Marco Silva identifies Benfica flaw and orders more authority, aggression and communication | OneFootball

Marco Silva has demanded greater authority, aggression and communication from Benfica after their Liga opener ended in a draw against Académico de Viseu.

According to Glorioso 1904, he has concluded from the first competitive outings that the team must take firmer control of matches and impose themselves more consistently.

He wants players to be more vocal, correcting and guiding team-mates, demanding higher standards and assuming responsibility when pressure builds. The priority is a stronger collective reaction on the pitch.

That message is acute in defence after the departures of Nicolás Otamendi and António Silva. Tomás Araújo and Clément Lenglet now partner at centre-back and need time to build understanding. In the new hierarchy, Fredrik Aursnes is captain with Tomás Araújo his deputy, though the Norwegian was unavailable against Académico de Viseu so the armband passed to another player.

Post-match, Silva said Benfica must kill certain moves, avoid conceding from a corner and from a back-pass after a throw-in, and work to stop those situations. He added that efficiency in front of goal must improve, although he is more troubled by the manner of the goals conceded.

Training in the coming days will focus on defensive organisation and creating a more assertive, competitive side. The response has to start in the next training sessions.

Source: Glorioso 1904

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”