formation or two, and he didn't crap his pants in a big CL game like he normally did.. and stayed true to his squad that he has been championing for the most part. Although some people might think that not playing Cardozo is bordering on it.. I am just happy that he didn't switch the full squad around for a very big game.. as he was accustomed to doing throughout his career.
This is definitely an improvement and have noted it.
As for making everything look hard.. since you did ask.. yes I still think that he is playing all the wrong players and we could be winning easier.. but hey that's my opinion.. and it won't change until he starts favouring the better players and benches the ones that shouldn't be starters.
But I am happy that they are getting results.. and that he hasn't beat up any players yet.
Our Liga is going through an epidemic and sure its great to have foreign talent and it makes all around competition better, but when you have the Portuguese nationals who are very capable of playing at same level if not better then there is a problem. And the same goes for Sporting, Porto, Braga.
Some say well lower clubs should be giving the youth the opportunity but fact is they are all buying cheap foreigners as well.
Orlando says he would burn down all 4 estádios for 1 WC title or Euro, and I agree with him and take it a step further I'd make a deal with the devil and sell my soul for ONE International CHampionship. The Njs of the world are closed minded and think only of the now and how it affects their favorite club. Hey I get it fan is short for fanatic and its great to be club paying member and die hard socio but when the most historic team in Portugal can't even play their Amazing youth in Taca games its disgusting and shameful.
Benfica have been and always will be most prestigious club in Portugal but with their own youth they are constantly getting loaned out to lesser leagues look at Makukla in Turkey, Sporting send Diogo Salamoa to Deportivio in Spanish 2nd division. How can these players get better and learn how to play aginst top sides if some of them are playing in Greece, or Turkey or in 2nd divisions, that is wastefulness
The problem is that Manager's would rather train and give opportunities to foreign players instead of homegrown talent. It is blatant..
Sure we don't have the amounts of players coming through as Argentina & Brazil because of the population but we have enough to have 3 or 4 on every squad.
The fact is you say Argentinian, Brazilian, Spanish and guys like JJ 's mouth waters.
The reason you are seeing fewer Portuguese is systemic and will only get worse with the current theme.
In recent times just a few of the comparables for Benfica.. as an example.. and this is not an exhaustive list:
When Coentrao was on fire a couple of seasons ago and DiMaria was floundering in pre-season.. DiMaria got the call.. he started.. when he was playing poorly..even Peixoto was ahead of Coentrao. It was not till Coentrso came in for an injured Peixoto that DiMaria got space from the overlap and improved earning his transfer.
Nuno Gomes who scored 6 goals in 90 mins last year got second fiddle to Saviola who was garbage and started every game and even NG was put behind Kardec who was a complete flop. There are many games we could've used NG's skills in late not just as a scorer but as a selfless team player who works well with Cardozo.
Artur this year.. is a vast improvement.. from the Chickens of the past. But let me remind you that Quim and Moreira
were moved out for the tandem of Roberto & Cesar.. the Frango specialists.
I like Artur and respect him.. and his abilities.. but Eduardo has been given a bum ride.. by JJ. He should've got more starts.. but JJ is still bum hurt that Eduardo who he loaned out at Braga made him look so bad for Braga and the world as soon as his hands weren't in control. He quietly in a few appearances has been stellar..and in a nationalistic country like Italy or most other countries. he would be starting now.. and dare I say doing better.. although I temper that with I like Artur.. and have always done.. even though he botches a few he is too stellar at other times.. same goes for Eduardo.
Then you have Rodrigo getting long looks even slotting in next to Cardozo if not taking over altogether.. I was one of the first to champion Rodrigo.. but the best person to slot in would be Nelson Oliveira.. he is a better passer and he can also score.. having Rodrigo and Cardozo on the field at the same time is like having to straight naked dudes in one room with only one woman.. they will only shoot. That is why you can only have one.
Nelson Oliveira is like that friend you have that is cool and selfless.. and when you pick up the hot girl at the bar and she likes you both.. it does not lead to drama.. you high five and slinky the chick. You accordian her like a bag pipe and the legend remains forever.
Then you move to Defence and you have Miguel Vitor who you admittedly NJ said was the best in pre-season.. and has always performed for Benfica.. always.. even in big matches.. as evidenced the other day.. when he came in the defence actually got better without Luisao. He has been passed over for greats like Sidnei, Jardel, and many others. the fact is I like Garay.. but Vitor is better.. and if we had him slot in next to Luisao.. that CB combo would be pretty sick.
Yet with all his world beating.. Vitor ends up as a little used sub. Fortunately God has stepped in.. and has given the kid the opportunity.. for me he is the next Carvalho.. smart.. and mobile for a CB.
Then you have others like Emerson who God bless him is not up to the challenge.. but because JJ personally brought him in.. gets every start unless injured or suspended.. could we not develop Luis Martins who has more talent instead..propbably I would guess make less mistakes..?
Could we not have Amorim or Vitor at DM.. and be much improved over Javi.. who hasn't looked the same since Ramires left.
