Portuguese Liga Bwin 2006/2007

[Pi]

Portuguese Liga BWin.com 2006/2007

Following what I done in the second half last season, I will try to keep you informed about what goes on in the most western country in Europe.

This year is like any other year in Portugal, 3 teams, F.C. Porto, Sporting C. P. (Sporting Lisbon) and S. L. Benfica will fight for the title, also this year and to fight the lack of competitiveness and to assure financial viability the League has been reduced from 18 to 16 teams.

The League will kick-off in 27/08/2006, but before that there's the Portuguese Super Cup game between F.C. Porto and V. Setúbal which I will inform you later.

As a football fan my views and hopes for this year are to see more emotive games, not the kind of games when one team just stays in the box and the other teams gets tired trying to get in, good refereeing level that, as in World Cup, it has been Portugal's weakest link.

Plus, I'm hoping to see Braga and Boavista fighting with the 3 big teams for the title it would add some dramatic effect to the league, lol. And of course to see more of Portugal in Europe.

As a Benfica fan, I hope Rui Costa can still do us some good and for us to do well in the championship and hopefully in the Champions League.

The big news concerning Portugal right now, are the move that Rui Costa made from Milan returning to Benfica after more than 10 years away from us and the surprise come back of Mário Jardel, Europe's top scorer some years back, this time he will enter a recently promoted team (Beira-Mar) and will try to help to keep them in the First League.

I hope I can keep showing you something of the Portuguese football where not all are divers and that we can have a very pleasant football as well.

 

[Hammoudi]

I hope I can keep showing you something of the Portuguese football were not all are divers and that we can have a very pleasant football as well.

Only small minded people think that way, don't bother!

I am glad to hear Jardel is back. I was a big fan of his and his style, one of the best pure goal scorers I have ever seen. I wish him luck!

 

[Pi]

Jardel was indeed a great goal scorer, I think he did the right choice coming back to Portugal after all it was in Portugal that he got his reputation, however there are many persons just waiting for him to fail, but I guess most players have to put up with this.

I must admit that I am excited to this year league, I really want to see if the 16 teams model works out and of course to see the evolution of players like João Moutinho, Lucho Gonzalez and Nélson.

Also Jesualdo Ferreira, former Braga's coach, as moved to the "rivals" Boavista, I mention this because I see Jesualdo as one the great Portuguese coaches of today and I'm eager to see what he can do in richer team (although he already coached Benfica, but those difficult days).

 

[Pi]

From goal.com - http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoId=96450

[size=+2]Benfica: Manuel Fernandes Sold To Portsmouth[/size]

Manuel Fernandes appears to be out of Benfica and into the English Premier League via Portsmouth. According to Portuguese sports daily ‘Record’, the player will formally announce that he’s leaving in the next few hours.

According to sources in Lisbon, Fernandes – often referred to as the new Makelele or Manelelê – has been offered a salary five times higher than the one Benfica currently pay him and the refusal of the management to make a special offer to secure his services was the last straw.

Benfica were hardly in a strong bargaining position as 50% of the player’s federative rights were sold on to an investment group and the club’s finances, although improved, are still suffering the consequences of years of mismanagement.

The actual value of the deal hasn’t been released – as, evidently, neither has the official statement, although Portuguese radio station Renascença talks of a total deal in the region of $15 million: half of which will help reduce the Encarnado debts.

Fact File

Name: Manuel Henriques Tavares Fernandes
Position: Central Midfielder
Date of Birth: 05/02/1986
Height: 1.75cm
Weight: 70Kg
Nacionality: Portuguese

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This transfer, in my opinion, is better to Benfica than to any one else, however I was still hoping to keep him one more year at Benfica, what could have given Manuel Fernandes the possibility to play in the Champions League and make a better transfer next year.

About Manuel, I rate him highly, however I believe he is too weak to play in the Premiership, but hopefully I will be wrong and he will do well at Portsmouth. The best of luck to him.

 

[snake]

I think your right buddy, he might still be a bit weak.

