Nélson Feiteirona on Benfica’s start: Seems safe, but… | OneFootball

Nélson Feiteirona discussed the start of the season for Benfica, which he considered atypical due to the eagles' participation in the Club World Cup, which prevented a complete preparation for the new season, within the usual patterns. Nevertheless, the sports journalist praised the squad of Bruno Lage, who achieved all the initial objectives he set out.

"In a season start different from others, after participating in the Club World Cup in the United States and, as a result, few vacation days for the players and no time for a proper pre-season, Benfica's team achieved all the goals it set for this stage: it won the Supercup, with a 1-0 victory in the first duel of 2025/26 with Sporting, secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League league stage, eliminating Nice in the pre-elimination, Fenerbahçe in the play-off and won the three games it had in the championship", began Nélson Feiteirona, speaking to A Bola newspaper.

The expert also highlighted the record of goals scored and conceded by the Club da Luz at the start of this season, without forgetting the ins and outs of the reds' squad: "In total, they scored 12 goals and conceded only one, a record that is also important to underline. And all of this was also achieved while in a carousel of player departures and especially arrivals to the squad, a context that, while not exclusive to Benfica, was very visible in the eagles".

Next, the sports journalist agreed with Bruno Lage's initial approach to the new season but issued a warning: "Bruno Lage, the team's coach, has repeatedly warned about the atypical start to the season and clarified to the fans the need for pragmatism, confessing that at this time he would clearly prefer to play poorly and win than to put on a great performance and come away with a bad result. The position seems to me the most correct, but it has a deadline, as Bruno Lage will know".

Reminding of Benfica's urgency to win trophies, namely the Liga Portugal, Nélson Feiteirona gave morale to the reds, pointing to the eagles' elections: "Given the way they dealt with difficulties, Bruno Lage and the team have earned credit to continue, but the responsibility, or pressure, more than last season, awaits them not far ahead. No matter what they say, or believe, that the dressing room is shielded, it will be impossible not to feel the shockwaves of the elections for the social bodies scheduled for October 25".

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