Benfica Podcast - Talking To The Doll

On this week's episode..... We look back at Benfica's loss at PAOK, which saw Benfica out of playing Champions League ball, and the missing out on participation millions. We also looked ahead to the inaugural game of the Liga Nos 20/21 season against Famalicao.

On this week's podcast...we look recap Benfica's last pre-season match against Rennes, look ahead to UCL qualifier match against Paok, run through the Liga Nos domestic fixtures, and touch up on Darwin Nunez, and rumors of possible arrivals.

On the inaugural episode of the 20/21 season.... We look at the summer signings, discuss UCL pre-qualifier, touch up on rumors, and try to get back into the swing of things.

On this week's podcast... We look back at the last game of the 19/20 season, discuss the abysmal performance by Benfica, We then turn our attention to the unveiling of Jorge Jesus which we hope will usher in a new era of glory for club. We go through the roster and our loanee list and play our "Sell, Keep, Loan" game, and discuss signings, start of next season and UCL qualifiers.

On this week's podcast... We welcome Filipe D'Avillez the author of "1,000 miles to Jamor" a book about the road to the Portuguese Cup final, that follows the minnows of Portuguese football, and the passion that surrounds Portugal's second biggest trophy.  We also recapped the last game of the season against Sporting, and looked ahead to the season's curtain call against porto in the Portuguese Cup You can buy Filipe's book from Prime books  (Portuguese) or from Pitch Publishing (English)

On this week's podcast...We recap Benfica's game against Desportivo das Aves, a match surrounded by factors that expose the bad side of Portuguese football, and of small teams being run by outsiders. We then get to the juicy part of the podcast with Cristiano and Alfredo discussing the appointment of Jorge Jesus, from opposite ends of the spectrum. Lastly we look ahead to Benfica's last game of the regular season against our eternal rivals - Sporting.

On this week's episode... We look back at Benfica's tie against Famalicao, the win against Guimaraes, and we look ahead to Desportivo das Aves match up.

On this week's podcast.... With Lage gone, and Verissimo at the helm, Benfica recorded their 3rd win in 14 games. We discuss what has changed; was it the attitude? or was just the fact that balls went in? We also look ahead to two difficult matches against Famalicao and Guimaraes.

On this week's podcast....It's the end of the line for Bruno Lage. After Benfica's latest and second consecutive loss, Lage and LFV reached the conclusion that there were no longer conditions for Lage to continue at the helm of this team. We briefly recap the game, and get into the team's current abysmal situation. We discuss guilty parties, possible candidates, and approach to the remaining 6 games of the season. Lastly, we look ahead to Benfica's next game at Estadio da Luz against Boavista.

On this week's episode...Timo joins us as we recap the Rio Ave game where Benfica struggled once again, but ended up sealing the 3 points, perhaps with the help of two opposition red cards.  We also recap Benfica's loss to Santa Clara at Estadio da Luz by the score  of 3-4. Last time Benfica gave up 4 goals at the Luz was in 1997, in the middle of the "Vietnam" era. We are now 4 points off the pace for the championship with 6 games left, and playing horrible, non-committal, uninspiring football. The result against Santa Clara may have dictated the end of the championship for Benfica barring some kind of a miracle. We touch up on a lot of points, from Lage, the lack of leadership, to players probably setting the coach up for failure. Nothing has gone right for Benfica this season, and the most upsetting thing is the lack of accountability from the players all the way to the top.

On this week's podcast we look back at Benfica's game against Portimonense, where Benfica decided to take the second half off, and squander a 2 goal advantage. We discuss the possible disconnect between team and coaches, lack of leadership, and Lage being out-coached. We also look ahead to this Wednesday's match where Benfica will once again benefit from a Porto slip up, and can go even on points.

On this week's episode...As the Liga Nos returned, Benfica was presented with a golden opportunity to take over first place. Entering the game against 14th place Tondela knowing Porto had lost their game, Benfica couldn't muster enough creativity, ideas, and intensity to beat Tondela at an empty Estadio da Luz. We look back at the game, discuss the team's performance, Lage's substitution choices, and wonder why we can see things in the game that Lage misses. We touch up on the the latest "scandal" story featuring the club so many love to hate, Benfica. Lastly we look ahead to the Portimonense game where Benfica will need an answer to the fans increasingly louder murmurs Thank you for listening.

On this week's episode.... We welcome Carlos dos Santos, who is not only CJ Santos' dad, but also the co-creator of Playmaker 10 a company that helps your kids navigate the European football waters as a young kid trying their luck abroad.  We also spoke to Carlos about CJ's upbringing and trajectory until he got to Benfica. Luis Felipe Vieira was on BTV this past Monday, we pulled out a few statements from the 90 minute interview and we offer our opinion. Lastly, the Liga Nos is back! Benfica returns to the pitch this Thursday against Tondela at an empty Estadio da Luz

On this week's episode.....As the season nears its' return we bring you up to speed on all the latest on the return of the Liga Nos including actual days and times for the next 10 fixtures. Yes, you read correctly, days and times. We also review all the stadiums that have already been approved to hold games on the return. Turning our attention to Benfica, we discuss a variety of topics: midfield shuffle, forward situation, depth of squad to accommodate injuries, among other topics.

On this week's podcast....We welcome Romanian born Sergiu Anton, who had a brief stint with Benfica juniors, training and playing along side players like, Ferro, Ruben DIas, Joao Carvalho, Diogo Goncalves, Alfa Semesdo among others. Sergiu talks about his experience at the Seixal, Braga, and Nacional da Medeira. Sergiu, who is the founder and currently  runs Roca Technical Soccer in Canada, also offers some advice to young players who want to make football their life. 

On this week's episode.. We discuss the new information from the Portuguese government to restart the Liga Nos. Testing, monitoring, rules, regulations all have been established to provide safe conditions for the return. We also discuss the possibility of the league being played in only 6 stadiums upon the return. Few transfer rumors also.  Stay Safe.

After a short absence we are back doing what we love. On this episode,  we discuss the league's eminent return, as the Portuguese government has  authorized the return to training for Liga Nos teams. We discuss the  current situation in Portugal, the return of Benfica to training, the  plan to restart the league, among other things.  We hope you are all  staying safe.

On this week's episode... We welcome Keaton Parks to talk about his young career. From the days in Frisco, to the Big Apple,  we discuss his arrival in Portugal, signing with Benfica, making his first team debut, and his return to the United States to play in the MLS. We still had some time to play the player name word association game.

On this week's episode.... We welcome Alex Seixeiro from Canada's The Fan and Sports Net to talk through what has been the impact, and the direction of sports talk, in a time where all sports are on pause. Alex also happens to be a big Benfica fan, we discuss last season's success with Bruno Lage, how he's seen this season so far, how he thinks should be the future of this season, and we play a player-word association game with Alex. Thanks for listening, stay safe.

On this week's podcast.... We look at Benfica's players that are on loan, what they have done this season, and our opinion on whether they will return or not. We will also discuss how this stoppage affects both the progression of young players on loan, and the one's that are on the shop window, that Benfica hope sell.