Football craft is about the art of football, Benfica, my interpretation to what I see in the Liga Zon Sagres and football Involving Portuguese clubs, also grassroots and non league football in England.
Scouting at lower level and players expectations.
After a long weekend of training the young Dragons were well up for their last big match of the season and went out on the pitch really focused for the first time in a few weeks.
The hard work on pressing and shape in training was clear to see from the outset, with the midfield and forwards pressing Chelsea into mistakes.
After a couple of missed half chances and a clear penalty not given, a goal of real quality put the Dragons in front. Jamal at Right Midfield dummied inside and pinged a fifty yard switch ball to David on the Left Midfield who controlled in one touch, steadied himself and curled a beautiful cross into the box. The Dragons striker Darius read the play and rose majestically to find the top corner from 12 yards with a truly magnificent header.
HT 1-0. The manager asked for even more at Half time and the Dragons produced early with David again causing trouble. His whipped low cross confused the keeper who could only palm into his own net.
But these Dragons never like it easy and conceded territory and possession thinking the job maybe done. After 70 minutes it was 2-2 after a couple of sloppy concessions and Chelsea where now confident of pushing on to win over the now deflated Dragons. However, a canny couple of substitutions and tactical switches got them back on track and the 10 minutes left with Darius side footed from 12 yards after a set piece mix up to put them ahead once more. Another change of shape and some outstanding back foot defending nullified the threat leaving the opposition players and coaches bemused.
No not the Fulham v Chelsea FC it will be Kensington Dragons v Chelsea FC Elite, a match that will have both entertainment and heated challenges.
I mean its only an under 18’s match, why would it be so important for it to be a big thing?
Well it’s all good, but the Dragons are the eldest club in the North Kensington area, with Chelsea FC Elite (formerly known as Latimer fc and then FC Kensington) having been mostly associated with Chelsea FC Kickz Project and using the former clubs as a chance to play Sunday youth football.
But why the big importance?
Well as Kickz attracted a good number of kids from the area, it meant a lot of players from Dragons would attend sessions with the hope of ending up at Chelsea.
So when Kickz decided to join a Sunday league a small number were asked but refrained from joining them, and only trained with Kickz, but when I dropped a couple of players, they would almost automatically sign for them. All was good as one summer one of my centre backs decided that he wants to play for CHELSEA FC.. to which I replied, ‘good luck’ as would never want to keep a player from realising his dream, but also warned him that playing for Kickz was not Chelsea FC.
So this was the small start until midway through the season I found out that my captain had played for them illegally on occasions, after i told him i would report the club if he ever done it again, an angry manager phoned me and to this day i will not reveal my reply or the conversation.
The following summer my captain whom had been constantly asked to join them gave in, causing the angry reaction from some of the squad members a bit tired of intrusions.
The teams never met until Chelsea (then FC Kensington) was promoted to the Premier League from the second and us from the 1st as runner ups.
The first meeting showed that no other then 7 of our former players were playing for them, most of them players i had dropped for unruly behaviour and non commitment.
So in the meeting that followed, most games have been heated up, a decent standard of football and lots of goals, with majority of the game being of bad tackles and management have never exchanged words or handshakes, but the players after all the heated tackles, do end up speaking and having a laugh at the end of the game.
Someone not too long ago rightly asked me ''why do you refer to FC Porto as pigs'' my main answer was just the fact I grew up knowing them as pigs, the attitude of the club and its supporters is shameful, violent and damn right life threatening.
I will say this, many clubs across the world have violent fans, there is always a group that cause trouble, and Benfica fans are no exception.
The club has its own hardcore mob that has been dealt with in the past, and have somewhat scaled down from its approach to violence.
But the scale of FC Porto supporters goes well beyond fans match day violence, and something that will have to be dealt with but the authorities.
As we know FC Porto have their own registered support group that has to account for its member’s acts, after all, you can’t legally accept membership for violence (unless you are an MMA licensed fighter).
The acts after last nights game could have easily caused the death of Benfica’s President Luis Felipe Vieira, the president was driving behind the Team bus when his windscreen was hit by a sack of stones causing the driver to be assisted by paramedics with Luis Felipe Vieira being treated for injuries to his hand and face.
A little over a week ago Benfica's Vice-President was attacked outside a restaurant in the city of Porto by two masked men, and told to never speak against FC Porto or suffer a repeat.
The constant harassment from the 'Pig corral' at any given time a SL Benfica team, be it football, handball, volleyball or basketball, they travel to the dirty mud, are given the dirty treatment.
So in short to my views of the FC Porto mob, I truly believe they are directed and if not so, they are encouraged by the actions and reactions to these incidents from the King pig himself, a Mr Nuno Pinto da Costa, a man so corrupt and with no little regard for anything but his gain. A man walking on water even after being proven to have brought Portuguese football to its knees only to be allowed to carry on presiding over a club that without his money and power and influence (in bribery more often then not) would frankly not have struggled to be where they are now.
