SL Benfica's Final Four

SL Benfica are down to the nitty gritty as they have only four matches left to play in the remainder in the 2015/16 Ligs NOS season. Although the Portuguese Championship is still undecided there is still room for error and room for improvement between first place SL Benfica and second place Sporting CP. 

Although SL Benfica's remaining games are a less tougher schedule then those assigned to Sporting CP, one loss or a tie for SL Benfica can very easily give Sporting CP an opportunity to capitilize and win this years Liga NOS championship. 

SL Benfica are now out of UEFA competition and are still in the Portuguese Cup tournament where they will face Sporting Braga in the semi-finals. Rui Vitoria should consider resting most of his main squad players and capitalize on using such players as; Tallisca, Luisao, Goncalo Guedes, and even look to some b team or infrequently used players (Taarabt? Silvio? Jovic?) as depth to hopefully win the Portuguese Cup. SL Benfica priority should always be to win the Liga but any silverware is better then none and so the Portuguese Cup should also be taken seriously as an extra victory for the club and most importantly the fans. 

SL Benfica will travel this weekend up north to Vila de Conde to face Rio Ave a team who is currently tied with Arouca for that important fifth spot that will give birth to the 201617 Europa League. Such players as; Heldon, Ukra, Yazalde, Helder Postiga, Roderick Miranda, and goalkeeper Cassio are all very familiar with SL Benfica and will do whatever necessary to make their lives miserable up north and gain as many point possible to secure their Europa League spot. Although SL Benfica have been successful most of the time in gaining a result up north against Rio Ave, it was approximately one year ago (March 21, 2015) that SL Benfica lost 2-1 in Vila de Conde. This will not be an easy game for SL Benfica considering they looked tired in the recent 2-1 home victory against Vitoria Setubal. 

On matchday #32 SL Benfica will host coach Rui Vitoria former team Vitoria Guimaraes. Although, Vitoria is quite familiar with the Guimaraes squad, each game should be treated as a final. Losing points is not an option at this point in the season. 

SL Benfica will travel to the Madeira islands on matchday #33 to face Maritimo. Although there is a big SL Benfica fan base in Madeira, playing in Madeira is never easy. SL Benfica last defeat at the Barreiros was on August 18, 2013. Maritimo is currently in thirteenth spot. 

Finally, SL Benfica will host Nacional on the final matchday of the season. If all goes well they will be celebrating their 35th championship but most importantly their third consecutive back-to-back title. If all goes well, Sporting CP will lose points to either FC Porto or Sporting Braga on the road or in the event that they win all of their remaining matches, SL Benfica must also do the same. 

Bayern Munich 1 - 0 SL Benfica

FIRST LEG

SL Benfica traveled to the Allianz Arena on Tuesday April 5, 2016 to face 2015/16 German Bundesliga Champions Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League. SL Benfica have not reached these stages since the 2011/12 season when they lost to Chelsea. Going into this game it was no doubt that Bayern Munich were the favorites against SL Benfica in fact, many pundits feel that Bayern is one of the favorites (Barcelona is the other) to win this year's competition. 

Rui Vitoria lined up his team like this which is a brave attacking formation considering the fact that when Bayern plays at home they usually net 3-4 goals.  While in ball possession SL Benfica looked as though they were playing a 4-4-2 formation but would often play a 4-4-1-1 formation without possession. Bayern Munich capitalized early on within the first 3 minutes of the match as they took advantage of the open spaces in the Benfica defense with Benat crossing into the middle of the match catching Arturo Vidal's head making it 1-0. With almost 90 minutes left in the match at this point SL Benfica had time to look for the equalizer. 

As the match progressed the Munich fans kept getting louder and louder trying to motivate Bayern to increase there scoreline. SL Benfica pressed on and  gave it all they could against the giants of Germany. With such players as; Ederson, Lindelof, and Sanches who are green in UEFA competitions, SL Benfica demonstrated determination and never let their guard down throughout 90 minutes. There were a few calls which did not go in the favour of SL Benfica, and SL Benfica were unable to capitalize on three very important crucial opportunities to get that away goal. 

SECOND LEG

SL Benfica lose 1-0 on the road and although it was a loss, this result in Germany was quite impressive considering the fact that Bayern can usually produce 3-4 goals at home and had opportunities to do so. 

SL Benfica coach Rui Vitoria has some work to do if he wants to defeat Bayern Munich at the Luz next week. We may very well see another attacking 4-4-2 formation with possibly Raul taking the spot of Jonas. Vitoria's commitment to this tournament will show on how he sets up his team and how he distributes his substitutions throughout the match. 

Going into the Luz next week, even without Jonas (accumulated yellows) one thing is for certain SL Benfica will create chances and will score at home. The other guaranteed outcome to the second leg will be the 50,000+ members of the Benfica Nation who will be the 12th man in supporting their team from the first minute onto the last. A few defense mistakes and possibly some calls in Benfica favour can very well secure SL Benfica a spot onto the semi-finals of the Champions League. 

