Liga de Honra 2012/13: Preview
Expanded second tier promises another entertaining edition
 With the 2012/13 season in Portugal’s second tier (known last season as the Liga Orangina) getting underway this weekend, Ben Shave runs down the teams involved, and previews what ought to be a fascinating nine months of action.
2011/12 was a fairly atypical one in the Liga Orangina, in that one side – Estoril – took the championship by the scruff of its neck fairly early on, and as their other challengers faded, refused to relinquish their hold on it. Scanning the list of participants for this upcoming edition, it is difficult to see where a similarly dominant campaign will come from.
 Not only are those involved in the 2012/13 Liga de Honra well-matched on paper, but the addition of six top flight B teams to the programme throws another factor into the equation. The whys and wherefores of Benfica, Braga, Marítimo, Porto, Sporting and Vitória de Guimarães entering second squads in the second tier have been debated at great length over the last six months by LPFP President Mário Figueiredo and his opponents, and now – finally – the players involved will be able to answer some questions on the field.
Whilst the B squads cannot be promoted, or participate in the national cup competitions, the extra twelve matches that their presence necessitates (or more specifically how the other teams respond to this new challenge) will likely determine the eventual outcome at both ends of the table. In a division where consistency rather than quality generally equals success, and where finances are scarce, coaches will now more than ever be required to produce something out of very little, if not nothing.
In short, it promises to be a fascinating campaign, and PortuGOAL will be covering events between now and 19 May. The 22 participating teams are profiled below:
 Arouca
Coach: Vítor Oliveira
Last season: 13th
Players to watch: Laurindo (MF), Luís Pinto (FW), Joeano (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: The same again would do just fine for the tiny club from Aveiro, who after replacing one veteran coach (Henrique Nunes) with another (Vítor Oliveira) managed to secure survival on the final day of the season.
The squad has undergone something of a downsizing after some protracted financial turbulence, but Luís Pinto and Joeano should form a prolific combination up front, and Oliveira’s decades of experience will once again be invaluable.
Prediction: Survival – just about.
 Atlético Clube de Portugal
Coach: Toni Pereira
Last season: 9th
Players to watch: Rui Santos (GK), Quinaz (MF), Cristiano (MF).
Aims for 2012/13: Survival. Don’t be fooled by the return of the coach who brought them back to the professional divisions after an absence of three decades: last season’s surprise packages have been weakened after a summer of departures.
The absence of young loanees from Benfica and Sporting will hurt, as will the losses of Caleb Patterson, Laurindo and Tiago Caeiro. Hope comes in the form of a return to the grand old Estádio da Tapadinha, finally renovated up to second division standards.
Prediction: A relegation battle from the first whistle.
 Belenenses
Coach: Mitchell van der Gaag
Last season: 5th
Players to watch: André Teixeira (DF), Desmarets (MF), Tiago Caeiro (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Promotion. It’s a case of now or never for Os Azuis, who failed to secure an instant return to the top flight last season and have now gone all in for 2012/13.
Incoming coach Mitchell van der Gaag has been handed the task of moulding what is essentially an entirely new squad (only Duarte Machado and Fernando Ferreira remain from last season’s first choice eleven) into shape as quickly as possible, as the club’s longstanding financial troubles continue to bite. Van der Gaag is a capable tactician and this is a title-challenging squad on paper, but the pressure will be on at the Restelo.
Prediction: Promotion.
 Benfica B
Coach: Norton de Matos
Last season: -
Players to watch: Bruno Gaspar (DF), André Gomes (MF), Ernesto Cornejo (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: With promotion not an option, all of the B teams will have been given one aim, and one aim only: prepare the first team’s next generation for life in the professional ranks.
With the experienced Norton de Matos at the helm and a host of Portuguese youth internationals in the squad Benfica look strong; and it will be interesting to see whether any of the prospects force their way into Jorge Jesus’ thinking.
Prediction: Strong campaigns from the likes of Gaspar, Gomes and Cornejo; a pre-Christmas brawl when the Eagles face Porto on December 23rd.