I hope Pedro Mendes can stay at Pompey, maybe help him settle into English life which is always the hardest for foreign players.

 

[snake]

Medical Halts Fernandes' Pompey Switch

Manuel Fernandes' proposed £10m switch from Benfica to Portsmouth is on hold following the defensive midfielders medical.

It is believed something has come up in the 20-year-old's medical examination that has put doubt in the South Coast club's mind about making what would be their record signing.


A club statement said: "Manuel Fernandes is going back to Portugal today to have further medical tests. "Portsmouth will reassess the situation in a month's time."

 

[Pi]

Medical Halts Fernandes' Pompey Switch

Manuel Fernandes' proposed £10m switch from Benfica to Portsmouth is on hold following the defensive midfielders medical.

It is believed something has come up in the 20-year-old's medical examination that has put doubt in the South Coast club's mind about making what would be their record signing.


A club statement said: "Manuel Fernandes is going back to Portugal today to have further medical tests. "Portsmouth will reassess the situation in a month's time."

Manuel Fernades is putting pressure on Benfica to let him recover in England, as he believes that Benfica no longer can give him the guarantees he needs to a full and quick recovery, Benfica officials are pissed off, lol.

 

[Pi]

On a completly diferent note, last night we had the first derby of the season, a Sporting 3-0 Benfica (friendly), and Benfica (who has 2 more weeks on their preparation) were completly dominated by Sporting, and I mean in every aspect of the game.

This has to worry Benficas's coach since Benfica wil play in the third qualifying in the Champons League against FK Austria Wien.

I also caught some of F.C. Porto's game against Heracles (Holland), they did a decent job, not great, but overall good and they seem, at least to me, to be on the right track.

I know that pre-season is just that, "pre", and the teams are still looking for their best shape but if I was asked to make a prediction on this year league, I would say that it was going to be up to Sporting and Porto, what for me is sad.

 

[InterMilan31]

I have to say that Im a Porto fan. One of my mates is a huge Porto fan so I will be following them throughout the year. I think Lucho Gonzalez will do well once again but Quaresma is my favorite player

 

[Pi]

I have to say that Im a Porto fan. One of my mates is a huge Porto fan so I will be following them throughout the year. I think Lucho Gonzalez will do well once again but Quaresma is my favorite player

I'm a Benfica fan, I hope us to have some healty "discussions" through the season.

Also I'm forced to admit that Porto has a better team than Benfica plus they have the same coach, they look like a super-team when compared with the other Portuguese teams.

Porto's presentation was last night, they beat AS Roma (1-0), Lucho is still out because of the World Cup but he will come back soon. Also Porto has Anderson, the newest star from Brazil, everybody is dying to see what he can do.

 

[Pi]

F. C. Porto's coach, Co Adriaanse, quited today, the reasons why he did it aren't much clear but the fact that he came out like he did and said some bad things about his players after the games against Man. Utd. and us in the Amsterdam tournament and the fact that he was putting much pressure in Porto's board to get him a new striker may have some to do with it.

This was very unexpected and caught everyone by surprise, I think that this may do some damage to Porto's start in the new season, for now Porto will continue their pre-season in England with games against Portsmouth and Man. City, coached by former star Rui Barros.

P. S.: With Co Adriaanse leaving Postiga may come back and fill Porto's need for a striker, although not the best option available in my opinion.

 

[Pani]

What can Benfica do with Santos,Katsouranis and Karagounis???

I don't think they can win the title.

 

[Pi]

What can Benfica do with Santos,Katsouranis and Karagounis???

I don't think they can win the title.

Sadly I think that you are right, but still I hope (and still believe) that you might be wrong, I think Santos is the worst of the three, his tactics seem reasonable on paper but I don't think he has the "power" to make the players believe in themselves and in the team.

In the last games Benfica seemed like every man for himself so they could stand out and get a transfer, they didn't play as a team and they suffered the consequences, the season is coming really soon and Benfica still has so much work to do.

