German coach is invincible
Schmidt fuels epic dreams at Benfica
09/15/2022, 08:50 am
Benfica Lisbon is on a roll: Under the direction of new coach Roger Schmidt, all competitive games have been won so far, which means twelve wins from twelve games. There are still three successes to go before the club record. National player Julian Draxler is not yet integrated into the system.
Roger Schmidt could only laugh at the euphoric question from a Portuguese reporter. She asked the German coach whether the fans of Benfica Lisbon could now dream of an epic Champions League season after the 2-1 win at Juventus Turin. “We’ll see. We want to get into the knockout phase and starting with two wins is very good,” said the 55-year-old. “We’ll see what happens.”
The 2-1 win in Turin was the 12th win in 12 competitive games for Schmidt as Benfica coach – only three wins are missing from the club record. João Mário (43rd minute / penalty kick) and David Neres (55th) turned the match on Wednesday evening and extended the series. “We’re always just looking at the next game. We can’t win several games at the same time,” said Schmidt after the well-deserved victory. However, his team was also a little lucky in the end. Turin’s defender Bremer missed the huge chance to make it 2-2 from close range in the 87th minute. After fine preliminary work from Angel di Maria, he shot over the goal.
“The coach told us the right things”
For Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, the former Bayer Leverkusen coach had a very large share of the three points. “The coach told us the right things,” he said. “But I’m not going to say what he said now.” Julian Draxler’s share of the success is (still) less. The national player was loaned out by Paris St. Germain just before the end of the transfer phase. In the league he has played 45 minutes for his new employer and came on as a substitute against Turin in the 86th minute.
Draxler had been banished to the second team in the fifth division by the new coach Christophe Galtier in the luxury ensemble from the French capital. Not compatible with the demands of the offensive player. Also with a view to his chance for a place in the World Cup squad of national coach Hansi Flick. He will nominate his next squad for the Nations League this Thursday afternoon. The squad is considered a pointer to the desert World Cup. Will Draxler be there? Should at least be close with a current nomination.
Benfica wins for themselves and their fans
But back to happiness: With Marítimo Funchal and Vitoria Guimaraes, Schmitt and Benfica have feasible tasks in the league. Paris Saint-Germain will then come to the Estadio da Luz for the top game in Group H on October 5th. “We want to win every game. For us and for our fans. They should be proud of us. We want to continue the winning streak,” announced goalkeeper Vlachodimos.
Juventus Turin is far from records and winning streaks. The traditional club lost its first two games in the group stage of the premier class for the first time and is already threatening to be eliminated in the preliminary round. After the botched start in the Champions League and the domestic league (eighth place), coach Massimiliano Allegri is now under increasing pressure.