2012/13 Season Preview: Part Two
A comprehensive guide to the new campaign
 After a long, long summer, the wait is finally over. This weekend sees the start of the new season in Portugal's top flight, and another exciting, controversial, and unpredictable edition is on the cards. In part two of our two-part guide to all things 2012/13, Tom Kundert and Ben Shave preview FC Porto and Benfica, plus Nacional, Olhanense, Paços de Ferreira, Rio Ave, Vitória de Guimarães and Vitória de Setúbal's chances.
 FC PORTO
Coach: Vítor Pereira
Last Season: Champions
Key Players: James Rodríguez, Fernando, Jackson Martínez
Aims for 2012/13: Portuguese Title and deep run in Champions League
The analysis of FC Porto’s prospects in 2012/13 two days before the Dragons take their bow in the Liga ZON Sagres at Gil Vicente on Sunday could be very different from the analysis at the end of the transfer deadline in two weeks’ time.
 Throughout the summer frenetic speculation has suggested Hulk, João Moutinho and Fernando are all about to leave the Estádio do Dragão. The trio have been Porto’s three best players over the past two seasons and quotes in the last few days such as “now is the perfect time to move on” (Hulk) and “anything can happen between now and the end of August” (Moutinho), together with the fact Porto did not sell big last summer, adds to the feeling that at least one, probably two and possibly all three players will be playing their club football outside of Portugal come September.
While losing players of such calibre would be a hammer blow for most clubs, Porto, as ever, have been carefully preparing the ground for likely departures. New Colombian striker Jackson Martínez needed one game to make a big impact, scoring the winner in last week’s Super Taça victory. “I am going to make my own piece of history at Porto,” said the ambitious marksman. The signing could prove vital and already seems a significant upgrade on Kléber, the centre forward bought to replace Falcao last year but who struggled to look the part.
 With Martínez’s brilliantly talented compatriot James Rodríguez supplying the bullets, and proving a potent goal threat himself, and Silvestre Varela champing at the bit to take his Euro 2012 form into the new season, Porto’s forward line in what will be their 4-3-3 template should be as strong as ever. With the exciting Brazilian full-back duo of Danilo and Alex Sandro bombing forward at every opportunity, creating goalscoring opportunities should not prove a problem for the Portuguese Champions.
It is in midfield that Porto will be truly tested should Moutinho and Fernando leave. Defour is similar in stature and to a certain extent in playing style to the Portugal international, but is nowhere near the same level. And there is no obvious replacement for the man aptly nicknamed “the Octopus”, to provide cover for a suspect set of centre-back options to partner the excellent Maicon. For all the guile of Lucho González and the fabulously talented Ghanaian midfielder Atsu, one cannot help thinking a Fernando-less FC Porto may have a soft centre.
 All such worries could of course be rendered meaningless should the midfield duo stay at Porto, in which case it is difficult to see anything other than the usual annual party on the Avenida dos Aliados in May for all Porto fans. Indeed, those of a blue and white persuasion will not be overly concerned about the team’s ability to remain at the top of the pile domestically, whoever the personnel. Even with the shock departure of André Villas-Boas, an unproven coach at the helm, the loss of goal-scorer extraordinaire Falcao and public displays of discontent from squad members, Porto wrapped up their 8th championship win in ten seasons in 2011/12.
Will FC Porto be weaker than last season without all or any of Hulk, Moutinho and Fernando? Almost certainly yes. Will FC Porto remain the strongest team in Portugal? Almost certainly yes. (TK)
PortuGOAL Predictions
Champions (TK)
Champions, but I have a feeling Benfica may do better in the Champions League (BS)
 BENFICA
Coach: Jorge Jesus
Last season: 2nd
Key players: Maxi Pereira, Axel Witsel, Óscar Cardozo
Aims for 2012/13: Win the title, latter stages of the Champions League
Until August 11th, it had been a fairly routine pre-season for Benfica, with the usual items on the menu: a squad turning over at a rate of knots, starters from last season being dispensed with, and an apparent attempt to break the record for the number of forwards on the books at any one time.
 On the pitch, things were going well. Benfica had won three and drawn two of their matches, scoring eleven and conceding three in the process. The two draws had come against Champions League-level opposition in Lille and Juventus, and although Jorge Jesus’ decision to field Melgarejo (a player who scored eleven goals on loan at Paços de Ferreira as a forward) at left back was raising many eyebrows, the mood within the camp appeared to be calm.
