Vítor Pinto: Benfica were poor, Marco Silva prays for signings | OneFootball

Benfica’s defeat against Flamengo, in the Algarve Trophy, continues to prompt reflection within the Eagles’ universe. For Vítor Pinto, the performance of Marco Silva’s side fell short of expectations, especially after the first few weeks of work under the new coach.

"Benfica’s plan seemed simple and practical, geared toward efficiency: turning into gold the investments that had provided a solid foundation last season, building the squad with an experienced centre-back, another young one and a left winger, only spending money again in the event of departures," he wrote in the newspaper 'Record'.

The absences of the players who are still competing in the World Cup were naturally felt in the clash against Flamengo. However, Marco Silva used the moment to make it clear that he considers the arrival of reinforcements necessary, a stance that was also highlighted by Vítor Pinto.

"After all, the potential starters who went to the World Cup (Dedic, Tomás Araújo, Ríos, Aursnes, Lukebakio and Schjelderup) have not even arrived yet, and Marco Silva is already issuing a serious warning. ‘We want to strengthen the team in positions where we clearly need it, and we are going to do so,’ he said after the defeat to Flamengo," he noted.

For the commentator, the signings Benfica have already secured do not, by themselves, solve all the needs identified by the coaching staff: "In other words, Lenglet, Gabriel Índio and Kaminski do not cure all ills and, even at this early stage of preparation, the 48-year-old coach has already identified shortcomings that will have to be addressed with further moves in the market," he explained.

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