Benfica sacking Jorge Jesus is rather reckless
Benfica seem to have had enough of veteran coach Jorge Jesus following their defeat to FC Porto in Taca de Portugal.
The club gave an official explanation that a series of poor results was the reason behind the decision to sack the former Flamengo boss. However, in all fairness, little of that is true.
How it started How it’s going
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What worked against Jorge Jesus?
Benfica was seven points off joint leaders Porto and Sporting Lisbon - when the club confirmed the decision. The side had picked up four wins out of five at that point in time. Surely, there was not enough to instruct the marching orders.
What caused Jorge Jesus' tenure to end abruptly was a brewing locker room grudge.
Some senior players were said to be unhappy with Jesus' tactics against Sporting earlier in December when they lost 3-1. Some key players, including defender Andre Almeida and midfielder Valentino Lazaro, reportedly threw a dressing room tantrum following the match over their substitutions at the interval.
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Jorge Jesus: "I will say one thing, @SLBenfica cannot be Champions as long as the players dominate the club." 👀 ⚠️
He's been released by the club. 👋🏼
#Benfica | #UCL | #JorgeJesus https://t.co/3ztqVo1OGx
To further complicate matters, Adel Taarabt questioned the manager's tactics and lineup choices after being thrown out of the first XI against Sporting.
Despite a stellar performance in the next two games against Famalicao and Maritimo, the game in the Taca de Portugal against Porto proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Jesus.
Things seemed rosy following their thumping 7-0 win over Maritimo. However, Jesus decided to make major changes to the squad as that their next assignment was in a cup competition.
Controversy and defeat
Adel Taarabt, who has been essentially relegated to Benfica's bench since the arrival of Jesus, finally managed a start. However, Porto rampaging to a 3-0 lead within the first half-an-hour forced Jesus to substitute Taarabt, which left the Moroccan player frustrated. Meanwhile, Valentino Lazaro failed to make any impact on the game despite coming in the 68th minute.
Amidst all this, a reported fallout between club captain Luis Fernandez and Jesus seemed to precipitate the sacking of the manager. Fernandez was in fact told to train separately following the embarrassment against Porto, in which he was deployed only as a substitute.
Benfica have been unfair and reckless
As much as Barcelona have struggled this campaign, both in the league and the Champions League, nothing can be taken away from Benfica's performances in the latter. Both Sporting and Benfica qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League this season.
Against all odds, Benfica managed to pip Barcelona to secure qualification. For Jesus, that alone is a testament to his reputation as a top manager.
Meanwhile, the board has come under pressure from senior players and this undoubtedly jeopardizes Benfica's season altogether. The power struggle at the top ultimately worked unfairly against a manager whose team is third in the league.