Liga Sagres: Paços de Ferreira 3 – SL Benfica 4

Yesterday SL Benfica won the away game against Paços de Ferreira, the striker Nuno Gomes scored the first goal.

The Captain with a good performance commanded the Encarnados team to the victory in an extremely difficult field. The home team was loosing in three occasions, but never gave up. Both teams were better attacking than defending and the result was uncertain till the end.

Quique Flores must be glad with the performance of some players like Sidney, Yebda and Carlos Martins. Reyes and Aimar are knowing better their companions and that helps their improvement. Léo did not play and Jorge Ribeiro demonstrated that will work hard to have other chances.

Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro (05-07-1976)

The Striker Nuno was born in Amarante, a beautiful region in the North of Portugal. When he was younger he used to watch Fernando Gomes play and he appreciated him a lot. Nuno wanted to score many goals like Fernando Gomes used to score, so he decided to use the last name, of this great striker.

Nuno Gomes soon called the press attentions while representing Boavista FC and was transferred to our Club in 2000.

The good games attracted the international attentions and ACF Fiorentina took him to Italy. The financial problems of Fiorentina took Nuno back to Lisbon and back to Glorioso.

After lots of important goals scored and some sad injuries, Nuno seems to be ready for an Amazing season.

The Union of European Football Associations: UEFA CUP » First Leg

Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli S.p.A. vs Sport Lisboa e Benfica

The Italian team known as Napoli will receive tomorrow night S.L. Benfica. The first round of the Uefa Cup will take place in Stadio San Paolo in Naples, where are expected to be more than 40.000 spectators.

Napoli was founded in 1904, won 2 Italian Championships, one Super Cup and 3 Italian Cups. The Naples team won also the Uefa Cup in a two legs final, in the season of 1988/89.

Very good players represented the Club along the years, but one name comes always in the front line, Diego Armando Maradona. This magic player is considered to be, the best player, who ever represented Napoli. Other two known players, Careca and Alemão, helped Maradona to make a team of champions.

Tomorrow the coach Edoardo Reja, will not count with Maradona. Perhaps another argentine player may do the difference, his name Ezequiel Lavezzi. We hope Quique Flores has the “magical potion” to stop him and his mates.


Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Goalkeepers: Quim, Moreira and Moretto;

Defenders: Léo, Luisão, Maxi Pereira, Sidnei, Jorge Ribeiro and Miguel Vítor;

Midfileders: Balboa, Binya, Carlos Martins, Di María, Katsouranis, Reyes, Rúben Amorim, Urreta and Yebda;

Forwards: Nuno Gomes and Suazo;

Coach: Quique Flores.

Are we ready to win?

Quique Flores inherited a dispirited team who consistently failed to break FC Porto domination in the last years. A fourth place in last Portuguese League is obviously not enough to the supporters.

Rui Costa and Quique Flores understood that, and before they sign with any great players, they decided to sign in, with an experienced Coaching Staff.

To join Fernando Chalana, who already was in SL Benfica, and that had been promoted, after the difficult decision of Camacho to exit the Club, came Diamantino Miranda. Both man had played for several years in the main SL Benfica football team.

The two Portuguese Coaches know, better that anyone, in the Coaching Staff, the way the teams in the “Liga Sagres“ intend to play. They won’t need to study much, to be able to communicate to Quique Flores, how defensive certain teams are or, what kind of difficulties, our team will face in several stadiums, apart from the number of the supporters Benfica may have.

Fran Escribá seems to have a similar function of the two Portuguese Coaches, but he has a specific work to do. Escribá will have to study the way the opponent teams will act in the fields. Tactics, offensive and defensive processes will need to be studied. Observe and analyse the other team will be fundamental.

Emílio Alvarez, who also worked before with Quique, in Getafe and in Valência, as the important task, to train the goalkeepers. Quim, Moreira and Moretto, the Benfica goalkeepers’, will for sure be in great shape and ready to play when Quique intends to.

Finally comes one of the most important names in the Staff, Pako Ayestarán. This amazing fitness trainer, wanted by many Club’s., made part of his recent career with Rafael Benitez in Liverpool and before that in Spain. Ayestarán is doing an essential work with the Benfica players.

The best Coaches now how important is to have a team physically and psychology in good shape. To be winners the players need to be ready for winning.

Enrique Sanchez Flores (02/02/1965) – The first Classic

Quique Flores was born in Madrid. His father Isidro Sanchez played in Real Madrid CF football team, during the sixties. Quique’s mother, Cármen Flores, is known as actress and also as singer.

Quique Flores played for Valencia CF more than two hundred matches, scoring 14 goals. He also played for Real Madrid CF and for Real Zaragoza, S.A.D.. Quique also joined the Spanish National Team during the 1990 Fifa World Cup, held in Italy.

The career as Coach started with the young Real Madrid CF players, like Balboa. They wan the Championship Title. After that experience went to a new team on the “Primera División”, Getafe CF, in the year of 2004. The good work was recognised by the Spanish critic and he moved to Valencia CF. Here he obtained the access to the Champions League in two years, achieving a third and a fourth place in the Spanish League.

Quique is now facing new targets in Rui Costa’s Benfica. He has the clear perception that when things aren’t well enough, something needs to be changed. That is the main reason why he wanted so much some new players for SL Benfica. New players for the team, but not for the coach, Quique needed them to make a positive revolution in the Club.

Although some new players have participated in the last Saturday match against Porto FC, some realities do not change easily: SL Benfica did not win, the final result was one equal; two players (Leo and Aimar) left the field injured before the end of the game; one player (Katsouranis) was sent off with a red card and another one (Luisão) was now punished and won’t be able to play, in the next one or two games of the Portuguese League.

To make a better SL Benfica, Quique needs more than the help from the players. Everybody in the Benfica structure have to work together to make the dream come true. That includes naturally, not only his technical staff (F. Escribá, E. Alvarez, P. Ayestaran, D. Miranda and F. Chalana) but also L.F. Vieira, R. Costa, all fans/supporters and above all every single person inside the organization.

Only with a very strong and solid group, Quique’s Benfica will be able to resist here in Portugal.