 Braga B
Coach: Artur Jorge
Last season: -
Players to watch: Florent (DF), Carlos Eduardo (MF), Guilherme (MF)
Aims for 2012/13: See above. While Braga’s first team have earned something of a reputation for their reliance on Brazilian talent, a glance at Artur Jorge’s squad reflects a developing youth system, of which Agostinho Oliveira, former assistant to Carlos Queiroz with Portugal, has been the architect.
Both Jorge and his assistant José Nuno Azevedo turned out for the Arsenalistas during their playing days, and given President António Salvador’s commitment to sustainability, don’t be surprised to see some of these players make the jump to the senior side before long.
Prediction: A starring role for Guilherme.
 Covilhã
Coach: Filipe Moreira
Last season: 15th
Players to watch: Gaspar (DF), Tarcísio (MF), Fabrício (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: To avoid a relegation battle – for once. Covilhã survived on the final day of the season in 2010/11 and went down on the final day of the season in 2011/12, but were invited to return after União de Leiria were expelled from professional competitions.
The good fortune has not been lost on anyone at the club, and new coach Filipe Moreira, who despite only being 48 has two decades in the dugout behind him. The signing of veteran Gaspar, released by Rio Ave, ought to ensure some cohesion at the back, whilst Fabrício is a proven goalscorer at this level.
Prediction: Mid-table safety, finally.
 Desportivo Aves
Coach: José Vilaça
Last season: 3rd
Players to watch: Lourenço (MF), Filipe (MF) Rabiola (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Consolidation after an agonising final day of 2011/12. The northern side missed out on promotion after a 1-0 loss at Trofense, and the weeks that followed saw promising young coach Paulo Fonseca exit for Paços, whilst top scorer Pires also moved on to Feirense.
Talented youngster Rabiola made a move in the opposite direction, but this is a squad comprised mainly of purchases from the lower leagues and cast-offs from the top flight.
Prediction: New coach José Vilaça began life as a Preparador Físico – another promotion challenge from Aves would defy all scientific logic. Mid to lower half.
 Feirense
Coach: Henrique Nunes
Last season: 15th (relegated from the Liga)
Players to watch: André Santos (DF), Ludovic (MF), Jorge Gonçalves (MF)
Aims for 2012/13: An instant return to the top flight for a club irked by the manner of their relegation. Unlike the majority of Portugal’s regional outfits, Feirense are run sensibly and sustainably, and money earned from their short stay in the top flight has allowed Henrique Nunes to keep some of last season’s squad together; and also bring in the likes of Jorge Gonçalves.
The arrival of Pires from Aves ought to guarantee goals, although things are looking slightly less secure at the back after the departures of Paulo Lopes, Varela, Henrique and Pedro Queirós. Even so, Feirense are looking solid once again.
Prediction: Title challengers.
 Freamunde
Coach: Nuno Sousa
Last season: 14th
Players to watch: Pedró (MF), Bock (FW), Joel Silva (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Ensuring a steady supply of assists for the ageless Fernando Bock has to be near the top of the list. Without the 36 year-old’s 25 strikes over the last two seasons Freamunde (another club who have had serious financial issues to deal with of late) would surely be competing in the II Divisão.
Coach Nuno Silva is making his bow in professional competitions, having arrived from tiny Santa Maria. The 32 year-old has an exceptionally stretched squad at his disposal, although midfielder Pedró has impressed during pre-season.
Prediction: This could finally be the season for Freamunde. Relegation.
 Leixões
Coach: Horácio Gonçalves
Last season: 11th
Players to watch: Steven Silva Rodrigues (DF), Danilo (MF), Pedras (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: 2011/12 saw another disappointing campaign from the Matosinhos club, who despite boasting a strong squad never managed to string together a promotion charge under Litos or his replacement Horácio Gonçalves.
The inevitable departures have followed, and though there have been some notable signings (Luso-American Steven Silva Rodrigues from Boavista among them), Gonçalves is being forced to place much of his hope in a cluster of youth players. Hardly the reliable foundation required to challenge for the title.
Prediction: Mid-table, not much more.
