Roger Schmidt's starting XI revealed his foolishness as Benfica suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of last seasons Champions League finalists Inter Milan. The match showcased a lack of tactical awareness and poor decision-making on Schmidt's part, ultimately leading to the clubs downfall, as the German skipper seems to not have learned a dam thing from the clubs exit to these same Italians last season.
However, amidst the disappointment, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin looks to have emerged as a potential superstar between the posts as the young Ukrainian kept the score respectable, by turning aside seven shots with the majority on the difficult side which prevented the outcome from becoming embarrassing.
But getting back to Schmidt his team selection to commence the game was questionable from the start as his decision to not play a natural striker and start David Neres, Rafa Silva and Angel di Maria up front did not have the desired effect he seems to have hoped for. Then his choice to leave hard nosed defensive midfielder Florentinto on the sidelines in what was expected to be a tough encounter, left a gapping hole in the middle of the field that was exploited all second half.
Benfica's unwillingness to find a reliable back up at right back during the summer transfer window also did not help the teams cause as the club was forced to play young center back Tomas Araujo in place of Alexander Bah who went down 23 minutes into the game, ending the clubs attacking prowess from that side of the field for the remainder of the encounter.
Schmidt has been slowly losing his shine as his lack of foresight further highlights his inability to read the flow of play accurately and make the appropriate changes, the injury to Bah should have seen the club change to a 3-4-3, this way utilizing the strengths of the players he had on the field, instead Schmidt continues to show us that he is not the smartest guy in the room... again.
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