That was, until club captain Luisão took exception to referee Christian Fischer’s decision to award a second yellow card to teammate Javi García in Dusseldorf, after 39 minutes of Benfica’s friendly against Fortuna. What followed has been the talk of the Portuguese football fraternity since, with the Supertaça and Portugal’s 2-0 victory over Panama barely registering on the scale.
 Initial interpretations had Luisão headbutting the referee. Then other replays suggested that the centre back had made contact using his shoulder. What is beyond debate is that Fischer went down like the proverbial sack of potatoes, and the game was halted.
As is often the case in these situations, none of those involved did themselves a great deal of credit in the aftermath. Luisão has declared his conscience to be clear, even though this is the latest in a succession of what has become an ugly sight in modern football: players attempting to intimidate the referee.
Benfica director António Carraça declared that Fischer was not fit of refereeing the fixture, whilst the club declared Fischer’s reaction to be “a lamentable display of theatre”. Fischer has been quoted as saying he will take legal action, and although the Federação Portuguesea de Futebol probably wish the whole mess would just disappear, FIFA’s announcement that they are currently analysing various reports and evidence suggests that is unlikely.
 Given the parties involved, rational debate is nigh on impossible, with the temptation for mud slinging all too tempting. For Benfica, who begin their campaign at home to Braga on Saturday night, it is another flashpoint in a year that has been full of them. With club elections fast approaching, President Luís Filipe Vieira will be praying that the team can start well and provide him with a platform for four more years.
Their ability to do so hinges on the mental rather than physical side of the game. With the exception of Emerson, who has been training separately from the main squad, Jorge Jesus’ starting eleven on Saturday will not be radically different to last season’s. Luka Modric’s all-but-sealed move to Real Madrid combined with Axel Witsel’s affirmation of his happiness at Benfica means that the much-discussed Belgian looks set to stay – although the expensive purchases of Ola John and Eduardo Salvio do (in theory at least) make the Eagles susceptible to a sizeable offer for one of their stars.
The Melgarejo question is one that in truth will not be fully answered in the majority of Liga matches, where the opposition generally cede possession and initiative to Benfica from the off. The Paraguayan undoubtedly has much to learn defensively, but the fact that Jorge Jesus has bandied around comparisons to Fábio Coentrão suggests that at least he believes the youngster can be converted. Jesus is a man of conviction, but with Malága’s Eliseu appearing in the Portuguese press on a daily basis, it appears that Benfica are still seeking a contingency at left back.
 Further forward, Jesus’ main issue will be accommodating a slew of attacking options. With Javi García, Witsel and Óscar Cardozo surely guaranteed starters, the list of players who will need to be kept happy is intimidating: Alan Kardec, Bruno César, Carlos Martins, Enzo Pérez, Hugo Vieira, Pablo Aimar, Michel, Nico Gaitán, Nolito, Ola John, Rodrigo, Salvio and Yannick are all, at the time of writing, part of Benfica’s first-team squad, and fitting them in is not a task that any sane coach would relish; for all that Benfica are aiming to campaign on multiple fronts over the next ten months.
Questions, doubts, and speculation – it was ever thus during the summer months at the Estádio da Luz. There is no doubt that Benfica were able to run Porto closer last season, under sometimes chaotic circumstances. But two key questions remain: what happens if and when the chaos becomes too much, and what could be achieved if the chaos were ever to stop? (BS)
PortuGOAL Predictions
League: 2nd, Champions League: last sixteen (BS)
Jesus’s gung-ho style to be entertaining as ever but defensive frailties to prove costly. Runners-up and another creditable European showing (TK)
 NACIONAL
Coach: Pedro Caixinha
Last Season: 7th
Key Players: João Aurélio, Matheus, Rondon
Aims for 2012/13: A tilt at Europe
With local rivals Marítimo enjoying a superb campaign in 2011/12, the positive all round performance of Nacional slipped somewhat under the radar. A 7th-place finish and a run to the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup is a commendable performance, especially given a poor start to the season that saw coach Ivo Vieira replaced by Pedro Caixinha. The ex Leiria coach did his reputation no harm by maintaining an ambitious discourse and backing it up by moulding the team into an aggressive and compact unit.
