Bruno Lage’s ‘hasty’ decision didn’t unsettle Benfica, say Santa Clara | OneFootball

Bruno Lage, faced with the absence of Amar Dedic, bet on Tomás Araújo as the right-back against Santa Clara. However, following the foul suffered by the number 44, the Benfica coach ended up rushing the strategy, something that ultimately did not have the effect he was initially expecting.

From what could be seen on the television images, the Eagles' number 44 had some complaints due to the incident with Paulo Victor, who ended up being sent off after the VAR informed João Pinheiro of the seriousness of the incident. However, despite the complaints, the player remained on the field until halftime, at which point he was replaced by Gianluca Prestianni.

Now, according to the newspaper Record, the departure of Tomás Araújo, who, despite being shaken, was nothing more than a scare, was also a strategic decision for Bruno Lage, who chose to introduce another offensive player, removing a defensive element. Fredrik Aursnes ended up being adapted to right-back.

Aware that Santa Clara would play more than 50 minutes reduced to 10 men, the coach from Setúbal made a point of emphasizing the offensive dynamics, leaving Prestianni to do warm-up exercises during the break. However, the change did not have the desired effect, as Benfica only scored one goal, which led to an ultimatum from the fans.

This season, wearing the Benfica jersey, Tomás Araújo – currently valued at 32 million euros – has played four matches, all in the Liga Portugal Betclic. In the 225 minutes he played, the center-back/right-back, who has a contract with the Club of Light until June 2029, has been performing well.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.