Sport Lisboa e Benfica

[Faliro]

That is what confused me. So you play Feisja as a 6? We played him more as an 8.

[Festivus]

That is what confused me. So you play Feisja as a 6? We played him more as an 8.

Yes, we played him as a holding mid-fielder. He brought a lot of stability to that area, actually.

[Faliro]

This is why it seems like we were talking about two different players when you got him.

[Festivus]

This is why it seems like we were talking about two different players when you got him.

You were right about him being injury prone, though. He's been injured since like March and will only be back in January.

[Faliro]

Yea was the same in Greece, made of glass...

[brankinho_gaspar]

That is what confused me. So you play Feisja as a 6? We played him more as an 8.

Yes, but he came to replace Matic, who played at the 6, but was much more than just an anchorman.

Matic and Enzo were two incredibly skilled midfielders that both attack and defend with incredible quality. In Benfica's model, Fejsa doesn't have the skills to play more advanced, so Jesus kept him at 6 more like a typical anchorman, when Matic left.

Samaris I see you like him a lot, what about Maniatis?

[Festivus]

Yea was the same in Greece, made of glass...

His injury was quite suspicious and so was the silence of our medical department about it as well. From what I gather, people on the forum believed it was actually more serious than they thought at first and tried to cover up for it. It sure took them a long of time to tell us when he'd be back.

[Faliro]

Yea, he is broken..

That is what confused me. So you play Feisja as a 6? We played him more as an 8.

Yes, but he came to replace Matic, who played at the 6, but was much more than just an anchorman.

Matic and Enzo were two incredibly skilled midfielders that both attack and defend with incredible quality. In Benfica's model, Fejsa doesn't have the skills to play more advanced, so Jesus kept him at 6 more like a typical anchorman, when Matic left.

Samaris I see you like him a lot, what about Maniatis?

Maniatis...he was a right back - an average to good right back... One season under Valverde, as we usually do towards the end of any season... we ran out players because of injuries and sales. So Maniatis was put as a CM as an experiment. He is still there.... What made him survive there was the fact that he buzzed around like a fly...showed lots of energy and plenty of emotion...

I think he is crap. Shit at passing, no vision. OK at tackling. Average speed. Runs a lot, some games are better than others. He is an alpha male - that is why he was in a fight with Tzavellas and Katsouranis in the World Cup and league respectively- although what he said to Tzavellas was funny.

I would say he plays as pure defensive midfielder who disrupts the play of the opposition and sometimes of his own team..and in that position I would give him 3/10.
As a Right Back which is his original position 5-6/10.

He has one or two fans who will dislike me for saying this. But I don't like this type of player. No art. We have Endinga in his position who I think is better. Coaches love him however because you know,, the usual...''he always gives 100%..''

I also think he looks a bit Neanderthal...

[brankinho_gaspar]

So he's your Maxi Pereira 

Benfica fans (me included) love his passion for the game, always running and fighting,even though we know he has some major flaws in his game.

But Maxi is a better player, of course.

What happened to Sotiris Ninis? Wasn't he gonna be the next greek superstar? I heard he had some injuries that affected him a lot.

[T1n0_SLB]

It is funny Maniatis telling anyone how to cross knowning he can't passe a single ball more than 5 meters.


I like Samaris, would be a good replacement for Enzo.

[Faliro]

Yea, I will always like Manitais for what he said to Tzavellas. Too funny..

So he's your Maxi Pereira 

Benfica fans (me included) love his passion for the game, always running and fighting,even though we know he has some major flaws in his game.

But Maxi is a better player, of course.

What happened to Sotiris Ninis? Wasn't he gonna be the next greek superstar? I heard he had some injuries that affected him a lot.

The unique case of Sotiris Ninis... what a bizarre story, yet typically Greek and perhaps not unique at all.

Superior player from an extremely young age. Talent, ability, speed - a dream of a player. He was from Albania, but of Greek parents and like many Greeks living in Albania, his parents moved at a young age to Athens for a better life.