 More of the same can be expected this season, although the loss of star centre-back Luís Neto to Siena late in the transfer window could prove a setback to the side’s aspirations. However, with high quality and experienced forwards Matheus, Mário Rondon and Keita among the ranks, Nacional have the firepower to cause any team problems. (TK)
PortuGOAL Predictions
6th, pushing Marítimo all the way for a European berth (TK)
European challengers, maybe dark horses for a cup run (BS)
 OLHANENSE
Coach: Sérgio Conceição
Last season: 8th
Key players: Maurício (DF), Rui Duarte (MF), Yontcha (FW)
Aims for 2012/13: Move on from a summer of chaos
Since returning to the Liga in 2009 Olhanense have become accustomed to losing their best players year-on-year (Fabiano, André Pinto, Ismaily, Cauê, Wilson Eduardo and Salvador Agra were among those to leave after last season); but the club’s preparations were made increasingly complicated by a protracted stand-off between President Isidoro Sousa and coach Sérgio Conceição. In the blue corner: a President trying to make ends meet in a sustainable way. In the red corner: a young, ambitious coach looking to make an impression in his first job.
 It almost ended in a KO for Conceição’s short time at the club, but a truce of sorts has been reached and now – finally – the real work can begin. And there is plenty of it. Although there have been some promising signings (Nuno Reis on loan from Sporting, Babanco from Arouca and Alex Zahavi from Maccabi Haifa spring to mind) the squad remains exceptionally thin, especially up front.
Having returned to the top flight after 34 years away in 2009, Olhanense have been on an upward curve: 13th, 11th, 8th. Nobody in Olhão expects that to continue this season: the goal is, and always has been, survival. (BS)
PortuGOAL Predictions
League: A relegation battle from the off, and one I don’t want to predict the outcome of (BS)
Mid-table. Sérgio Conceição to break record for touchline bans (TK)
 PAÇOS DE FERREIRA
Coach: Paulo Fonseca
Last Season: 10th
Key Players: Antunes, André Leão, Paulo Hurtado
Aims for 2012/13: Survival
Seemingly doomed to relegation, it required a remarkable transformation brought about by returning coach Henrique Calisto to save Paços from the drop last season. That and the crucial goalscoring exploits of Melgarejo and Michel. All three have moved on in 2012/13, and it is difficult to see anything other than a long hard struggle ahead for Os Castores.
 That said, two players will be worth watching carefully. Left-back Vitorino Antunes seemed destined for a stellar career after two seasons of sparkling performances led to a lucrative move to Roma at 20 years of age, but things never worked out for the defender in Italy. Antunes is now back at the Mata Real, and is joined by exciting young Peruvian winger Hurtado, whose searing pace and considerable technical ability could embarrass unsuspecting defenders this season. If he sees much of the ball that is. And it’s a big if. (TK)
PortuGOAL Predictions
Relegated (TK)
I have no idea how they survived with such average coaches last season. But...survival. Just (BS)
 RIO AVE
Coach: Nuno Espírito Santo
Last Season: 14th
Key Players: Oblak, Filipe Souza, João Tomás
Aims for 2012/13: Mid table
It will be a novel sensation to turn to Rio Ave’s bench this season and not see it occupied by Carlos Brito. While Brito’s lengthy and highly commendable career as coach of the Vila do Conde club has come to an end, that other dinosaur of the green and white stripes, the evergreen striker João Tomás, is still good for another season at the ripe old age of 37. Few would bet against him hitting double figures in the goalscoring charts yet again.
 The replacement of Brito with rookie coach Nuno Espírito Santo, the former FC Porto goalkeeper, is a fascinating decision. While all eyes will be watching how Espírito Santo reacts to his new role, two teenage players tipped for big futures in the game will be especially closely monitored. Slovenian goalkeeper Oblak showed at União de Leiria last season that he could be something truly special At just 18 years of age, the strength, skill and dynamism of new Brazilian midfielder Filipe Souza suggests Rio Ave fans should make the most of watching him this season. If he fulfils his potential he won’t be there for long. (TK)
PortuGOAL Predictions
Top half of the table, with an outside shot of making Europe (TK)
Mid table, with another ten-plus goals for João Tomás (BS)
 V. GUIMARÃES
Coach: Rui Vitória
Last Season: 6th
Key Players: Bruno Teles, Leonel Olímpio, Soudani
Aims for 2012/13: Getting paid
For Portugal’s fourth best supported club, what has happened at Vitória de Guimarães over recent seasons is nothing short of scandalous. Financial mismanagement on a ludicrous scale culminated in 2011/12 with players going months on end without receiving wages, and led to a flood of high-profile departures this summer such as Nuno Assis, Paulo Sérgio, Tiago Targino and João Alves, all of whom are likely to be missed.