 Marítimo B
Coach: José Barros
Last season: 12th, II Divisão Zona Norte
Players to watch: Rodolfo Simões (DF), Yi Guo (MF), Ibrahima Faye (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Continue the good work. Although the três grandes exited the B team scene during the middle years of the last decade, Marítimo continued to field a second string in the II Divisão, and the results have been beyond dispute. All of their major protagonists in recent seasons (Kléber, Djalma, Baba, Roberto, Rúben Ferreira) are graduates of the B squad.
But this transitory nature hasn’t exactly aided the acquisition of points. Marítimo B narrowly escaped relegation from the II Divisão last season, and although the gap in quality between the regional competition and the Liga de Honra is not significant, it is difficult to know what to expect from this multi-national squad.
Prediction: Flirtation with relegation, but survival in the end.
 Naval
Coach: Filó
Last season: 4th
Players to watch: Léo Bonfim (DF), André Fontes (MF), Tozé Marreco (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Promotion. After the sacking of Daniel Ramos midway through last season, Naval mounted a late promotion push under Filipe ‘Filó’ da Rocha, and although they ultimately fell short, things are looking up in Figueira da Foz.
The core of last season’s squad has been retained, although there are also seventeen (at the time of writing) new faces. President Aprígo Santos is certainly one of Portugal’s more eccentric administrators, but his moves this summer have been largely solid: Paulo Regula and André Fontes would not look out of place in a number of top flight sides, whilst Tozé Marreco ought to thrive up front.
Prediction: Promotion challengers.
 Oliveirense
Coach: João de Deus
Last season: 6th
Players to watch: Wang Meng (DF), Joca (MF), Hélder Silva (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Push on after a solid but unspectacular 2011/12. After eight seasons of service (a lifetime in the tempestuous waters of Portuguese football) Pedro Miguel has been replaced by the smooth João de Deus, who showed promise during his spell at Atlético last season – though that particular relationship ended on a sour note.
On the pitch the arrival of much-travelled former Porto midfielder Joca looks a good move, whilst the Chinese duo of Wang Meng and Luo Jing are an interesting departure from the usual slew of Brazilians.
Prediction: Mid-table once again.
 Penafiel
Coach: Miguel Leal
Last season: 8th
Players to watch: Coelho (GK), Pedro Coronas (MF), Elísio (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: The promotion of Miguel Leal from Under-19 coach to the senior side has seen something of a shift in focus at Penafiel. Leal has brought a number of his former charges along with him, with the club hoping that some can follow in the footsteps of Pedro Coronas – one of the Liga de Honra’s most talented creative men.
The departure of Manoel to Braga will undoubtedly hurt the northern side, who even with the inventive Brazilian struggled for goals last term. It is that characteristic that will hold them back once again.
Prediction: Mid-table.
 Portimonense
Coach: Lázaro Oliveira
Last season: 16th
Players to watch: Rúben Fernandes (DF), Fábio Felício (MF), Simmy (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Make the most of the second chance handed to them. Like Covilhã, Portimonense have avoided relegation due to another club’s financial problems. With Varzim unable to resolve their tax issues in time for the new season, the Algarve club were invited back, but other than that the news has been all bad in Portimão.
Club captain and stalwart Ricardo Pessoa has finally moved on, as have midfielders Semedo and Jumisse. Lázaro Oliveira remains as coach, and will have to live up to his (almost) name to avoid the drop once more.
Prediction: Relegation.
 Porto B
Coach: Rui Gomes
Last season: -
Players to watch: Tiago Ferreira (DF), Tomás Podstawski (MF), Thibaut Vion (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: The usual B team mantra – facilitate the transition between the junior and senior ranks. The majority of this squad turned out for Porto’s Under-19’s in 2011/12, hence the appointment of Rui Gomes as coach.
As one would expect there is talent in most every position, with the seventeen year-old Tomás Podstawski a particularly exciting prospect. Thibaut Vion is coming off a good summer with France’s Under-19 side, whilst the Brazilian duo of Dellatorre and Sebá arrive from South American powerhouses Internacional and Cruzeiro.
