Benfica announce the departure of Jorge Jesus

Benfica have announced the departure of Jorge Jesus after both parties agreed to mutually rescind the remaining time of Jesus' contract earlier today. Benfica informed the Portuguese securities market commission (CMVM) of the move and it was also announced that current Benfica B manager Nelson Verissimo will be taking over as manager for the remainder of the season.

The writing has been on the wall for Jesus for the past month and the final straw seemed to happen yesterday when he told Pizzi to leave training after he was unhappy with the Benfica midfielder's comments after the clubs Taca de Portugal loss to FC Porto. The clubs players took exception to Jesus' request and refused to continue training with him. Benfica President Rui Costa got involved to restore order to the training session but realized that Jesus had lost the dressing room.

Jesus' return to Benfica did not produce the expected effects after the club spent a record haul last summer bringing in players only to see the club finish in third position in the league which is where the currently sit this season. Jesus won three league titles in his first go around with Benfica but leaves the club trophy less in his second stiny. Jesus is expected to return to Brazil where he managed Flamengo.

Benfica will continue to pay Jorge Jesus until his contract runs out at the end of the season or until he signs a contract with another club which ever comes first.  

Rui Costa checks in on Andre Pirlo

Benfica President Rui Costa has reached out to former Juventus manager Andre Pirlo who is currently without club, to check on his availability according to reports from Italian website Calciomercato. Costa did not make any formal offer to Pirlo but looks to be preparing for life after Jorge Jesus the clubs current manager who has been heavily linked with a move back to Brazilian club Flamengo.

The same site also has managers Paulo Fonseca and Nuno Espirito Santo linked with the Benfica job. Benfica face arch rivals FC Porto on Thursday in a league game and another loss would prove costly in their quest to regain the league title and it should also mark the end of Jorge Jesus' tenure with the club, which has to yield anything of significance to the club in the form of hardware.

Benfica's 12 days of Christmas

With the holiday season upon us, we spend plenty of time with loved ones, sharing food and drink while we are flooded with classic Christmas specials and Holiday songs, I take a crack at an old time classic with the 12 days of Christmas for Benfica fans this season. Don't forget to sing along as here we go....

On the first day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

A new manger on the sidelines

On the second day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Two younger center backs
and a new manger on the sidelines

On the third day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the fourth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the fifth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the sixth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the seventh day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Seven fans a singing
Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the eighth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Eight headed balls
Seven fans a singing
Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the ninth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Nine quick passes
Eight headed balls
Seven fans a singing
Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the tenth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Ten player nutmegs
Nine quick passes
Eight headed balls
Seven fans a singing
Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Eleven straight wins
Ten player nutmegs
Nine quick passes
Eight headed balls
Seven fans a singing
Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Benfica gave to me...

Twelve personalized photos
Eleven straight wins
Ten player nutmegs
Nine quick passes
Eight headed balls
Seven fans a singing
Six sliding tackles
FIVE goals against Sporting
Four signed jerseys
Three pairs of cleats
Two younger center backs
and a new manager on the sidelines,
and A NEW manager on the SIDELINES...

Benfica wont win anything with Jesus at the helm

Benfica's struggles against their Portuguese rivals does not seem to have an end in sight after suffering another humbling defeat at the hands of FC Porto that has sent them crashing out of the Taca de Portugal competition earlier today. Jorge Jesus' return to Benfica has been marred in embarrassment and disappointment when it comes to Benfica's rivals FC Porto and Sporting.

Jorge Jesus' has recorded one lone victory since making his Benfica return in the summer of 2020 against the two clubs that all fans would like to see the Lisbon side defeat over and over. That lone victory was a meaningless win in the second last week of the season over Sporting after their cross town rivals had already clinched the league title for the first time in almost twenty years.

Benfica's record since Jesus' return against FC Porto and Sporting is a disappointing 1-2-4 across all competitions and if this type of form continues, it all but assures that the club will more then likely not capture anything of substance with Jesus at the helm. Brazilian side Flamengo have been in Lisbon the past week, with the hopes of bringing their former manager back to Brazil. I say to the Benfica board that the opportunity to leave the gate open and let the old dinosaur escape is finally at hand but will they listen.... only time will tell.

Benfica looking at Braga defender

Benfica will be looking for a center back when the transfer window opens to replace starting center back Lucas Verissimo who was lost for the season in November and the latest center back linked to the club is Braga's Bruno Viana. According to reports from Goal.com's Brazilian site, one of the possibilities for Benfica is the 26 year old who's loan spell with Brazilian side Flamengo will finish at the end of the month.

Viana is an experienced Portuguese League player having appeared in 150 games for Braga across all competitions since joining the Minhotos first on loan from Olympiacos in the summer of 2017 and then on a permanent basis just one year later. Braga manager Carlos Carvalhal does not count on Viana for his squad and Benfica could be able to land an experienced league player for a bargain basement price if they chose to go in this direction in January.

Everton unhappy with role at club

According to reports coming out of Portugal, Brazilian winger Everton Cebolinha is said to be unhappy with his current role at Benfica and the players agent confirmed this in a recent interview with news outlet Record. Marcio Cruz expressed his dissatisfaction and that it is not out of the question to look at alternative options for the 25 year old winger when the transfer market opens. German side Dortmund has already been linked with the player.

Everton's dream of shining in Europe has yet to come to fruition as the former Gremio star has only had moments of brilliance in his time at Benfica. Everton joined the club in the summer of 2020 for a hefty €20M price tag and has appeared in 73 games across all competitions, scoring twelve goals while setting up an additional sixteen. Everton has experienced a diminished role this season thanks to a front trio of Rafa Silva, Darwin Nunez and Seferovic/Yaremchuk combo ahead of him.

