The Official Portuguese Primeira Liga Thread

[fbalmeida]

He's been measured at 6-3 and 190 lbs, but I suspect his weight has gone up since then and mostly due to muscle build up. His chest looks like the front of a freight train.

[SgtPepper]

Do you think any of the CL Portuguese clubs potentially have a deal in place with CR7 given the Piers Morgan transfer request warmup this week?

[Foye]

Do you think any of the CL Portuguese clubs potentially have a deal in place with CR7 given the Piers Morgan transfer request warmup this week?

I think there are exactly two clubs that he would play for in Portugal.

Sporting Lisbon and C.D. National Madeira.

The second one won't even be able to pay him a monthly salary I guess and plays in 2nd league.

That leaves Sporting Lisbon as the only option.

[fbalmeida]

Sporting would be the only viable option, but I'd think he'd be inclined to prolong his first class career outside of Portugal for as long as he can.

[fbalmeida]

End stage Pinto da Costa-ism.

Read on Twitter

It has to be seen to be believed.

[fbalmeida]

Read on Twitter

[fbalmeida]

Brazilian ESPN play by play guy: *"Playing in Portugal against FC Porto is like driving a delivery truck in Rio de Janeiro: you know you're going to get robbed, but you have to go there anyway."*

[SgtPepper]

How is Benfica playing this year? My favorite Argentine player rejoined them this summer after a stint in Europe.

[fbalmeida]

CL has been a fiasco thus far.

Domestic league has been a little more inconsistent, but we're currently leading the league table.

Benfica thrived last season using a central mid-field duo of Florentino Luis as an all-purpose wrecking ball, and Enzo Fernández, who was later replaced by a mix of Chiquinho and young phenom João Neves, as a deep distributor, lining up between the centre-backs on offensive possessions and building the game from the back.

This year, Roger Schmidt has struggled to rehash his model with a duo of Kokçu and João Neves. Kokçu, is a talented central midfielder, but isn't adept at falling back and building from the defensive line. He's more of a classic central mid, than a deep lying playmaker. To compound this problem, is the fact that João Neves has been too good to bench, but not good enough a ball-winner, as a smallish Iniesta type, to offset Kokçu's more advanced positioning. All while Florentino Luis had initially been bumped out of the starting 11.

More recently, Schmidt has courageously started Florentino Luis next to João Neves in midfield, while benching Kokçu at the start. The courage derives from Kokçu having been Benfica's most expensive transfer acquisition in club history. A João Neves - Florentino pairing makes all the sense in the world IMO.

Di Maria has been wizard-like. Directly responsible for beating FC Porto twice this season (one for the league, another for the domestic supercup) and instrumental in defeating Lisbon rival Sporting, in a pivotal game to secure the league's top spot.

He's an unbelievably gifted player.

[fbalmeida]

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[fbalmeida]

Watching him delivery agony to FC Porto is... everything.

[SgtPepper]

Watch on YouTube

15th-32nd minute cover Marsch's counterpressing systems in high detail.