Benfica seem to be running on fumes

Benfica has been a dominant force in their domestic league and Europe this season, however the past few games, cracks seem to be starting to show as the club has struggled and have fans wondering if they may just be running out of gas at the most inopportune time.

Benfica have dropped two games in a row at home, suffering a defeat in O Classico against FC Porto that saw the Dragons reduce the clubs lead to seven points atop Portugal. That was followed four days later, with  their first loss in the Champions League to Inter Milan at the quarter-final stage and will see the club have to travel to Italy down two goals as they look to keep their European dream alive.

Benfica are struggling to create chances and score goals, which is reflected in their recent results, their lone win since the International break was a struggle to a 1-0 victory over Rio Ave. 

The lack of depth in the squad is also a major concern and has seen manager Roger Schmidt face his first criticism from the club faithful as his lack of in game management and the usage of his bench has been almost non-existent.

Benfica is facing their first difficult phase of the season and need to regain their confidence to get back on track before what has been a marvelous campaign turns into dramatic collapse.