Benfica advance to Taca da Liga semi-finals

Benfica went into their final group game against Covilha requiring three goals to top their group and give them the tiebreaker edge over Guimaraes and the club did just that defeating the second division side 3-0 at the Estadio da Luz. Benfica got a pair of goals from Darwin Nunez who maintained his torrid scoring pace to the season, scoring goals number 13 and 14 on the season.

Swiss striker Haris Seferovic chipped in the other converting a nifty pass from youngster Goncalo Ramos to open the scoring. Benfica will now face either Braga or Boavista depending on the outcome of tomorrow's game in one semi-final which is set to take place January 26, 2022. Sporting and Santa Clara are set to meet in the other semi-final. Leiria will be this years host of the Final Four of the Taca da Liga.

Benfica to face Real... no its Ajax

Benfica have found out their round of 16 Champions League opponents in a weird day at UEFA headquarters that saw the draw take place twice due to an error during the first draw. UEFA voided the draw after mistakenly drawing Manchester United against their group opponents Villarreal and then failing to replace United once the initial error was corrected.

Benfica drew Spanish giants Real Madrid in the initial draw but the redo saw them paired up with Dutch club Ajax in a clash that will pit two of Europe's former giants. Benfica will host the first leg of the encounter at the Estadio da Luz on February 23 and then travel to Amsterdam for the second leg on March 15. The two clubs face off for the first time since the 2018/19 Champions League group stage.

Benfica raking in the dough in Champions League

Benfica's win over Dynamo Kiev earlier this week and the clinching of a spot in the Champions League round of 16 sees the club near an all time high for earnings in the UEFA competition. Benfica have earned €54.3M to date in the competition, only surpassed by the €56.8M during the 2018/19 campaign which was the first season of the competitions new revenue sharing plan.

Benfica could add an additional €10.6M if the club is to advance past the round of 16 to the quarter-final stage. The current earnings do not include TV revenue which is awarded at the conclusion of the season based on the value of Portugal's TV market and shared between Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto who were all participants in the group stage portion.

Benfica win to advance to round of 16 in Champions League

Benfica did their part and got a some help to advance to the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since the 2016/17 edition of the tournament. Benfica scored a pair early goals in the first 22 minutes of the game and held on to defeat Dynamo Kiev 2-0. Across the continent in Munich, Bayern provided the assist that the Lisbon club needed when they defeated Barcelona 3-0, moving Benfica one point ahead of the Spanish side and into the knockout stages.

Benfica will earn an additional €9.6M for advancing out of the group stage and into the final 16, they will be joined by Sporting who also advanced as group runners up. Benfica will find out their opponents in February on Monday December 13 when the UEFA draw takes place. Benfica will avoid German giants Bayern Munich but that still leaves one of the following seven, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus, Lille and Ajax as the clubs next opponents.

Benfica ready to loan youngsters again

According to Portuguese daily A Bola, Benfica will be slimming down the squad when the transfer window opens in January with the likely loan departures of Seixal made youngsters Gedson Fernandes and David Ferro. The 24 year old Ferro and 22 year old Gedson have appeared in only 177 minutes combined across all competitions this season and the club feels that the two sitting does no good to their values going forward.

Gedson has already spent the prior season and a half on loan with Tottenham and Galatasaray, while Ferro spent half of last season on loan at Valencia. Benfica have their eyes on acquiring a center back during the winter window to add some depth to the squad after the season ending injury on the back end to Lucas Verissimo and manager Jorge Jesus prefers to have the minimum amount of players on the practice field when he prepares for matches.

Benfica have important month ahead

After a disappointing loss to Sporting where the club was just not clinical in front of their Lisbon rivals goal, Benfica have a very important month ahead which if they falter could see the end of Jorge Jesus' run as the manager of the club. Benfica will face Dynamo Kiev this week at the Luz in a must win game and hope that Barcelona either loses or draws against Bayern Munich to advance to the Champions League round of 16.

Benfica will then take on Famalicao in league play on the weekend before a crucial League Cup game against Covilha mid month in which they will need a victory by three or more goals to win their group and advance to the semi-finals. Benfica will face off against Maritimo in another league game at home before playing two crucial games against rival FC Porto, one on the 23rd in the Taca de Portugal round of 16 and the other on the 30th in league action with both games being played at Porto's Dragao.

A decision into Jorge Jesus' time at Benfica may be decided by the results that the club is able to obtain under his command this month. It is crucial that Benfica get the better of their arch rivals FC Porto something that Jesus has not been able to obtain for the club since his return to Benfica winning only one of six encounters in the Classico. Benfica fans showed the manager their displeasure Friday when they waved the famous white towel at the conclusion of the Lisbon Derby which caught the attention of  Benfica's upper management.

Newcastle will need to wait on Vlachodimos

According to Portuguese paper O Jogo, Benfica starting keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos is on the radar of Premiership club Newcastle who would like to acquire the Greek International when the winter transfer window opens next month. Newcastle are open to beginning talks with Benfica shortly but the Lisbon side is said to not be interested in discussing any move for the clubs current number one until the end of the current season.

Vlachodimos spent his youth career at Stuttgart before moving on to join Greek club Panathinaikos on a free transfer in the summer of 2016. Benfica scouts were impressed with the now 27 year old's performances with the Greek outfit and Benfica made the move to acquire Vlachodimos in the summer of 2018 for €2.4M. Vlachodimos has appeared in 142 games across all competitions since joining the club and maintained 58 clean sheets while capturing one League title and a Super Cup.