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The Five Threats of Benfica that Liverpool will have to Face

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angel_di_mariaAfter spending €25million on players last summer, Benfica have been rewarded with one of their most successful seasons in years. They have only lost 1 game all season in the league, lying top of the table in the Superliga, they won the Portuguese League Cup last weekend and they have reached the Europa League Quarter final, scoring 103 goals in all competitions in the process. The five central figures in the resurgence this season, and which Liverpool will have to face next week, all have unique qualities that make them stand out as footballers:

Angel Di Maria – Diego Maradona no less described Di Maria as having the talent to become a “Worldwide Superstar,” praise indeed from the Argentinean legend, and going by the interest being shown in the 22 year old, there are many other top European Clubs who think he will become an exceptional player too. Benfica got the player very early in his career after he had played only 35 games for Rosario Central in Argentina and he was bought as a long term replacement for Simao, who left for Atletico Madrid, before the 2007/08 season. He first came to the attention of many in football after his displays in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 playing for Argentina alongside Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano. He outshone Messi during the tournament and he sealed victory in the final over Nigeria with a magnificent chip over the goalkeeper. If he is a true star of the game we will have to wait and see but he is none the less a very good player. He has fantastic pace and is great with the ball at his feet running at defenders, but while he is only of a slight build, he is extremely difficult to knock off the ball. When you mix together his dribbling skills, ball control and eye for a spectacular goal, Di Maria strikes fear into opposition defenders, and he loves creating havoc by running at opponents. His preferred position is on the left wing, yet he is not a natural winger as he prefers to cut inside to shoot from long range. This season he has scored 11 goals in 30 games in all competitions to date, watch out for him.

Oscar Cardozo – The Paraguayan striker has been on tremendous goal scoring form this season, scoring 28 in all competitions. Partnering Javier Saviola up front, the pair has proceeded to demolish many opposition defences this season, and Liverpool will have to be wary about the threat posed. A tall striker at 6ft 4, he compliments Saviola’s small size very well, and he is just as capable in the air as he is with his feet. He has been a tremendous find for Benfica, scoring 51 league goals in 80 games since his arrival from Newell’s Old Boys nearly three years ago. Cardozo’s most notable contribution this season came against Everton when he scored two goals in two minutes to help Benfica to a 5-0 win over the Merseysiders, and his most recent goal came against Porto last week in Benfica’s 3-0 win in the League Cup final. The Estadio da Luz is somewhat of a fortress at the moment and the team haven’t lost a league game there all season, and with an attacking threat such as Cardozo in the team, Liverpool will have to be solid at the back to return to England with an advantage.

Javier Saviola – Over a decade ago, Saviola was seen as a new star of Argentinean football but his career before his recent move to Portugal seemed to have stalled. Despite starting for his country regularly during the 2006 World Cup, at club level he was invariably as substitute for Barcelona. A subsequent move to rivals Real Madrid didn’t help matters as he once again had to settle for a place on the bench. It was a risk then for Benfica to shell out €5million for the player last summer but the gamble seems to have paid off as his partnership with Oscar Cardozo up front has developed into very potent attacking force for the Portuguese team. A player of diminutive stature, Saviola is an awkward player who gets in behind opposition defences and loves to get involved in build up play. Not the strongest player in the world but he more than makes up for that with his skill on the ball. He has scored 16 goals so far this season.

Ramires – Already a full-time Brazilian international before his move to Benfica in the summer, Ramires will be a central figure in Dunga’s plans for the World Cup and he was the Portuguese club’s most expensive signing in the summer for €7.5million. Seen as one of the hottest talents playing in Brazil, he moved from Cruzeiro in July and there were great expectations placed on his shoulders. Although he hasn’t disappointed the Benfica crowd this season, he hasn’t set the world alight either, and one of the main reasons for this is the formation that manager Jorge Jesus prefers. The 4-4-2 system means that Ramires has regularly played out of position on the right hand side of midfield, although he is a tremendous threat anywhere he plays on the pitch.

Pablo Aimar – A player that Rafa Benitez will know all too well, ‘the Little Clown’ has finally settled into life in Portugal after a season beset with injuries last year. A fantastic attacking midfield talent, it is surprising to think that the Argentinean playmaker is only 30 but he is still a great threat with the ball at his feet. The arrival of fellow Argentine Javier Saviola has certainly helped in forming a greater attacking threat for Benfica and if Aimar starts against Liverpool, Benitez will surely ensure he is closely marked. Aimar was a central figure in Benitez’s title victory’s for Valencia in both 2002 and 2004, and although he has gone off the boil since leaving the club for a dispiriting two year spell with Zaragoza, he has begun to find some form again this season as he reaches the last stage of his career, although whether he can ever become the player he was is questionable.

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