The Expert: Benfica start 2017 in emphatic fashion as Jonas returns
“Bem-vindo, Jonas”. The Brazilian forward is a more than familiar figure to Benfica fans but so prolonged has been his absence from the first team this season, Sunday’s edition of O Jogo felt it was necessary to welcome him into the fold in their headline.
Coach Rui Vitória and his team have certainly experienced a significant difference with the return of their talisman, who started just a second Liga NOS match of the season in Saturday’s excellent 2-0 win at Vitória Guimarães, and a first since late August, as he contracted an infection in what initially seemed like a fairly straightforward foot injury.
Having played all 34 Liga games last season, scoring 32 times in the process, Jonas has been a big loss for Benfica. Not that he should be considered just in isolation, or simply in terms of goals. Importantly, Saturday’s opening Liga match of 2017 was the first time in this campaign that Jonas and Kostas Mitroglou have started a match together in the competition this season.
The duo, who struck 52 Liga goals between them in the 2015/16 season, are “a very complementary pair,” as Vitória said after the game. That much was evident as Jonas scored the first, his first Liga goal of the season, before laying on the second for a grateful Mitroglou. The Greek centre-forward has missed his strike partner more than anybody, notably enduring one barren spell of two months between October and December. The goal at Guimarães was just a sixth of the season for him, bringing him level with midfielder Pizzi as the team’s top scorer in Liga action.
Vitória praised Jonas for “making the link in the intermediate sector (between midfield and attack)”, but what the Brazilian did best was to refer to type, staying close to Mitroglou and making sure the pair properly reconnected, as we can see from the player average position chart. This was a game that had the look of a banana skin about it. Bar their return to Champions League action, it was their most challenging fixture on paper until the visit to Braga, which isn’t until the third week of February.
Benfica needed to be clinical, and they were. They benefitted hugely on what could prove to be a decisive weekend in the title race, as second-placed Porto dropped two valuable points in a goalless draw at Paços de Ferreira to leave As Aguias with a six-point lead at the top. The latter have a young team full of exciting talent, but their inexperience looks like scuppering their chances.
It was the eighth away game in which Porto have failed to score this season. Nuno’s side had 23 efforts at the Mata Real on Saturday, and failed to beat goalkeeper Rafael Defendi once. Benfica had just eight shots at Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, and scored twice. That’s efficiency, and then some.
It was never easy for Vitória’s team, and it was never likely to be. Pedro Martins’ side entered the match on the back of three straight Liga wins, with one of the most passionate stadiums in Portugal full and largely behind them. Despite the loss of on-loan top scorer Moussa Marega, who is on Africa Cup of Nations with Mali, Guimarães rarely struggled to create, and had 17 efforts at goal. Crucially, they only managed four on target - two of those from Soares, Marega’s nominal replacement - compared to Benfica’s 6.
They also faced an outstanding goalkeeper in Ederson, the 23-year-old who is attracting interest from Europe’s good and great. He rated 7.78 here, above his average for what is turning into a very accomplished season after advancing past the experienced Júlio César in the pecking order. Not that the older goalkeeper has done much wrong. It has simply been clear since his debut in March’s Lisbon derby that Ederson is a very special player indeed.
He is also very representative of this season’s Benfica. Shorn of some of the dazzle of recent seasons, mainly because of the marginalisation of their vaunted strike pair - they had scored 41 at this point last season, compared to 34 now - Vitória’s squad have pulled together to stay ahead of the pack. Through a raft of injuries, with Jonas, Mitroglou, defender Lisandro López, Alejandro Grimaldo and bright young midfielder André Horta all missing significant playing time, they have continued their relentless trajectory of recent times, winning 25 of their last 28 Liga matches overall.
Saturday saw a sterling defensive effort too, and not just by the back four, who were led by Victor Lindelöf, who is widely expected by the Portuguese media to join Manchester United in the near future. It is notable that the Swede did not need to make a single tackle, but made five interceptions and four clearances here. It never got that far, despite another injury loss, with midfield holder Lubomir Fejsa forced off after 16 minutes.
Wide men Eduardo Salvio, who also set up Jonas’ opener, and Franco Cervi, the latter with five tackles and three interceptions, got through an immense amount of work. The depth at Vitória’ disposal was underlined by his ability to bring on Andreas Samaris as Fejsa’s replacement.
This week will be remembered for Jonas’ comeback, as he followed up his two Taça da Liga goals against Vizela with this display here. It’s true that the renewal of his pairing with Mitroglou may well make Benfica untouchable in the coming weeks, but it’s the team ethic at the club that has set the foundations for an unprecedented fourth straight title win.
