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| Wednesday, 07 March 2012 18:48 |
Benfica v Zenit: tactical breakdown Following on from his acclaimed debut contribution, PortuGOAL’s newfound tactical guru Vasco Mota Pereira takes a look at Benfica’s triumph over Zenit St. Petersburg yesterday.
Yesterday’s match between Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg was all too familiar. Just as had happened against FC Porto during the group stage, the Russian team didn’t seem to want the ball at all, meaning it was a one way-street all along. Even when they found themselves trailing and opened up, they couldn’t muster more than one shot on goal. Therefore, the report for this match will try to shed some light on Benfica – the team that actually wanted to play football – and just a pinch about Zenit. Here are five things we have learnt.
1. Unlike the match versus FC Porto, Benfica coach Jorge Jesus allowed Witsel to play further up. While it left Javi Garcia somewhat outnumbered in the midfield battle, it allowed the Eagles to exert pressure in more advanced areas while defending and to create overloads on the wings while attacking. It’s no coincidence that Benfica spent the whole first half harassing Zenit’s left wing.
2. Maxi Pereira is an unsung hero. Never mind the decisive goal he scored last night. The Uruguayan is capable of going back and forth for the whole match, overlapping his winger, shooting on goal and still be on the right place to make a defensive interception a few seconds later. He is definitely Benfica’s little engine.
3. Nelson Oliveira is clearly the man for the job. While taking notes about the game during the first half, I was scribbling something like “Why not Nelson Oliveira for Rodrigo?” Now, it’s not my intention to act all prescient, but the Portuguese forward showed last U-20 World Championship that he can singlehandedly inflict damage on any defence. Even though he is not as technically gifted as Rodrigo, he is much more combative and intense, which was just what Benfica needed, especially when all eyes were on Cardozo.
4. Jorge Jesus seems to have finally understood the need to shut up shop sometimes. After scoring the first goal, the team didn’t seem eager to go for the second and third and fourth, all the while opening up spaces behind them. If anything, they went perhaps too far back, but controlling the game is an essential aspect, particularly in the Champions League. The fact that Matic came one for Gaitan was proof that the Portuguese manager is capable of learning from his mistakes.
5. Despite the many Russian players in their squad, Zenit is clearly an Italian team. Luciano Spalletti managed to instil the classic Italian values on to his team, taking us all back to the nineties, where catenaccio was king. The only problem about that approach is that, after finding yourself trailing on aggregate, you’re left with a team that was planned and selected for the draw. As many a manager finds out sooner or later, changing your team’s chip during a match is one of the hardest tasks you’ll ever have.
by Vasco Mota Pereira
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Vasco, I've enjoyed both reviews so far, bu I have to admit that your post after the review was even better. I couldn't agree more in regards to Rodrigo.
This may sound a bit scary but Nelson is a bit more like Postiga in his work rate. I'm just hoping he's much better as a player.
I also wanted to mention and give kudos to Cesar. He really has good vision. His pass into Axel was threaded through two defenders in close range. He himself admitted to having a hard time adjusting to the futebol, training and schedule in Portugal in the beginning, but has really settled in. Sometimes it as simple as taking your time.
That's a note for Enzo.
I know that Nico has been inconsistent at times, but let's face it, he's Benficas next big sell. He will continue to get featured for just that reason.
I'm just happy that we have some very nice pieces to fill in. I could see Rodrigo being sold, but the ones I truly see being gone in Javi and Garay. There's a lot of big team defenses that need replenishing, and they just might bring back more that usuall. Axel leaving scares me a bit. He's exactly what Man United need, and others will also be looking hard at him.
It looks like my comment about Rodrigo vs Nélson Oliveira stirred up some controversy. It wasn't my intention to claim that the latter was definitely better than the former. However, Rodrigo's form has been dipping of late, and that was clear during the match against Zenit.
In response to Ricardo, I agree with Jon that Rodrigo is closer to a finished product, but I don't think that Nélson Oliveira is that far off. As for Jon's request, this is my opinion about both players. Rodrigo is clearly a player with better decision-making and quicker off his marker. He is also amazing in hiding somewhere in the wing and explore the defence's back. However, he can switch off, at times.
Nélson Oliveira's work rate is fantastic and his combativeness tends to wear out his opponents. He may not be as quick as Rodrigo, but his power make him hard to mark and he's much more likely to close down opponents while defending. However, he does have to improve his decision-making (as it was clear to see last match), but that comes with both training AND playing.
I will incorporate your suggestions as much as possible. Steve, I will definitely try to write something up for the quarter-finals match.
Talk to you all on my next post!
But maybe my suggestion is more related to the fact that i don't so many matches of Benfica to know exactly what you mean and that will improve as i read more of your articles.
In any case, as McDonalds would say: i'm lovin' it ;-)!
In the next Champions League match, Benfica should utilize this starting 11.
---------------------------Cardozo------------------------------------------
Nolito---------------------Aimar--------------Cesar------------------------
-------------------------------------Witsel-------------------------------------
------------------------Garcia--------------------------------------Maxi
Emerson-----------Garay---------Luisao-----------------------------
-----------------------------------Artur------------------------------------------
I think this formation will give us a good mix of attacking power, creativity, and defensive stability. If we need to play more offensively, Rodrigo or Oliveira can come in for Cesar.
Lastly, with regards to Rodrigo vs Oliveira, both young strikers are immensely talented. In my opinion, Nelson Oliveira's got more potential, but Rodrigo is more mature and closer to a finished product. Oliveira is a much better physical presence and he's got more speed on and off the ball. Rodrigo seems to be more mature in his decision making, and he is a better finisher than Oliveira. If Nelson can improve his finishing and decision making, we could be looking at a world class striker in a few years.
Axel Witsel is simply sensational. Considering he's only 22, if he keeps progressing, in a few years time he will be one of the top midfielders in the world, no question! He is consistently reliable, versatile and plays with so much intelligence for such a young player. He has been our best signing from last summer and hopefully will be loyal to us for a season or two more, because the rich clubs of europe will start taking notice, if they haven't already!
I was impressed with Zenit actually, unlike some other posters, and they really made us work to beat them last night. Playing defensively was the obvious thing for them to do in the first half, being ahead in the tie, and I thought they did well in the second half, dominating possession for long periods. They clearly missed Danny to create real opportunities, but i think they are an emerging force in the Euro game.
Yeah JJ has learned somewhat from his mistakes of last year. I think he has to stick with 4-2-3-1 for the remainder of this Champions League campaign because the opposition will only get tougher now. Quite simply that formation makes us better defensively, and it is obvious that defence is still our big problem. In my opinion, 4-4-2 should only be deployed if we are behind in a match and need to score desperately...or against weaker opposition in the Liga. Yeah hopefully this great result will kickstart us back into gear, and we can finish this season on a high....Vamos