RECENT UNPREDICTED RESULTS IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The reality is again no one expected SL Benfica to do this well in this year's UEFA Champions League. The 30+ million that they have accumulated in this season's competition will do wonders for the team next season. For SL Benfica to defeat Bayern Munich in a David vs. Golliath esque comparison would be incredible. At that point, a semi-final appearance may only do more harm then good. If they got to the semi-finals with a primarily younger, inexperienced UEFA side then they should be able to go all of the way and break the Bella Guttman curse? Stranger things have happened at this point in the competition in the past. Upsets and beating the odds have occurred many times throughout the past decade. 

As good as FC Porto were during the 2003/04 competition and with the help of coach Jose Mourinho, no one ever thought that they would face AS Monaco in the finals and win. 

During 2005/06 SL Benfica defeated English giants Manchester United during the group stages and Liverpool on a 3-0 aggregate in the round of 16. At this point, the EPL was the most dominant league in the world producing should UEFA Champions as Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea. 

In 2008/09 FC Porto went through on aggregate to the Quarter- finals defeating Atletico de Madrid and then losing in the Quarter-finals to Manchester United. Not a surprise was the round of 16 elimination of Sporting CP who lost 12-1 on aggregate against Bayern Munich. 

Some can argue that Internazionale's Champions League winning season in 2009-10 was unpredicted as they took out such European giants as Chelsea, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich in the final. Inter was coached by Jose Mourinho who also helped Inter dominate Serie A that season. 

In the following year Schalke 04 went all of the way to the semi - finals losing to Manchester United. Along the way Schalke 04 won their group (Benfica was there) and defeated Valenica (Rof16) and taking out reigning champions Inter on a 7-3 aggregate in the Quarter-finals.

In 2011/12 no one had heard of the name APOEL in UEFA Champions League competition. The champions of Cyprus made their debut in the competition that year winning their group which consisted of FC Porto, Zenit St-Petersburg, and Shakhtar Donetsk. APOEL eliminated Lyon in the round of 16 and was then eliminated in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid. 

And then who can forget the all German UEFA Champions League finals between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund of 2012/13. The hipster outcome would of seen Dortmund lift the trophy but Bayern were victorious in Wembley losing 2-1. Dortmund beat Real Madrid twice in the group stages and once in the semi-finals during this tournament. 

During the 2013/14 final at The Luz in Lisbon, an all Spanish final took place as Atletico Madrid faced Real Madrid. Atletico won their group and proceeded to eliminate AC Milan, Barcelona, and Chelsea along the way. Real Madrid took out the 3 German teams to get to the final and although Ronaldo and friends were in excellent form, many were expecting Diego Simeone's side to lift the trophy. Real Madrid 4-1 over Atletico. 

Juventus turned a lot of heads during the 2014/15 campaign as they took out Real Madrid in the semi-finals only to lose to Barcelona 4-1 in Berlin. Juventus although dominate in Italy were unable to defeat the trio of MSN. 

FINAL THOUGHT

SL Benfica need to remain focused on winning the Portuguese Liga for a third consecutive season which is something in which they have not done since the mid 1970's.  Advancing deeper in the Champions League competition would be a great boost of confidence for SL Benfica (financially) and Portuguese Football (coefficient). The comparisons to Mourinho's 2004 FC Porto winning team have been made, but would that team stand a chance to beat the Bayern Munich's and Barcelona's of today's game? 

This year's UEFA Champions League will most likely be won by a wealthier or more dominant club such as; Bayern Munich or Barcelona not by a smaller club like SL Benfica or Wolfsburg. After all, in this tournament the winning clubs are those with the wealthiest players who overpower the smaller clubs. I believe (without doing any formal research) that MSN alone (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) make more money in one single week then all of the SL Benfica players do one entire month. There is your financial fair play.  

Match Highlights

Vitória proud of battling Benfica 

Jonas: "The tie is still open"

Benfica Podcast 197

Can SL Benfica Keep Kostas Mitroglou?

On August 6, 2015, Greek International Kostas Mitroglou joined Benfica for a season long loan spell from Fulham. The 28 year old Mitroglou was rated a "bust" after joining Fulham on January  31, 2014 from Olimpiacos. According to EPL pundits Mitroglou was not only Fulham's biggest transfer in the club's history (approximately £12 million) but has been considered one of the biggest "flops" ever in English Premier League history. 

Mitroglou went through his hardships playing in the most competitive league in the world. It is a lot of pressure for one individual to save a team from English Premier League relegation. Mitroglou suffered an injury upon arrival at Fulham and was out for two months. When healthy, Mitroglou only played in three Fulham matches and after being relegated at the end of the 2013/14 season, 

Mitroglou returned to Greece joining Olimpiacos for the 2014/15 season where he proved that he was no "bust" scoring 16 goals in 24 matches becoming the second best goal scorer in the Greek Super-league and more importantly contributing to Olimpiacos' fifth consecutive league title. 

"He needs good players around him, and when he was at Olympiacos he had good players around him and he scored goals in the league and in the Champions League, which proved how good he was" - Roy Carroll, Former Olimpacos Goalkeeper.

