Adel Taarabt questions Rui Costa, says Benfica are suffering without Luís Filipe Vieira | OneFootball

Adel Taarabt has offered a blunt assessment of Benfica’s recent seasons.

"Barring the Real Madrid games in the Champions League, over the past three or four years Benfica have not competed at the level we were used to. It is not only about the coaches, it goes deeper than that. It is sad to say this, because I have a good relationship with Rui Costa, but they are suffering from the departure of Luís Filipe Vieira."

He said this on the Final Cut podcast by Sports Tailors.

"About the rest I do not know, but in terms of leadership it is hard to find someone like him. He was a winner. You are either a leader or you are not."

The former No 49, who made 129 appearances for Benfica, added: "I never had a president like him, and he was tough on me."

Former Benfica communications director João Gabriel wrote on LinkedIn: "A leader communicates permanently, even when he does not say a single word, and Rui Costa’s image at the end of the first game with St Gallen, with his hands on his head, sent a profoundly wrong message."

Taarabt’s remarks arrive as Rui Costa leads the club’s push to return to trophies, a comparison likely to provoke debate among supporters.

Source: Glorioso 1904