From Nuno to Bruno: Part three

Another look at a game from Bruno Lage's time in charge of Benfica, this time in a Europa League defeat to Frankfurt

This is the third and final instalment of my ‘From Nuno to Bruno’ series. Click to read part one and part two if you haven’t already.

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The game being analysed in this article is a Europa League quarter final between Benfica and Frankfurt. While the other two games were deemed as positive examples from Bruno Lage’s time at Benfica, this was one of the disappointments. Benfica blew a first leg 4-2 lead , losing 2-0 in this second leg and exiting on away goals.

This was a game in which Benfica failed to truly impose themselves upon. The possession was even in the end, but they had just 7 shots in the entire game and had an xG of 0.49 to Frankfurt’s 1.37.

They lined up slightly different to the previous two games I had watched of them, playing a midfielder behind the forward rather than a more natural attacking player. It became more of a three man midfield whereas before it was generally a forward player dropping in to receive the ball. I felt this really impacted their play as well as playing their key man out of position.

Average positions (going right to left) from whoscored.com

As you can see, the midfielders are all a lot deeper and the wide players (Rafa, 27, and João Félix, 79) are a lot wider than previously. This had an impact on their ability to control the game and create attacks. Frankfurt played a 3-5-2, which they used to good effect, creating space in wide areas and combining well through the middle too.

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It would be fair to say that this first half was totally different to the other two games I have seen of Lage’s Benfica.

Yes, they came into this game with a two nil lead from the first leg but they showed a very different mentality to what I had already seen.

Benfica’s pressing was almost non existent. They allowed 23.5 passes per defensive action (PPDA) in the first half. This is about three times what I had witnessed in the previous games I had analysed and it showed in their performance.

Whether it was intentional or not, Benfica struggled to put any meaningful pressure on the outside centre backs of Frankfurt’s back three. They positioned themselves very wide.

Frankfurt threaten to break through

In the above, David Abraham is able to step inside with the ball (past João Félix) and slide the ball behind Benfica’s defence. It is a good effort, and Mijat Gaćinović is nearly able to get to it, but Odysseas Vlachodimos was alert to the danger.

Benfica also struggled to contain the threat of Filip Kostić. With Benfica’s wide players focused towards the wide centre backs of Frankfurt, the wing-backs were able to attack space well, Kostić being one of them.

Frankfurt were able to find Kostić in space and in 1v1s

Quite often, Frankfurt were able to work the ball to him in space through switches of play or by creating overloads on his side of the pitch. The fact they played with two strikers (Ante Rebić and Luka Jović), made it difficult for Benfica’s full backs to engage Kostić and Danny da Costa too early.

Dias is sucked in by Rebić

In the above picture, Frankfurt have two forwards against Benfica’s narrow back four. da Costa has rotated and occupies the space Jović might normally be in. In this scenario, Rúben Dias has been drawn out by the pass to Rebić.

Gaćinović receives in space and facing forwards

Rebić dummies, allowing the ball to roll to Gaćinović who can receive facing forwards. This gives Benfica’s right back on the day André Almeida an issue. Because Dias is out of position, he needs to protect the central space and show outside which is where Kostić is, in acres of space out of shot.

Kostić can receive the ball in space in a wide area

Fortunately for Benfica, the Frankfurt attack failed to make the most of this, but it served as a warning to their overall organisation and shape. Ten minutes later, Frankfurt took the lead through Kostić.

Kostić makes it 2-1

Benfica were overwhelmed at the back, unable to prevent the shot and then follow up by Kostić. There was more than a hint of bad fortune - not only did the ball rebound off the post perfectly for Kostić but he was also clearly offside.

Kostić is offside as the shot is played

A year later and VAR would have quickly and correctly ruled it out. However, it came as a result of Benfica’s disorganisation and lack of pressure on the ball in the right areas and Frankfurt had been threatening to create in that first half.

Another issue that caused Benfica to struggle to have meaningful periods of possession (35%-65% in Frankurt’s favour in the first half) was their attacks repeatedly breaking down through Gedson Fernandes. Gedson is a player who has been linked with a move to Wolves a few times. I don’t like to pick on players but I would be very disappointed if Wolves went anywhere near him, it is not a surprise he struggled to get any game time at Tottenham last season.

You have to imagine he was selected for his mobility in this match, but that physical attribute means little when you can not retain the ball or pick out the right pass.

