The lack of attitude, commitment, desire, and hunger in the Supertaça match against Porto was there for all to see. On Friday at the Dragão, that was not the case.

Ahead of the match, there were the optimistic ones, who despite some difficult moments and less exciting performances, were able to see some positives. On the other side, you had those that are more cautious with their approach, knowing that there are some frailties in this side coupled with the win at all costs mindset of our opponent, there was the potential of causing us problems.

When the starting XI was released, how many Benfica fans took a deep breath, wiped their eyes, and looked again? Did it take you on a long and painful trip down memory lane? A match at the Estádio do Dragão years ago, with David Luiz at left back. Now, were we looking at the 2021 version of that nightmare?

Grimaldo as a left midfielder, with Nuno Tavares at left back, what could go wrong, right?!

In all honesty, I was equally as surprised, and memories of Hulk flying down our left side leaving David Luiz looking completely lost played in my head, but, I understood what Jorge Jesus was trying to do here.

Porto’s strength is playing on the outside, especially down their right side. With that, we know that Everton played in a front three in Brazil, therefore, limiting his need to defend. By putting Grimaldo and Nuno Tavares from the start, you have two players who can defend, and I use that term loosely, and going forward, you have two different characteristics in both.

Nuno Tavares doesn’t get to the endline very much, but when it comes to crossing, he’d prefer to play in an early cross. With Grimaldo, he gives you a bit of both worlds. He will get down the line to play in a cross, he can come inside and link up with the strikers or the left-back, and he is even able to get in behind the defenders.

Think about that goal Benfica scored… Early cross from Tavares, Grimaldo inside, Seferovic puts it on a platter, and a sweet Catalan chip over Marchesin to make it 0-1.

In addition to what I mentioned above, Nuno Tavares also brought a more aggressive mindset to the match, as did the entire squad.

But, apart from that surprise which nearly gave us a heart attack, we had yet another, and frankly more pleasant surprise before kickoff.

On this week’s Portuguese podcast, Campos was talking about how JJ was different. From his different approach to the press conferences, to his attire.

JJ version 1.0, we saw a man with a suit on the sideline, and a white button up that always looked two or three sizes too big for him.

Did Campos’ words make their way to the Benfica manager? Probably not, but, I’m gonna tell myself that they did!

All I know is that when I sat down on the sofa at my parent’s house and got ready to watch the match and I saw JJ standing outside the tunnel in a blazer, slacks, a tie, and sneakers, I told my dad – there’s the JJ we all know!

I don’t want to get into the discussion of statistics because many have already exhausted that topic. For me, what stood out from that match yesterday above all was the commitment, the willingness to get stuck in, determination, passion, and the collective competitiveness.

On the pitch, every single player that took part in that match left it all out there.

When was the last time we saw this level of passion or desire from Benfica, especially in a match against Porto? Even Pepe, who is the king of over aggression was getting frustrated. Pizzi didn’t step down from him in that second half when Sergio Oliveira once again was blown over by a gust of wind, and Gilberto even stepped in to show that in this moment, there was no time to be soft.

For me, the play that showed that this team was in it to win it was in the middle of the pitch, Grimaldo, Vertonghen and I believe Pizzi went to ground once or twice to stop Porto from playing out, and then Sergio Oliveira in frustration, appearing to try and punt it off Pizzi, sent the ball down the pitch for a goal kick. Even Sergio Sonseição had to tell the paper cut out to calm down, he was letting his emotions take over.

That mindset carried over after the final whistle.

JJ spoke to the media stating that he wasn’t happy with the draw as he felt they should have taken all three points. For the players to hear such a statement from their manager, that should give them added motivation and confidence that he was pleased with the effort they put into the match. The manager wants more, the players want more, and of course, the fans expect more.

While we may not have won the match, as many have said, in the Cidade Invicta, Benfica may have finally won themselves a team.