A strategy is only good when it works, and the one that Bruno Lage chose to face Bayern in Munich, in the Champions League, failed. The idea was not bad, setting up a team to play in a 3-5-2 formation, but what was seen throughout the game was a 5-3-2 formation, with an attack that was completely ineffective. Benfica lost 0-1, but what truly marked the match was the way they lost.
When the fans had hope that the team could rise to the occasion against a powerful opponent and on an exceptional stage, what happened was that they diminished to the point of becoming unrecognizable when compared to what they had been doing with Lage in charge.
The root of the problem
The underlying problem now is not with Bayern, the players, the strategy or the inability to have the ball, or the defeat; it will be in the coach's message and its consequences, explains the article.
Of course, the objective was to win the game in Germany, knowing that against Bayern this would probably only be possible by taking few risks not to lose, but there was too much respect for the opponent, too much decharacterization of the Benfica team. It is true that with games every three days, it becomes very difficult to prepare a different strategy, but then the solution will be to maintain the idea of the game and enhance consistency.
Implications for the classic against Porto
The performance in Munich wounded the self-esteem of the fans, and probably also of the players, creating an unwanted problem on the eve of the classic, this Sunday, at Luz, against FC Porto. This time, Bruno Lage will really have to get the message across.
