Glorioso 1904 exclusive: Álvaro Magalhães, Benfica ace still a fighter | OneFootball

Álvaro Magalhães values Vangelis Pavlidis’ fighting spirit, even though he is going through a poor spell of form. In this exclusive with Glorioso 1904, the former glory of the club in red commented on the Greek forward, discussed the match against Nacional, looked ahead to the derby against Sporting, and gave his opinion on José Mourinho staying at the Luz.

"Pavlidis on the bench? Strikers often score all the time, every "Sunday" they have the happiness of scoring, and then there comes a time when they go through a dip in form, but that does not stop him from always being a fighter, a team worker. Nothing to point out about Pavlidis, but this is part of being a striker. Now the decision will have to be made by the coach," he told our newspaper.

Regarding the win against Nacional, the former assistant coach to Camacho and Giovanni Trapattoni considered the Eagles’ victory fair, despite the drop in tempo in the second half. "It was a good performance, the first half was better than the second, but it was a normal display, in line with what Benfica have done this season, against an opponent that tried not to concede and to close off all Benfica’s routes, while trying to come away with at least a point. Overall, it was not a very convincing performance," he analyzed.

About next round’s derby with Sporting, Álvaro Magalhães gives the edge to the Lions, but believes it will be a complicated game for both Lisbon rivals. "These games are usually not very well played. Clearly, Sporting are on top, they are having a great season, that has to be said. But it is always a classic, a clash between two teams that usually always compete for the title. Sporting are ahead, Benfica will try to win the game, it is expected to be a difficult match for both teams, but it is clear that Sporting are in better form than Benfica at the moment," he commented.

To finish, the former Benfica left-back defended Mourinho staying in charge, something he had already said in the past about Bruno Lage. "I am in favor of Mourinho staying. It makes no sense to keep changing coaches every year. He came in with the season already underway and now he will have the chance to start the season. From then on, things are different, he will start the season and, as I say, it makes no sense to keep changing coaches every year," he concluded.

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