Prediction: Top half, with Podstawski to emerge with the burden of being labelled ‘the next João Moutinho’.
 Sporting B
Coach: Oceano
Last season: -
Players to watch: Eric Dier (DF), João Mário (MF), Betinho (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Live up to the hype? Containing the core of the side that won the national Under-19 title last season, and also impressed in the European Next Gen Series; Sporting B undoubtedly begin the season under pressure not just to succeed, but to impress.
Yet whilst Oceano’s squad is rich in talent, they remain largely unproven at senior level. The Under-19 European Championships provided cause for both optimism and concern (the same could also be said for Benfica and Porto) and although a number of these players will make the grade, it’s rarely a stutter-free process.
Prediction: A slow start, but a strong finish, followed by a dizzying amount of transfer speculation.
 Santa Clara
Coach: Luís Miguel
Last season: 12th
Players to watch: André Simões (DF), Pacheco (MF), Alex (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Always one of the Liga de Honra’s most schizophrenic outfits, Santa Clara are more than capable of threatening both ends of the table in a single season. New coach Luís Miguel’s task will be to iron out that inconsistency.
The Açores club have done well to keep hold of Alex and Platini, both of whom will be required to up their scoring game if Santa Clara are to indeed challenge for promotion. Fans would perhaps take a quiet season in mid-table.
Prediction: It won’t be quiet, but Santa Clara will finish in mid-table.
 Tondela
Coach: Vítor Paneira
Last season: Champions, II Divisão Zona Centro
Players to watch: Cláudio Ramos (GK), Balde (MF), Skourtis (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Survival would do just fine for Tondela, perennial nearly men of the II Divisão who finally made good on their potential in 2011/12. The tiny Centro club are being forced to play their home matches away from the Estádio João Cardoso, which only adds to the task facing coach (and former Benfica midfielder) Vítor Paneira.
Promotion has meant that the majority of last season’s squad have stayed on, though key defender Hélder Lopes has departed for Beira-Mar. Argentine number nine Cristian Piojo has done well in the II Divisão, but it is his partner Vasilis Skourtis (once on the books at Ajax) who inspires more intrigue.
Prediction: Hard to see Tondela doing much more than surviving. Hard to see that, in fact…
 Trofense
Coach: Professor Neca
Last season: 7th
Players to watch: Ricardo (GK), Edu (MF), Paulinho (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Avoid going under, as well as going down. The last-minute withdrawal of promised funds from Brazilian organisation LS Soccer in late July left Trofense days away from liquidation, and although the northern side managed to provide the documentation required to begin the season, things are still looking grim in Trofa.
New coach Neca currently has less than 20 players at his disposal, the majority of whom are either the wrong side of 30 or the wrong side of 20. If Trofense make it to the end of the season, it’ll be an achievement.
Prediction: A top flight club as recently as 2009, Trofense are going down, down, down.
 União Madeira
Coach: Predrag Jokanovic
Last season: 10th
Players to watch: Marcelo Valverde (GK), Joel (MF), Christian (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Keep the coach fit: Serbian firebrand Predrag Jokanovic is so committed that he somehow managed to injure himself during pre-season training recently. The former defender, who has been involved in Madeiran football as a player or coach since 1993, managed to bully his side into survival last season, and will be hoping for more of the same.
União’s games are notable mainly for the magnificent marching band that accompanies every kick, and it would be sad indeed to see this fine club descend back into the regional leagues.
Prediction: Survival. Just.
 Vitória de Guimarães B
Coach: Luíz Felipe
Last season: -
Players to watch: Vítor Bastos (DF), Rafael Crivellaro (MF), Índio (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Avoid the misfortune that has befallen the senior side? Guimarães is a club in turmoil, with last season containing fan invasions of the training ground, a rancorous election campaign, players striking over unpaid wages, the lot. The end result has (of course) been swinging budget cuts, which does beg the question as to why this B team is being fielded.