Potential attacks break down through Gedson

The rare time Benfica got into a promising position to break and attack (often initiated by Félix), the move broke down through Gedson, as he was the player often receiving the ball as the player breaking from midfield.

Not only did the player himself disrupt their way of playing in this game, but it also forced Félix into a position where he could not effect the game as much. Had he been the one receiving in the positions Gedson was, they would have carried more threat, especially with Pizzi probably the player who would (or should) have been playing in one of the wide attacking roles. Due to their issues out of possession too, it dragged Félix even further away from where he would want to have an influence on the game.

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Benfica came out for the start of the second half a lot more aggressive, far more similar to the other performances I had seen from them. The player driving that improvement in performance was, unsurprisingly, João Félix.

Félix almost singlehandedly creates a goal

The above example is a great snapshot of his quality and how much Benfica rely on him to create in the opposition half. His acceleration and close control is outstanding, but Benfica rarely looked like an attacking threat unless they got the ball to him early enough.

Benfica’s best chance of the game came in that early second half pressure. Unfortunately for them, Haris Seferovic could not convert it

Seferovic misses Benfica’s best chance of the game

Andreas Samaris regained the ball on the edge of the area and delicately dinked the ball over the Frankfurt defence. Whilst it would have been hard to generate much power on the header from this pass, you’d expect Seferovic to do better than his tame effort at Kevin Trapp. It might have been better for him to head it downwards.

Benfica struggle to progress the ball from wide areas

Other than that, Benfica created precious little in the entire game. As mentioned, they had just 7 shots in the entire game. Although they were less passive and had more possession, Benfica still had issues creating. As mentioned earlier, it felt like their wide players were just too far away from the central attackers to be able to combine and create as they had done in previous games.

Almeida and Rafa are caught in the same line

In the above image Rafa and Almeida, Benfica’s right sided players in the game, are both out on the touchline. In usual circumstances, I think Rafa would be positioned a lot closer to Gedson and Seferovic.

By being caught in the same 'line’ as Almeida they become a lot easier to defend, as Frankfurt can just lock them out on the touchline. A further issue is that neither of the other attacking players are within their passing lines, so a way out is reliant on the individual beating the opposition defenders (as we saw with Félix).

If the first goal Benfica conceded is considered unfortunate, they can not look anywhere but themselves for the second goal which knocked them out.

Gaćinović makes it 2-0 to Frankfurt

Dias can only half-clears the ball initially and his team mates never really successfully challenge for the ball. Bruno will be furious at the attempt to defend the aerial balls and that no one ever picked up Gaćinović in and around the area.

At this point, desperation began to kick in. Pizzi and Eduardo Salvio came on for Samaris and Rafa in an attempt to liven up their attacking play. They also switched to a 352, but neither the substitutions or tactical tweak gave them any attacking impetus. If anything, Frankfurt looked more likely to score and this was a limp way to exit the Europa League quarter finals.

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Watching this game certainly provided some balance for me in understanding a little more about Lage. This defeat came during their incredible league form, so it surprised me a little to see them become so passive and come away from their principles to protect this lead.

I’m sure he will have learned a great deal from the experience(s) anyway. His team seemed heavily reliant on João Félix while he was still there, not too different to how Wolves relied on the likes of Raúl Jiménez and Pedro Neto in different periods under Nuno.

Reckon he fancies a move to the Black Country?

If I had to bet on it, I’d suggest Wolves will play a 4-2-3-1 under Bruno, with the ability to still play a back three with Conor Coady at the heart of it when necessary. Francisco Trincão seems far more suited to playing off the right in that formation than Adama Traoré, an early indication that we may looked to play with wingers that can come inside and combine with the front two players.

There are others currently in the club that may thrive from this system, Nélson Semedo and Rayan Aït Nouri at full back would have more space to attack, while Morgan Gibbs-White would certainly fit the number ten position better than any role he was given under Nuno. Rúben Neves would also suit the deep midfield role, with his raking passes over the top like we saw from Gabriel and Samaris, but he seems likely to depart this summer.

The big question will be how Wolves strengthen at centre back. Yerson Mosquera is a young, talented defender but unlikely to be thrown in the deep end. I’d suggest Willy Boly would be fine in a higher line alongside a pacy defender, but I don’t think this approach would suit Coady or Romain Saïss.

Luckily, pre-season is now beginning and we will quickly start to get a good idea of the direction in which Bruno is looking to take the team.