 Under the circumstances, coach Rui Vitória achieved a minor miracle, guiding the northerners to a sixth-placed finish. The club’s latest attempt to get their house in order involves gathering a set unproven players at this level, making Vitória the squad with the lowest average age in the top flight – just 23 years old. The wonderfully named André André is one to keep an eye on; the midfielder is tipped by some as a future Portugal international. (TK)
PortuGOAL Predictions
In the wrong half of the table (TK)
Relegation battle, but I think Guimarães will just about stay up (BS)
V. SETÚBAL
Coach: José Mota
Last season: 11th
Key players: Caleb Patterson, Ricardo Silva, Meyong
Aims for 2012/13: Avoid yet another relegation battle
 For a while last season, Setúbal looked doomed. But after a heart-wrenching loss of form under club idol Bruno Ribeiro, the arrival of Bruce Willis lookalike José Mota saw the squad bullied into enough shape to ensure survival.
The inevitable overhaul has followed. The stalwarts of Ricardo Silva, Ney Santos and the two Brunos (Gallo and Amaro) remain, but this is a largely new squad from back to front. Australian goalkeeper Caleb Patterson has been handed a chance to prove himself in the top flight after impressing at Atlético, young Brazilian duo Bruno Turco and Danilo Alves arrive from South American powerhouses Palmeiras, whilst Miguel Pedro secures a deserved return after doing well at Feirense.
In Mota, the club also have an underrated coach. Although firefighting has become his raison d’etre, his achievements at Paços de Ferreira in 2006 suggest a greater potential. Things could be looking up at the Bonfim. (BS)
PortuGOAL Predictions
An outside bet for a European spot (BS)
The usual. A struggle but survival (TK)
Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.
PortuGOAL will be providing comprehensive coverage of the Liga throughout the 2012/13 season, so be sure to bookmark our homepage. You can follow Tom on Twitter @portugoaldotnet, and Ben @benshave.
Tom Kundert and Ben Shave
Related: Season Preview Part One
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Where to begin. In my opinion LFV is acting like an ass, when he attacks Porto like he did. It's ridiculous and unnessessary. I know he's got elections coming up, but let's not even bother with such stupidity. Make it or break it year for JJ. I don't mind his acting out on the sideline, but I haven't liked him going after John on the field (Luisinho lost the ball) or the trend of players saying he hasn't even spoken to them. We have the players, so he better no when to go after them and when to calm the situation.
This is a strong squad and as always, expectations are through the roof. In my opinion we haven't improved our left back situation at all. If anything Emerson should have been given another look and see if he settled. Instead he became Te scapegoat. We have a multitude of options at midfield, so a rotation better be devised. I'm still holding out hope Nico goes and I think that John will go out on loan. Aimar needs to be kept fresh and that shouldn't be a problem. Having Witsel and Nolito remain will be key, and I also hope to see Matic get more looks. Up front Cardozo needs to stay now, but I could see Saviola leaving. Rodrigo needs to find the form he had before Alves tackle. Maybe he just wore down, but we need him to be big.
Nothing but a league title and deep CL run will be enough. Ease, no.
Nacional will tease and finish mid table, as always.
Rio Ave, see above. They actually finished lower than I thought, last season.
Olhanense has set themselves up for relegation. Lucky to stay up, if they do. Nevermind, Pacos de Ferreira, Guimaraes, Setubal, etc... could bail them out.
Guimaraes is a disgrace. They should have never been allowed a B Squad. Although the crazies need to be arrested, their fans deserve better. Someone should take a look at that Presidents bank accounts.
Setubal has to stay up or they will be the next Leiria. It's shameful in how Setubal, on the other side of the river, doesn't reach out to any of the surrounding communities. There's some money their, yet they just sit and complain. Pathetic.
Pehaps it's a little simplified to put it this way, but based on what happened last season, i have to assume this. Quite simply if it wasn't for Hulk (well and some refereeing decisions- I won't elaborate further!), Porto would not have won the Liga last year. I think Benfica had the better allround squad last season (and probably again this season), but Hulk made all the difference for them. And if he goes in the next couple of weeks I cannot see how they will replace him, he would be harder to replace than Falcao, as he's much more of a unique player. Even Moutinho and Fernando could leave, which would be big losses too...but Hulk is the one they need to keep.
