Well, hello there, frustration. I’m sure there are various other words to describe how Benfica fans are feeling at the moment, but we’ll leave it at that.

In a match that we knew wouldn’t be easy, the truth is that it turned out to be reasonably straightforward, likely because of Lucas Veríssimo’s early goal. But, where did it all go wrong?

POSITIVE VIBES ONLY

As I watched the match, I took some notes, and what jumped out was how in control the team looked. I thought we started well; obviously, the goal helped calm any nerves, but in retrospect, the positives were few and far between.

Not wanting to pick the obvious, such as Weigl or even Veríssimo seeing as he scored, I’d pick Gonçalo Ramos.

The young striker came on at halftime to replace Yaremchuk in a substitution that I think surprised most, if not all. While he didn’t score, he agitated things in the front, dropped in to link play, and even had a chance to assist Grimaldo, but the pass was slightly behind the Spaniard.

Considering we spoke about Ramos on our most recent podcast, I certainly didn’t expect to have him as the positive today, but in the middle of a lot of mediocrity, he’s the one that jumps out.

I will mention that he seems to me as a striker who may be better off playing in a front two than a front three. He tends to float around, dropping in and getting wide, but if he’s playing as the lone striker, that leaves the team without anyone in the area where you need a goal scorer.

Potential is there, but is it a matter of needing more experience and exposure or someone alongside him?

NOW, LET’S BE HONEST

Similar to what we saw on Wednesday night in Guimarães, Benfica took the lead early in Estoril. The big difference is that the team didn’t keep going forward with the same intensity this time around.

It all became very comfortable, and Estoril never really created an issue. Looking back, the one difficult save Odysseas made was in the 68th minute, on a cross that took a deflection. Apart from that, the Greek international was essentially a spectator.

The team was comfortable, maybe too comfortable.

They never really looked to push the pace, despite having a few chances where if they were a bit more focused, a second goal could well have killed off the match.

Taking out 70 or 80 minutes against Bayern Munich, the last six matches have not been all that pleasant. Two wins, two draws, and two defeats.

While one win came in extra time against second-tier Trofense, the second came extremely late against Vizela.

Complacency seems to be a dangerous attribute that some of this squad has in them, and at some point, we can potentially point the finger in various directions.

The complacency and lack of concentration from start to finish are inexplainable for a manager who is extremely demanding with his players. Today, once again, we witnessed it on the build-up to Estoril’s equalizing goal.

Despite the corner kick coming from a non-existent throw-in for the hosts, there was an evident lack of focus and even aggression on the corner kick. The result, well, we all know.

Benfica has two tough matches on the horizon; away to Bayern Munich and then at home against Braga. Things don’t get easier; meanwhile, the pressure is increasing.

There’s no need to go into a total meltdown as it’s still very early in the season, but these issues need to be addressed before it’s too late.

What would you consider your positive, and let’s be honest moment of this match? Be sure to share them in the comments.