Good Player Guide #18 Nolito is a post from: Just Football
Nolito
(Benfica / Spain)
Signing a Barcelona player would, in itself, normally suffice to excite fans of any club.
However, the fact the Spanish forward was just one of a plethora of new signings at
Benfica this summer, which included the much heralded Bruno César, Enzo Pérez
and Axel Witsel, meant that when the 2011/12 season kicked off, Nolito was considered anything but
the star turn.
By Dominic Vieira, writing from Slovakia
Not many kids want to play as a left-back, but they'll settle for the right-back position; we
simply all want to attack. This is why the search for a quality left-back is an everlasting all
night long headache, there aren't many. The shortage of this position has cultivated wingers into
full-backs and the transformations have been successful in the modern game, Patrice Evra and Fabio
Coentrao are prime examples.
SPORTING KC (12th) VS. TORONTO FC (17th) LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK - SATURDAY 8:30PM ETTV: GOLTV THE KICKABOUT:- Are Sporting KC truly a much-improved team or are they experiencing a "new home smell" blip?
U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu will wear the green and white of Sporting Clube de Portugal beginning
next season after joining the club on a free transfer.
Gooch signed a three-year contract and will compete in the Europa League next season with Sporting,
which is part of the Três Grandes (Big Three) of Portuguese football along with Benfica and Porto.
André Villas Boas: Chelsea's Mourinho Rebound - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
It's as though José Mourinho never left. Though comparisons between Chelsea's new Portuguese
manager and his mentor are rife to the point of becoming clichéd, it is true to some extent that
there is a 'new Mourinho' at Chelsea.
Portuguese football's baffling alacrity at finding young, charismatic and highly skilled coaches
continues to baffle everyone in England, where Sam Allardyce remains a credible candidate for the
role of national team manager. But how are they doing it? Dotmund claims to have found out.
More from Dotmund's oeuvre may be found here.
By Dominic Vieira, writing from Lancaster, England
Three European trophies conquered in the last 9 years by FC Porto, a remarkable achievement for
a Portuguese club! The 2011 Europa League Final was certainly not exhilarating, vintage or
memorable, but the extraordinary first half header from Colombian striker Falcao
is definitely one to remember.
By Dominic Vieira, writing from Lancaster, England
Three European trophies conquered in the last 9 years by FC Porto, a remarkable achievement for
a Portuguese club! The 2011 Europa League Final was certainly not exhilarating, vintage or
memorable, but the extraordinary first half header from Colombian striker Falcao
is definitely one to remember.
By Dominic Vieira, writing from Lancaster, England
Tonight, at precisely 19:45pm, the ball starts rolling for the Europa League Final in Dublin. A
final contested between two Portuguese clubs from the north of the nation, FC
Porto vs Braga. But I'm sure you're all aware of that.
Hey F.C. Porto, look at your Classico rivals Benfica. That could be you a year from now.
Remember Benfica's wondrous championship season last year? Remember how they used to score goals by
the bushel, 4, 5, 6 at a time? Remember how they'd run teams into the ground, literally and
figuratively?
By Dominic Vieira, writing from Lancaster
"Where is Portugal?" How many times have I been asked this? Countless. You
may have read in the news recently that the Portuguese economy is a disaster or the politics are a
complete bunch of corrupt pigs. However, the football is booming!
With Argentina's friendly against Portugal in Geneva just a few hours away, HEGS readers have a
wide choice of previews. First, if you'd like to remind yourself of the main players in the
Argentine side, you can get yourself over ... Continue reading →
With Argentina taking on Portugal in Geneva on Wednesday afternoon/evening, and the world's press
(and especially, it would seem, the Argentina, Portuguese and Spanish media) pushing the fixture as
a battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, I thought it ... Continue reading →
Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder Anderson has revealed that for the past few months he's
been functioning as the club's babysitter for new signing Bébé. Bébé joined the club from
Portuguese football's lower divisions, and to help ease his transition to England he's been staying
with Anderson.