Prediction: I’m not touching that one…
The Liga de Honra gets underway this weekend, with the following fixtures:
Belenenses x Feirense
Oliveirense x Sporting B
Benfica B x Braga B
Naval x Santa Clara
União x Freamunde
Vitória de Guimarães B x Covilhã
Tondela x Porto B
Aves x Trofense
Portimonense x Arouca
Leixões x Marítimo B
Penafiel x Atlético
Be sure to return to PortuGOAL throughout the season for coverage of the 2012/13 Liga de Honra, and follow @benshave on Twitter for the latest news.
Ben Shave
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I'm really hoping Portimonense gets their act together, as I like them as well. I don't really see it happening, but that's one of those "you never know" situations.
It sounds silly, but I too can't wait to catch a game at the Tapadinha. I hope that the costs involved in getting up to snuff, don't cause the team to get relegated. A very big possibility.
I've always tried to catch a "local" teams game, so now I'm happy to say that Belenenses will be joined with Atletico.
Of course, Benfica is a given.
For the life of me, I don't understand how Guimaraes was allowed to field a B Squad. They're the perfect example of a club being run into the ground by people that don't have a clue. I should check that, they do have a clue and that's filling their own pockets with money instead of running a club properly. A team with such a following deserves better.
Speaking of messes, Varzim is in the same boat. A club with a large following, even at their level, and it's still run into the ground. Once again, somebody is surely pocketing a nice sum when the club needs attending too.
By the same token how is Maritimo B allowed in the league when they finished so low in their regional division. It's ridiculous.
As for Sporting B playing in Rio Maior, I can only assume its due to costs involved in opening "The Pia". It surely can't be for expanding the brand.
The only great news is that we don't have to deal with the Leiria debacle. I feel sorry for the minuscule fans base and the city that never had a team that did anything to warrant its existence. I'm actually more upset that a nice stadium continues to sit empty.
Setubal should see Leiria as a cautionary tale. They to run the risk of disappearing should they get relegated.
Lastly, I hope that the league can find some sponsorship. Let SuperBock step up. Let me add that the amount of teams in the Liga de Honra is ridiculous.
Also, I have a question, are the Liga Orangina games being transmitted on the tv?
Cheers
Mdot:
No sponsor at the moment, unfortunately. Orangina chose not to extend their contract. There was talk of a Spanish energy company, I forgot the name, but nothing came of that. The Liga de Honra isn't the only Portuguese institution struggling to attract sponsors...
Marcin:
The reason for the break is Portugal's senior team and the Under-21's playing on the 12th and then 16th. There will be a number of players from the Liga de Honra involved, especially with the Under-21's. The domestic calendar returns on the 21st with the Taça de Portugal 3rd round, so there should be a game in Lisbon for you to watch. In fact if you're feeling adventurous there will be the regional II and III Divisão plus the Lisbon district leagues that continue through the international break.
Benfica B are going to play at the Luz; Sporting B are for reasons best known to Sporting going to be in Rio Maior, which is nowhere near Lisbon.
The Tapadinha is open from the start, yes.
Hope this helps!
Ben
By the way do you know if Benfica II and Sporting II are going to play home games at Luz and Jose Alvalade respectively? And if Tapadinha is going to be open since the start of the season?
I know it's quite a lot of questions but couldn't find the answers elsewhere. Thank you in advance.
It will be very interesting to watch the Madeira-Açores rivalry in Liga de Honra this year, and obviously I support Madeira! :)
The durby matches are always fun but it will be great to have Belenenses vs. Sporting/Benfica again. Those games would bring out some good crowds.
As for Guimaraes, if they manage to stay in the first division this season, what ever talent they can grow in their b-team could be just enough to help them recharge a gutted main team for next season. However, it wouldn’t shock me if both the main team and b-team were related in each of their divisions. This also says nothing about their current squads as I can only guess that both teams will have a weaker squads and therefore why bother fielding a b-team and just take any player that shows some talent and send them to the main team, I bet you they will need those guys this season.
The teams I would love to see promoted would be Belenenses and Santa Clara.
On a side note, does the second division not have an official sponsor this season?
Too excited! Uniao forever!