Every goal goes through Javi, Garay, or Emerson on D.. Maxi too this year.. has been under-performing after he blew his load with Uruguay.. in the Copa... understandable though.
Then you can also go back to Mak and how he never got a fair shake.. when other morons did.. it is constant..
This is only a sampling..
We have better players at home.. that can be the basis for great results.. especially in the big tournies because you know the home players care more in the semis..
Fact is all players coming through Benfica are looking for bigger paydays.. they will say.. I want to stay for the rest of my career with Benfica.. but like other humans and Portuguese.. they want money so a sardine less in the spanish liga or PL they will run off to play for Bolton.. or Blackburn.
Gaitan right now who mostly shows up for Euro events is prime example.. he is silent most of the time.. and although has produced nothing early.. JJ loved him since he brought him in for big money.. and has played him in the face of Nolito, and Cesar both being better.. throughout.
Some will say that Nolito is off form.. and I agree... since JJ benched him while being the top scorer for Benfica (?) his performance in less time on the field has been worse... yet he still leads Gaitan.. of course you will not score on the bench. It really is rocket science propagated by the Portuguese manager.. Nolito is under form.. nope he is just not playing.
But to go back to the premise the fact is beyond talent selection which "Making Everything Look Hard" is great against Man U.. but the fact is that this team drips with the most talent and depth EVER and Making it look hard is a daily occurence..
This is the best Benfica for a long time.. there should be a few Portuguese in there.. not because they re inferior.. because they are better.. the wrong players are on the field.. the squad selection is weak.. and the results are middling.
If you are wrong and Brazilian or your are wrong and Argentinian, or Spanish then you are right in the Portuguese Liga.
The problem with Portuguese Managers is that we come from a poor Country.. and when they achieve that level.. most want to keep others down so that they can be in the spotlight.. JJ is prime example the only Portuguese he plays regularly are in a slump or suck. The good ones never get the time of day. What a big man on TV... with his puppet stance on the sidelines.
The Portugal NT has 6 of the best players in the world at their position. out of 11..
We have the second best player in the world.. closely behind Messi.. and with Brazil's population you would think they would be there.
The fact is Portuguese are more talented with less opportunity per capita... we out perform every nation on the planet for stars. People like you NJ and your misguided thoughts make things harder for more talented players. The only thing we suffer from is headcases.. but that can be broken... and coached.
For Benfica and other teams to perform better they need more talented players and that is clearly Portuguese stock.
We can buy a million retarded Argentinians that suck.. and you have to give them a full half season in their 3rd year to get on form.. or you could play a player that works hard from day one consistently.
Like JJ you share the same stupidity.. and with the best team since the 60's we are in a dog fight for the league and just squeaked through a group we were guaranteed to go through.
If not for Man U sleeping against Basel.. there would be no first place. Your lowest common denominator mind is happy.. but I am not.. we got the result we all wanted but we could've destroyed as Porto did last year on the way.
Bar Falcao this Benfica is way better (when you have the right players on the field- still waiting for that to happen) and in their depth.. we have many.
If Emerson was on the bench he would be useful.. replacing Capedevila at times.. Javi on the bench would be great coming in..
Point is that one World Cup would mean more than 20 years of Portuguese club failure in Europe.. I would personally burn down all 4 main stadias if it meant one world cup I would do it with people like you inside.
No toilet bowl trophiesare worth anything but I hear you wack people celebrate.. no Liga that is worth just a bit more.. if it ain't a Euro Crown or a WC then the rest is failure... PERIOD.
If the Uefa team limits don't come in soon then I want a super league.. with only the elite that means 1 Portuguese team if any in the top 16. No qualification.. just a super league of permanent teams.. so they could invest for the better of the game.
The rest like you NJ would have to appreciate that maybe Benfica would not be there and your view would change.
I love big money teams.. but at the same time I appreciate balance.. if you want to do it up.. get rid of the want to be's.. the money would make those teams in that 16 amazing.. the best players on the planet would be there.
You are a big fish in a small pond.. and you see things that way.. I personally think we are better.. it only shocks me that beyond the big 4 the rest do squat in Europe.
NJ you keep wagging you lips about this bollocks.. and i won't change your mind.. but the fact is given the chance we have more money off the field than on it.
You are just a JJ parrot.. JJ is only the latest.. you parrot much of the bollocks that is heard in the Portuguese media.. you are like many others who are tabloid followers.
Because some incompetent retard said it on tv or the radio or newsprint you believe it. I turn the sound off.. because I have watched too many games that the audio did not match. Actually I would rather listen to the commentary from elsewhere because of it.. when I stream.
I too want a better Benfica the truth is that it requires more Portuguese to get to the next level, same is true for Porto, and Sporting.
What we have to remember is that stadiums like Old Trafford are called great venues due to the histotic matches played there. The atmosphere is incredible and it just oozes tradition.