As for Benfica, i repeat on paper we look to have a better overall squad than Porto. Plenty of depth in attack, midfield and the wings. Our most important player, Witsel, could actually be staying after all if Real do sign Modric. Like Hulk last season for Porto, Witsel could make the difference for us if he stays another year. However just like last season, i think defence and inability to regularly keep clean sheets will be our weakness. How much this costs us will remain to be seen. JJ is as attack-minded a coach as I have ever seen, but he often neglects the defensive side of things. I expect more excitement from Benfica matches but likely points dropped due to defensive weakness. Should be exciting this season, Sporting and Braga will have their moments...but i fully expect the real title fight to be between Porto and Benfica..
Last time our two teams played, SCP won and Benfica lost and was very lucky they weren't mauled by a much higher scoreline. Sporting has reloaded with some shrewd transfers and returned academy players, and Sporting is an even stronger team than last year.
Sure Benfica signed Ola John (good prospect) and grossly overpaid for Salvio (Atletico bench player), and they still have Witsel, (world class), all good stuff. They are a good team, but Benfica has it's frailties.
I think that Capel, Carillo and Wolfswinkel are going to tear up the Liga this year and I think that Patricio, Boulharouz, Rojo, Insua and Cedric, even in their short period of time playing together are much more solid than their counterparts in Benfica's suspect defense (no left back).
It all comes down to player quality, form, team chemistry and most importantly coaching. I know that Sa Pinto can't wait to play Benfica again. Best of luck in the new season!
Last time our two teams played, SCP won and Benfica lost and was very lucky they weren't mauled by a much higher scoreline. Sporting has reloaded with some shrewd transfers and returned academy players, and Sporting is an even stronger team than last year.
Sure Benfica signed Ola John (good prospect) and grossly overpaid for Salvio (Atletico bench player), and they still have Witsel, (world class), all good stuff. They are a good team, but Benfica has it's frailties.
I think that Capel, Carillo and Wolfswinkel are going to tear up the Liga this year and I think that Patricio, Boulharouz, Rojo, Insua and Cedric, even in their short period of time playing together are much more solid than their counterparts in Benfica's suspect defense (no left back).
It all comes down to player quality, form, team chemistry and most importantly coaching. I know that Sa Pinto can't wait to play Benfica again. Best of luck in the new season!
Also just a quick quote from our President
«Para aqueles que falaram de vergonha, é bom que façam um pequeno exercício de memória. Vergonha é ser condenado por corrupção desportiva. Vergonha para o país foi saber-se que houve quem corrompesse árbitros com prostitutas e outros esquemas. Vergonha foi todos sabermos o que se passou, quando e como se passou, mas a justiça portuguesa ter preferido ignorar os factos. Vergonha é recordar a imagem de árbitros como José Pratas e outros a fugirem de campo de jogadores e adeptos. Vergonha é agredir jornalistas por terem opinião. Vergonha é intimidar pessoas do próprio Clube apenas porque pensam de forma diferente. Vergonha é ameaçar ou agredir jogadores apenas porque estes não querem renovar ou ser emprestados. Vergonha é ter ordenados em atraso e fazer de conta que não se passa nada! Vergonha é saber que algumas pessoas gozam de total impunidade em Portugal», afirmou Filipe Viera num discurso na inauguração da Casa do Benfica da Batalha".
Cheers..best of luck to all this season
Exactly, that sentence is truly BS :)
Benfica looks stronger then last season and I feel they can once again push deep in the CL, hopefully a semi-final or final would be amazing. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens on the wings, I’ve never seen Benfica with this many quality wingers, rotation will be critical for JJ to keep everyone happy. Last season our biggest weakness was our LB (which has only seen a very minor improvement), however we still managed to do very well. We’re we started dropping points in the second half of last season was when Nico just vanished on us. With Salvio and Ola John, we have the depth we need to keep firing all season long.
Porto has to dig deep and try to get out of group stage this year in the CL. It would be great to have two Portuguese teams make it to the quarter-finals. However I greatly disagree on the impact of Hulk potentially leaving. If he stays, Porto will be as competitive as ever, without Hulk they have shown time and time again that they do not perform anywhere close to their potential. Hulk carried them to the title last season and if he goes that could very well break this team. It will also be interesting with so many players demanding to leave if they are forced to stay. They will either play their hearts out so clubs will buy them out or throw a fit like Moutinho did at Sporting.
Either way, Portugal’s two top teams continue to increase in quality and competitiveness which should help our ranking in the CL but I can also see a bigger gap growing between them and Sporting.