 

[Pani]

I prefer Benfica too,but honestly Santos is not good enough for a team of Benfica level.

Here they say that Karagounis may join AEK.

 

[Pi]

I prefer Benfica too,but honestly Santos is not good enough for a team of Benfica level.

Here they say that Karagounis may join AEK.

There was some reports that said that AEK wanted Karagounis, my opinion is that Benfica shouldn't sell or loan him. I believe that Karagounis can be used as a super-sub in Benfica or even as a starter.

Fernando Santos only won 1 titles and I have many doubt that he can it at Benfica, these days it seems extra hard for someone to win with Benfica, I hoped that Benfica had gone for Jesualdo Ferreira but they thought otherwise.

 

[Pani]

Karagounis is very close at AEK now.

Pi why did Adrianse leave Porto?What did they want to win last year?CL?

 

[Pi]

Karagounis is very close at AEK now.

Pi why did Adrianse leave Porto?What did they want to win last year?CL?

It seems that Serra Ferrer (AEK's coach) has blocked, at least for now, Karagounis transfer, so everybody has to wait and see.

About Co Adriaanse, I think he said (after the game against Man. Utd.) that Porto's players didn't have the skill or the intelligence to beat Man. Utd., after this there was a split between him and the players what made it very hard to continue.

Also the only striker that he accepted would be Hesselink and Porto said that he couldn't be bought, so Adriaanse sent all of Porto's strikers away in the attempt to force Porto to get Hesselink, but Porto's President (Pinto da Costa) said that the team was closed and he had to work with those players.

This 2 things combined led to Co Adriaanse's decision to leave.

 

[Pi]

The Portuguese Super Cup was played today it was between F. C. Porto (Champion and winner of the Portuguese Cup) and V. Setúbal (Portuguese Cup runner-up).

F. C. Porto felt some difficulties due to the very closed defence presented by V. Setúbal and the game didn't offer much in the first half, after the break Porto came on strong, they scored, and the game was finished.

Porto ended with a 3-0 victory but that isn't important to Porto fans what really matters is that Monday, Jesualdo Ferreira (Boavista's ex-coach) will be officially presented as Porto's new coach, Porto fans expect big things from him and I must say I'm curious to see how far can he take Porto.

This will be Jesualdo's second experience with a "big" team after coached Benfica (without great success) earlier in his career, however, I rate him as one of the best Portuguese coaches of today and I think I'll see great things from Porto this year.

With this new member in their team Porto will be even stronger and I think that it will almost unbeatable, in the Portuguese League, let's wait and see.

 

[Pi]

The Portuguese Liga Bwin 2006/2007 will start on the 25th, this year only 16 teams will play at the higher level in Portugal let's see what comes out of this experiment.

My predictions for this year is that F.C. Porto and Sporting C. P. will fight for the title with the always present S. L. Benfica waiting for a slip of the other 2. I think that Benfica will have to work a lot if they want to have even a small chance to get the title.

Porto and Sporting seem more at ease and the fact they have better players and most possibly a better team won't help Benfica.

Also this year's League is tainted with a sad episode between Belenenses and Gil Vicente, 2 teams that were fighting to avoid relegation last year.

Well, Gil Vicente won on the pitch but they broke the law when the appealed from a decision to a non-sporting court, what in Portugal is illegal and the sentence is immediate relegation, so Belenenses stayed on the "Liga Bwin" and Gil Vicente was relegated.

I think it's fair because Gil Vicente broke the law, but I'm sad that this situation took so long to be solved and it was damaging for both teams.

EDIT: It seems that Lisbon's Administrative Court has stopped Gil Vicente's relegation and the start of the season, at least for Belenenses, Gil Vicente and Benfica (Belenenses-Benfica was to be played in the first week), may be compromised.

 

[Hammoudi]

Congratulations on Benfica making it to the next round in the CL. I hope we play them in the same group (and both of us advancing ) Really, I want to see more of the club and such a club with rich history deserves to be successful.