What if I told you that the outcome of having every Portuguese team having to start 4 or more Portuguese players meant:
- 1 Champions League spot
- 3 Europa League spots
That would cause a huge loss of revenue for clubs and the FPF.
That would mean a huge loss in world recognition and revenue.
That would mean that no rising star would want to come and play in Portugal.
Yes we have Portuguese all over the world, but our Big Three have a lot of fans that aren't Portuguese. They spend money on those clubs. If we start losing our exposure abroad, even Portuguese, especially new generations, will strat losing interest in the domestic clubs.
If what everyone wants is to have a little league that only nationals play, and who cares about the world of football, so be it. I will always root for Benfica, no matter what. But if you think that we will be able to play all Portuguese players and maintain our stature your're crazy.
Let me add, please don't think that the it would force some Portuguese players to come back home to play. The fact is, they move for money and stature, so they would just be more spread out throughout the world.
If you ask me, it would actually maintain if not widen the competitive balance in Portugal. You can guarantee that Benfica, Sporting and Porto would spend on the best Portuguese players and destroy the league. There would be no surprise Braga, or Guimaraes. Now, you can at least hope that the Big Three spend money on the wrong players. That won't happen if we only had Portuguese to
choose from.
Lastly, I don't think that people realize how many times Portugal gets mentioned when other clubs play. I love it when I'm watching the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Champions & Europa league, etc... and they mention Portugal. Not because the player(s) is Portuguese, but because he came from a Portuguese club. He was developed and sold from a Portuguese squad, eventhough he wasn't Portuguese. People, youngsters, clubs, up-and-commers, from other nations hear that as well.
We still hold a great stature in the world of football. Don't forget that.
But yh good result, and now lets finish it at home!
FORCA BENFICA
Arguing is pointless game over Benfica are through.
On the second goal, while Berbatov was in an off side position, the ball was not played to him, nor was he 'involved' in the play. It was a good goal.
The first was offside, but it was so close and the defensive line moved back so soon after the ball was delivered that I wasn't surprised the flag stayed down.
Overall, thought the ref and linesman did a good job....although I think Fabio could have had a yellow for his challenge on Witsel in the first half.
Axel, Cesar, Luisao, Artur, Vitor when called upon, etc...
A deserving draw for Benfica, and I'm thrilled we are through. I'm even more thrilled that we can nab 1st with a win at Luz. For me that now becomes a must win. We can't let this opportunity slip by, since it would allow us to avoid some big teams that are playing really well. The great news is that Benfica can play just as well.
All season we've done well, but we've been lacking in the 2nd half of games. Happy to see great fortitude.
Lastly, I loved hearing our fellow Benfiquistas at Old Trafford. They were tremendous.
By the way, the British announcers said that Berbs was offside on the 1st one. It kills you because we've seen closer calls go the other way. A home call.
Let's go out and win the Classico this weekend.
Eu Sou Benfica.
Eu Sou Campeao.
Also, very pleased with the fan support. Almost felt like playing at home. Old Trafford holds 75,000 and it was the 2,000 Benfica fans making all the noise.
ie. Spain vs. Portugal WC 2010 (David Villa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mWmeSttIgY
re: 2nd Goal
It seems Berbatov is ahead of Valencia when the initial cross is made.
We defended very solidly throughout, what a different proposition defensively we are now compared to last season. Garay is looking like a great signing so far, Miguel Vitor was unfazed by the pressure when he came on and it was excellent spirit shown by all the players. Matic gave his best performance for Benfica , Axel was superb, and Cesar clearly has the big match temperament, what a priceless assist he made for our equalizer! Our whole midfield did great, the English commentators made Aimar the man of the match! A draw was a fair result in the end and both teams could've won it with those chances at the end.
I only realised at the end of the match that the draw takes us through to the last 16, i thought the whole time that a draw would mean it would go to the last matches for all 3 clubs concerned, if Basel won in Romania. I only realised at the end that we have superiour head-to-head over Man United too and that means we qualify second at least. And the reality is now we are the favourites to win the group, a win at home to Otelul guarantees top spot! Great situation to be in, we can head into the game at Da Luz with calm now...Forca SLB!!!
OH HELL YEAH BENFICA!!!
Artur had another excellent game and if it wasn't for some huge saves, we would have lost. Luisao and Garay looked a little shaky at times, but they weren't as bad as Maxi and Emerson. I love Maxi Pereira, but he offered nothing to the attack and he was terrible defensively. Emerson was never good enough for Benfica and I see him as our weakest link.
If we want to go far in this competition, we'll need a better left-back. Aimar showed flashes of his technical genious throughout, but his final ball could have been better. Gaitan played very well, but surprisingly, he was taken off early. Bruno Cesar worked hard, but his final ball let him down too often. Rodrigo made some clever runs, but he didn't see enough of the ball.
I was worried when I saw Luisao come off injured, but Miguel Vitor was great.
In the end, we were a little lucky to get the point, but we still deserve 1st place.
FORCA BENFICA!!!!!