Nuno Travassos says Benfica’s first-choice keeper needs a bit of help | OneFootball

Nuno Travassos believes that Benfica’s success may hinge on Georgiy Sudakov. According to the expert, the Eagles have some weaknesses in creativity and finishing, but the Ukrainian could be a valuable asset to help solve these problems—though he will need support.

"It’s indisputable that Benfica has more than enough options to play better and challenge for the title, but it’s also clear that the squad lacks players who can have a clear influence in the final third. Especially when it comes to defining the team’s identity, which should be aligned with the club’s identity," he told the newspaper A Bola.

For the expert, Sudakov—who dedicated his goal against Rio Ave to someone special—"needs friends" and could form a successful partnership with Lukebakio: "signed in the final days of the transfer window, they can help overcome this chronic limitation, as they showed in the build-up to the goal against Rio Ave, but it still seems insufficient, especially if we consider the inconsistent performances of Schjelderup and Prestianni."

"Benfica has only one player truly capable of receiving the ball inside deep and compact defensive blocks: that is precisely the Ukrainian international signed from Shakhtar Donetsk. Even Lukebakio, whose debut generated as much excitement as fresh water in the desert, is a player who creates imbalance on the flanks. He helps, of course, by providing the verticality that is also lacking, but it remains essential, in these situations, to be able to break down the opponent’s strategy from the inside. Pavlidis and Ivanovic are not link-up forwards, especially not in tight spaces; Ríos has never been a midfielder who creates space, but rather one who exploits it," he added.

To conclude, Nuno Travassos offered high praise for Fredrik Aursnes: "He, yes, has the ability to orchestrate Benfica’s play, but he is usually assigned to other roles, as always. In the next match, he might even be called upon to cover for the suspended Enzo Barrenechea, but perhaps it’s time to start questioning Ríos’s place in the starting lineup, as he has been even more discreet than the Argentine."

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