A throne far too small for three: The title race in the Portuguese League

 The Portuguese league is somewhat considered as a farmer's league, in the sense that it is a gateway to many players from the east or from the Americas to become accustomed to the European style of play and tactical nuances. The Top-3 teams, Futebol Clube do Porto, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Sport Lisboa e Benfica, are the sharks of this rather small pool and, at this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will get to wear the crown after the upcoming season.

If you are a betting man, and invest your time and money on the Portuguese League, you might as well look at the soccer odds comparison by Overlyzer, because, swear to God, this is going to be a difficult season for these three teams, and the devil will definitively be within the details.

Sporting Clube de Portugal – The roaring lions
The transformation has been incredible. After 19 years without a championship to its name, and a decade of directive turmoil, aggression against the players and coaches by the ultras, and a president that was deposed, Varandas Fernandes, the new president, managed the quietly stabilize the club and steal their head coach, Ruben Amorim, from SC Braga – which proved to be a decision that would change the direction of the club.

One year later, the Lion wears the crown, playing mainly with juniors, like Tiago Tomás and Nuno Mendes, players that were loaned, like Palhinha, who’s now playing at the EURO 2020, and cheap acquisitions that proved to be essential to be the stability of the team: here, Pote shines brightest, and there’s a reason why he was the top goal-scorer last season and is also in EURO 2020 as we speak.

However, Sporting will need to prove that they can perform at the same level, while playing also in the Champions League, and with the weight of their success on their shoulders.

Sport Lisboa e Benfica – The eagle must fly
Sport Lisboa e Benfica bet hard on the last season, and lost it. With Jorge Jesus as the head coach and roughly 100 million euros spent on acquisitions, they were deemed the favorites. Yet, after failing to qualify for the Champions League, hell broke loose and the team never really found itself along the season. Adding insult to injury, Benfica had almost 20 members the of team and staff infected with covid-19 at once, in a decisive moment in the Portuguese League and other competitions.

Now, with players accustomed to the league, and players like Otamendi, Vertonghen and Weigl leading the team from behind, one is left to wonder if Sport Lisboa e Benfica will finally be able to match the quality of their game to the talents they aren’t clearly lacking.

Futebol Clube do Porto – Will the dragon roar?
A chronic candidate to the title, Porto is living a severe period of financial problems, so they will likely not be prone to invest much in this market. They already lost Marega and are about to lose Sergio Oliveira, their captain and the most prolific midfielder on the team. However, Futebol Clube do Porto has been, historically, able to surprise and make good deals in order to refurnish their team, so no one in Portugal doubts that FCP will be able to present a quality squad, headed by the likes of Pepe, Pêpe (bought in January), and Taremi. 

The fight for the throne will be hard and tenuous for these 3 teams, but will, without a doubt, be a delight for fans of football.

Photo by Humberto Santos on Unsplash