On Friday night, a defeat at the Estádio da Luz left Benfica four points from their rivals and many fans asking valid questions.

After having extra time off given the lack of a match against B SAD, a lot more was expected from the encarnados in the Lisbon Derby.

Without the presence of their two best players, everyone had a good understanding of how Ruben Amorim would prepare his side for this match. Jorge Jesus either didn’t see what many did or chose to ignore it.

It’s incomprehensible how we played against our rival, at home, without two pillars of their foundation, and we played as if completely surprised by what we saw.

Jorge Jesus looked void of ideas, and the fans appeared to have reached their breaking point.

Meanwhile, the reigning champions walked away looking like the side that they have become under Amorim, competent and able to adjust to the situation.

In the first half, Benfica had one shot on target, a header from Grimaldo, comfortably saved by Adán. Apart from that, the hosts kept the ball but managed to do nothing with it.

Compact without the ball, it was evident that it would take some changes to unlock the best defense in the league.

Benfica did have their chances in the match and will feel they could and should have done better, but it was far from pleasant.

POSITIVE VIBES ONLY

✅ Fans | Regardless of results, managers, players, or weather, there is always one thing that stays; the fans.

Despite the changes imposed by the league, given the recent increase of COVID cases requiring negative tests, there were still over 40,000 fans in their seats and ready to push the team on.

In his pre-match press conference, Jorge Jesus said he hoped the fans would be present, as the team needs them. Well, they did their part. Unfortunately, as many may agree, and we’ll discuss later in this article, it seems as if Jorge Jesus didn’t hold up his side of the deal.

90+ minutes with not much to celebrate; I think there was a more passionate reaction when Paulinho’s first-half goal was ruled offside than Benfica’s late goal.

To the fans watching at home, and even those in the stadium; we deserve better than what we witnessed. But it’s not poor results or performances that will stop us from standing behind our team, and Wednesday evening against Dynamo, we’ll see that support once again.

NOW, LET’S BE SERIOUS

We could very well pick various individual players who just didn’t show up for this match. Of course, that would be the easy thing to do. As I said not too long ago, I will be here to compliment when it’s valid, but also to criticize when it’s required; therefore my choice here is more than obvious.

⚠️ Jorge Jesus | At times, I have felt that the Portuguese manager has been undervalued, or even a victim of his past. It seems as if no matter what he does or how he does it, it will never be good enough. For many, Benfica could walk away with the Champions League title, and the topic of conversation would still somehow revolve around why Jorge Jesus isn’t good enough.

On Friday evening, Benfica began what will prove a very decisive month of December. The result was not good, and the performance arguably worst, depending on who you speak to.

I’ve been a defender of Jorge Jesus since his return, mostly because I felt that at that moment, given the circumstances, Benfica may have needed him more than he needed Benfica.

Continuously myself and many others have given him the benefit of the doubt, maybe because we’re holding onto the hope of seeing Benfica perform like that side that defeated Porto at the Estádio da Luz after the passing of Eusebio. Passion, grit, desire, and a clear game plan.

The more I observe the performances, one thought comes to mind; could we be witnessing with Jorge Jesus what we’ve seen with Jose Mourinho?

Managers who have an ego the size of the moon, and firmly believe that in some cases, they may have been the ones to invent the sport, the tactics, and all the rules. Incapable of taking a step back to look at the bigger picture and unwilling to adapt and keep up with a sport that is changing rapidly.

I repeat, against a rival missing two of their best players, arguably two of the best in the league, Jorge Jesus was unable to solve the puzzle.

He watched on for 45 minutes as his side looked lost going forward, and every time the leões pushed the pace with just a few players, it was complete panic. In the second half, he had the chance to rectify that, and despite some changes, and maybe five or ten minutes of positive football, it wasn’t all that different.

A manager still early in his career, Ruben Amorim managed to put together a game plan that left JJ’s experience tied in knots. To make matters worst, in his post-match press conference, Jorge Jesus highlighted some missed chances rather than the performance overall.

We played at home against a rival. Yes, we had João Mário’s chance, Rafa’s miss, and Darwin’s header off the crossbar, but let’s be honest, if Benfica won this match, based on the performances, it would have been unjust.

There’s a lot more than can be said, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

A four-point gap at the beginning of December isn’t going to take our title hopes away. We are not even halfway through the season, but the upcoming few weeks will lay the foundation for what we can expect in 2022.

Wednesday, we face Europa League or Champions League, knowing that we don’t depend on ourselves. SC Covilhã still stands between us and moving on in the Taça da Liga, and may we not forget; two matches at the Estádio do Dragão before and after Christmas.

Will we have a very Merry Christmas or one to forget?

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