Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Chiquinho earning the trust of Schmidt

Benfica Blog
The sale of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea on the last day of the transfer window left a big hole in Benfica's midfield when the club failed to add a replacement for the talented Argentinian but Benfica manager Roger Schmidt decided to place his trust in current club member Chiquinho and so far that trust has paid dividends for the club.

Chiquinho has become a regular member of the starting XI since the departure of Enzo and for a midfielder that had seen little to no playing time with the club over the past two seasons, it is a major accomplishment for the 27 year old who has been given a chance to see what he can do by the German manager.

Schmidt recently complimented Chiquinho's game since moving into a regular role and said that the midfielder is very strong on the ball, while being able to control the game and covers a lot of the field with his runs. Schmidt is counting on Chiquinho to get better and better as he enjoys a regular run of play.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Joao Mario named league player of the month

Benfica Blog
Benfica midfielder Joao Mario was named the Portuguese League Player of the month for December/January beating out Gil Vicente striker Fran and Porto's Galeno along with Arouca's Dabbagh. Joao Mario's form has been superb this season under the guidance of manager Roger Schmidt and the midfielder is being recognized for a terrific season to date. Joao Mario scored four league goals over the span of six league games in 486 minutes of action with a player rating of 7.30 to capture the award.


Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Benfica set to start talks for new left back

Benfica Blog
With contract talks with current starting left back Alex Grimaldo not moving forward, Benfica are already looking at options to replace the 27 year old Spaniard who is set to become a free agent at the end of this current season and are ready to begin talks with Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro for Guilherme Arana.

The 25 year old suffered a left cruciate ligament injury in September costing him a chance to represent Brazil in World Cup 2022, with no timeline yet to on his potential return, Arana could yet miss at least the first few months of the Brazilian league season. Benfica are hoping that acquiring the left back while his value is low will pay off dividends for the club in the future.

Arana would be looking to make amends after his first failed trip to Europe in which he joined Sevilla in January 2018 but appeared in only twenty-five games across all competitions for the Spanish club, spending most of his time away on loan. Arana returned permanently to Brazil in the summer of 2021 making his loan at Mineiro permanent after spending 18 months with the club.