Porto Coach Andre Villas-Boas Bites Back At Claims Benfica Are Better
Posted by admin on Monday 14 February 2011
Andre Villas-Boas has responded aggressively to claims Benfica are better than Porto this season.
Porto's coach Andre Villas-Boas has fought back after claims were made that his side are inferior to Lisbon's clubs. Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, and the media, suggested that Portugal's capital is playing better football than the rest of the league in comparison.
The media had jumped on some negative performances, particularly highlighting the amount of victories that Porto have scraped this season, and Benfica coach Jesus then said his side were playing the best football despite trailing Porto in the league.
"The declarations made by the Benfica coach are based on one cup game [Benfica's 2-0 win in the Portuguese cup at the Estadio do Dragao] when anything can happen. Even in that game Porto dominated, but Benfica happened to score an early goal and applied pressure," Villas-Boas was quoted as saying by Portugoal following their victory over Braga.
"FC Porto are the stronger team because they have the best attack, the best defence, because they are unbeaten in Europe and because they do not need to organise press conferences to talk about aggressions.
"Porto are better than Benfica because they do not have to buy a player on the day they are playing a team, so that he can't play against them [Olhanense's Jardel]. We don't have the strength of Benfica in regards to the impact of their brand, but we are Porto, who triumph at all levels, who triumph in Europe. The statistics are what they are.
"I don't remember seeing Benfica players so strong when they were saved in the Champions League by a last minute Lyon goal so they could qualify for the Europa League"
Porto currently sit 11 points clear at the top of the domestic league having played a game more than Benfica. However, Villas-Boas' side remain unbeaten and will play Benfica twice more before the end of the season; one game in the cup semi-final and once in the league.
The only time the two sides in question have met in the league so far this season, Porto smashed Benfica's 10 men 5-0, but were 3-0 to the good at half-time when both sides were still even.