The first time I saw him, I was shocked. Superior passer, skill (could go past players with ease)..flicks, powerful shot, strong... was hard to believe he was Greek..

When he hit the scene, he was 16? He was already starting for PAO..   Víctor Muñoz had no problem selecting him for the first team because he was Spanish... had  Víctor Muñoz  been Greek, Ninis would have got his first starts at 25... Ninis immediately looked good, beautiful player. Had everything in his game. Pleasure to watch. Up until that point, I had not seen a Greek with his ability since Tsiartas. Now it gets interesting.. being Greece, many Greeks started to hate him. Don't ask why. They say in Greece, 'Greeks eat their own children.' This is no different. Many hated him simply because he was young and had huge ability. Welcome to Greece - a country where you can be shit and adored and talented and hated.

Ninis continued to play exceptionally well, winning all sorts of awards..dominating games in Europe and in Greece. However, the following season, his injuries started to show. These were strange injuries. Chronic stomach muscle tears and such. Many Greeks claimed he had been playing too much at too young an age and was burnt out and had wrecked his body. He slowly got back to fitness, however,  Jose Peseiro (the new coach) disliked him immensely and refused to let him near the team. Most Greeks were in awe of his ability, others accused him of being 'overrated.'

The next coach, Henk Ten Cate gave him minutes. Ninis single handedly beat Roma and won games for our national team, but he was never respected the way he should have been. Although he was a wonderkid and dazzled the scouts, many Greeks in the media either out of envy or spite disliked him. His game had no flaws, so it was strange.

Finally he left PAO and went to Parma where it ended - he was never given a chance. When he played for Parma, he was there best player, but he would be benched most the time. He was loaned to PAOK, but was never given consecutive games and when he was, he caught an injury. Seeing him last season, he looked depressed and also half a yard slower for some reason. Bizarrely, he should still be in every team Greece puts out, because even faded, he offers 99% more than are other players.  It's a very sad ballad.  Ranieri did not call him for our next national game and Santos didn't bother bringing him to Brazil..

Most of his most sensational goals have been deleted.

Here are two typical of him. Vs Israel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do25Wm3O5ZY

Vs Roma:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmisas_as-roma-panathinaikos-fc-2-3-glory-days_sport

This is one of many goals I remember him for, but even when he scored them.. it seems only half of Greece was happy for him.. I even went to a Greek bar to watch some games last season just to see him play, even though it was for PAOK. I had to listen to PAOK fans attack Olympiakos (that is all they do even when playing in Europe) and meet some stupid PAOK fans just to watch Ninis.. I just wanted to see what had happened to him..

Then another player came along, who was even more talented, called Fetfatzidis. He was discovered and given minutes at a very young age by Zico. He has been treated equally badly by coaches and the national team despite winning many games and being of the highest quality. He is also in Italy, with Genoa..

Silly Greeks.

[brankinho_gaspar]

I would not mind if Benfica took a gamble at Ninis (a loan, for example). Always looked like a mini Aimar to me.

[Faliro]

I agree with that. Aimar is quite a good comparison.

Ninis probably has a very weak agent. Terrible choice after terrible choice. I think Ninis sabotaged himself a few times actually. He is designed for Iberian football. He would thrive there. He had Betis after him  for a loan and he made a stupid statement saying he wants to fight for his spot in Parma and that the coach wants to give him a chance at Parma, needless to say the coach never played him for the rest of the season... I think however he would do well at Benfica. He needs a new start clearly. He is one of the few players who seems to have a tough time with clubs... yet has never really played a bad game in his life..

I think you should take Fetfatzidis, he is another level up - I think he would be a cult figure at Benfica. Watching him is worth the ticket..

[HJDK]

Fetfatzidis is amazing. He deserves a better club.

[Faliro]

Yea, another terrible agent... rotting in Italy... He also turned down a move to La Liga... idiot. Most skillful player of Greek origin. Would thrive at Benfica.