Marco Silva steps up at Benfica, twist before the Europa League | OneFootball

Benfica has entered a new phase of preparations for the 2026/27 season, with Marco Silva increasing the intensity of the work at Benfica Campus. After a first week dedicated to gradually building up the physical workload and introducing exercises with the ball, the coaching staff decided to raise the level of demand ahead of the first official fixtures.

The main new development is the introduction of twice-daily training sessions, a strategy aimed at speeding up the players’ assimilation of the new coach’s ideas. In addition, this Friday marks the first behind-closed-doors friendly, a test that will allow Marco Silva to start assessing the players’ response in a competitive setting, even if without placing too much importance on the result.

Over the last few days, the Portuguese coach has gradually been introducing more specific drills, with small-sided games to observe the team’s behaviour and reinforce the playing principles he wants to implement. The aim is to make the most of the short preparation period before the tie against St. Gallen, which could define the Eagles’ European future.

Another positive aspect for the coaching staff concerns the heart of the defence. Clément Lenglet is already training with the group and joins fellow new signing Gabriel Índio, allowing both to start building chemistry right away in a position that was identified as a priority to strengthen during this transfer window.

The coach also continues to assess all the options available in the squad, including 12 academy youngsters, who remain integrated with the first team. The first friendly will mainly serve to draw conclusions about the team’s and individuals’ progress, at a stage when the coach is trying to define the solutions he wants to take into the official start of the season.

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