With the club releasing a statement on their website (probably in the hope they wont be attacked on their travels to Lisbon) it might be a little too late.
Benfica managed a sweet victory against a team that have so far been doing well in the league, the team from the Porto region however failed to apply the early needed pressure on Benfica, and inside four minutes, Javier Cohene seemed to catch Javi Garcia on the head and a penalty for Benfica, with Cardozo bravely stepping up to make it 1-0.
On the 13th minute after a team passing move, Gaitan connected well with Aimar, who put the ball past a helpless Cassio for 2-0.
the Eagles went ahead again on the 25th minute when Nico Gaitan from 35 yards out placed the ball on the top left corner with almost no pressure, and with such ease that he hardly felt like celebrating.
Pacos managed to grab one back when new boy Carole (yes its a boy) uknowigly directed the ball into his own net.
The team from the north finally got some grip on the game and pressed Benfica until the half time, managing to go close a couple of times, and forcing Roberto into some magnificent saves.
in the second half was a similar performance with the hosts finding the gaps, and creating chances with Benfica equally wasting them.
on the 77th minute with the introduction of Nuno Gomes the Reds looked a bit more capable upfront with the crowd cheering on and screaming for the man, and it didn't take long for the Benfica 'old boy' to get off the mark, and on the 82nd minute from the second attempt at goal.
Nuno Gomes made it 4-1 and then after playing off the last man on the 90th he finished for 5-1.
A performance that started well for Benfica, but died soon after the 3rd goal, and with some chances not being finished, the team had to count on their long serving striker to come off the bench and show some established strikers how to finish.
I for one would love to see Cardozo in games like this perform better, despite scoring a penalty, the Benfica hitman has failed to fire the bullets with the same accuracy that he had last season, and at times looking lazy.
Jorger Jesus for the tough man he is, should learn to accept that, despite having players like Kardec on the bench and an under performing Cardozo, sometimes an old head just knows better, as he has shown in the last 2 league games.
The tactics were about right but somehow the team were lacklustre in the middle part of the game, at times the leadership from the back isn't felt upfront.
But a happy day for any Benfica fan, a good over all win to ensure that 'Os Andrades' will not win the title in our back yard when Benfica will 'roast' FC Porto for the next round of the Liga Zon Sagres.
Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery have both recently claimed that the Europa League is not worth playing in, and it should be avoided.
With Bayern 4th in the Bundesliga, they will need to get their act together in the remaining eight games or face the humiliation of having to eat their own words.
Robben says 'I can't imagine playing in the EL competition' and that 'It would be the worst thing that could happen, and would be better not to play in it at all'
the flying dutchman also added "Even winning the Europa League would not mean anything for me," ending with "That is not the title you want to win and it is not something I want."
Robben seems to be more used to Champions League football, and playing in the Europa League seems to be bellow his standards.
Ribery's comments came a week after commenting;
"The Champions League is incredibly important for the team, the club and the fans,'' the French man also added. "The Europa League is rubbish and we have got to avoid that'' and also said "The best way is not to even think about that. Playing in the Europa League is no fun at all''
"Once you know the Champions League, then you always want to play in the Champions League.''
With this i am sure their team will really have to sell 2 players should they fail to qualify for the Champions League, or perhaps the two superstars are already paving their way out of the club should they not finish third at least.
But one thing is for sure.. I now want Bayern Munich to end up in the Europa League, keep both players, this way I can point at the TV and laugh... and should they end up playing an English side I will gladly pay to point at them and laugh... so look out for a banner ''HOW SHIT ARE YOU? ARJE & FRANCK''
The U18’s faced 5th placed Pitshanger FC at Birbeck, trying to cement a top 2 position for the season.
They began brightly and controlled the game but as has happened of late, paid the penalty for some poor final balls and finishing by conceding from some naive defending at a set piece.
They were 2 down shortly after the break allowing the opposition to cross too easily and not marking tightly enough in the middle.
It looked all over as the Dragons had an obvious goal chalked off with the opposition linesman refusing to admit it had crossed the line and the referee failing to spot an obvious ball had crossed the line by 2 yards at least.
But heads never went down as this clan of Dragons is made of strong stuff and once the switch was made to the emergency 3-5-2 it was one way traffic.
Two super free kicks from the inform right winger drew them level and a flowing move through the middle allowed the Dragons to smash the winner home with 10 minutes to go.
Once more the team showed some character to come from two goals down and grab all 3 points, but clearly made life hard on themselves by wasting at least 15 chances.
Next opposition will be the big West London derby at home against Chelsea FC elite at St Marks.
