MMore important than playing well is winning. This is the premise of all coaches. However, football continues to be the sport that generates the most enthusiasm. And for there to be enthusiasm in the stands, there has to be good football on the pitch. Marco Silva’s time at Benfica is still short, but it already allows us to draw some lessons. One of the most obvious is that this Benfica plays much better than Mourinho’s Benfica, despite the squad being quite similar.
It is true that the Eagles are five points behind the lead occupied by FC Porto, but it would be unfair not to recognize the work carried out by Marco Silva at Luz. At the time he was presented, Marco Silva said that some players had the potential to give more to the team. He was completely right.
From the outset, there was a lot of talk about the role that Sudakov could play in the new Benfica. But Marco Silva was thinking beyond that. I was thinking about how to get the best out of Prestianni’s characteristics, a player who was even about to be sold in the summer for 20 million euros.
Marco Silva liked what he saw in training, he put the little Argentine in the place he feels most comfortable and the result couldn’t be better. Prestianni plays like never before and puts Benfica at a level that would have been unthinkable last season. A level that leads anyone to question what Mourinho would be doing or thinking to not be able to create such an offensive dynamic.
Marco Silva headed Benfica’s football. The defensive moment is still far from ideal, but the Reds shine in other moments of the game. They know how to have the ball, they know how to exploit the opponents’ backs, they know how to speed up the game, they know how to put pressure on the opponent and, above all, they follow a game plan that seems to create no doubts in the players.
Prestianni will be the face of this new Benfica and Rui Costa can thank Marco Silva. After all, he was on the verge of making yet another sports management error by abdicating what is being the great figure of the championship.
From a communication point of view, Marco Silva is also getting the better of Mourinho. Not having the same charisma – recognized worldwide – as his predecessor, the Benfica coach never fails to show his own personality, critical spirit and knowledge of the opponent’s values.
Basically, Marco Silva makes everything easier for Benfica, also because he doesn’t invent and doesn’t get carried away by the famous mind games, being, above all, focused on what Benfica can and should do on the field.
For now, the Eagles are playing the most exciting football in our championship, but that doesn’t mean they are the best positioned team to win the title. FC Porto maintains last season’s standard, with some distinct nuances, being very cohesive defensively and effective in attack, but without that more dazzling side. Sporting is still looking for its new identity after a revolution in the squad, with Rui Borges, more recently, betting on a declared 4x3x3.
The final assessment can only be made in May, but Benfica is already winning, from the inside out, with the forced exchange of Marco Silva for Mourinho. You just don’t see those who don’t want to.