Carroll makes a good point which is why Mitroglou has enjoyed quite the successful season at Benfica. As he how is now referred to as "Mitrogolo", Mitroglou has scored 16 goals in 25 league matches making him Benfica's second best goal scorer this season behind Jonas. Mitroglou has also scored 2 goals in the Champions League and scored against Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese Cup. He is a fan favorite at the Luz and has claimed the hearts of Benfica fans young and old showing his love and hard work while wearing the Eagle on his chest. 

Mitroglou's loan at Benfica is quite comparable to the loan of Fabrizio Miccoli at Benfica during 2005-2007 where he was not only cherished by the fans but had a great work rate at the club netting 14 goals in 39 appearances. Sadly, Miccoli did not sign with Benfica (joined Palermo) and at this moment there is no word as to whether or not Mitroglou will permanently join Benfica in the future. 

Mitroglou more then likely will finish this season at Benfica with approximately 20 goals(maybe more) in the Liga Nos. In the unlikely event that Benfica do not purchase him from Fulham which one of these Benfica forwards will be able to reach or surpass Mitroglou's goals during the 2016/17 season:

Raúl Alonso Jiménez (2 goals in 22 Liga matches)

Luka Jović ( 0 goals, 3 Liga matches including B Team)

Nélson Oliveira (9 goals in 28 matches at Nottingham Forrest)

Jonathan Rodríguez (0 goals in 12 matches at Deportivo)

Victor Andrade (1goal in 20 matches for Benfica, Benfica B, and Guimaraes)

Francisco Vera (1 goal in 16 matches for Benfica B)

Bilal Ould-Chikh (0 goals, 12 matches for Benfica B)

Ivan Šaponjić (4 goals  12 matches for Benfica B)

Nuno Santos (2 goals 6 matches for Benfica B)

Euciodálcio Gomes (0 goals, 10 matches at Benfica B)

Oliver Šarkić (3 goals in 24 matches at Benfica B)

Sancidino Silva (5 goals in 30 matches at Benfica B)

Diogo Gonçalves (4 goals in 27 matches at Benfica B)

Although Benfica have had a financially successful year, to purchase an international forward like Mitroglou for an estimated £8-12 million seems fiscally irresponsible. Based on the data above, other then Jonas, and Mitroglou Benfica don't have a dominate goal scorer. There are many goals which are created from our strong mid of Sanches, Pizzi, Gaitan, Samaris and others. In the unlikelihood that Jonas and Mitroglou leave at the end of the season, Benfica will have to spend top dollar to find  their replacements. Going into next season based on the numbers above. Benfica need to keep Mitroglou. It is true that Benfica do not have the deep pockets of Manchester City, PSG, Barcelona and many others but acquiring a striker of Mitroglou's price tag is realistic then for Benfica to purchase a big named player for £30-£40-£50 million.

Benfica recently acquired the rights of Pizzi for approximately £12 million from Atlético Madrid. He is now considered Benfica's biggest signing in history. Benfica are also currently apart of a lucrative deal with NOS which will be worth £400 million over a ten year period. Also, Benfica have not only been successful in their domestic league but have their best UEFA Champions League campaign in five years. If eliminated during the Quarter - Finals, Benfica will take home anywhere from £28 - £30 million from their successful UEFA Champions League campaign. 

To allow a player of Mitroglou's quality to leave Benfica due to lack of funds seems unbelievable considering Benfica's financial success this season. It would be a missed opportunity as Mitrogolo has a lot to offer for Benfica at 28 years old. 

Бенфика против Зенит раунда 16 УЕФА Preview

Benfica will travel to Russia on Wednesday to face Zenit St. Petersburg  in the second leg in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Although, Benfica currently are leading on 1-0 aggregate, competing against Zenit has not been easy for Benfica. During the 2011/12 Champions League Quarter Finals stages, Benfica lost 3-2. During the 2014/15 Group Stages of the Champions League Benfica travelled to Russia and lost 1-0. Benfica have also failed to gain victories in Russia against such teams as; CSKA Moscow (2005 UEFA Cup) and Spartak Moscow (2012/13 UEFA Champions League)

Benfica who sits in first place in the Portuguese Liga NOS faces Zenit St. Petersburg who sits fifth place in the Russian Premier League. A win or draw will get Benfica onto the Quarter - Finals of the UEFA Champions League. Zenit playing at home will definitely have an advantage over the Eagles. Zenit playing in cold winter temperatures is something in which Benfica may not be accustom to. Coach Andre Villas Boas, has had several victories in the past over Benfica. For the most part, a majority of the Zenit players are either former Benfica players or have played against Benfica in the Portuguese League. 

Another disadvantage going into Russia is Benfica's injury list and absentee's. Julio Cesar, Jardel and Lisandro Lopez are key players in the Benfica starting 11 missing in action and for Benfica  to advance onto the Quarter - Finals will be hard considering that they are relying on such inexperienced players as;  Ederson, Grimaldo and Ruben Dias to get them there. 

Benfica are going into Russia with momentum and confidence especially after taking first place in the Portuguese Liga by defeating Lisbon rivals Sporting CP over the weekend, The task at hand appears to be against their favour but scoring one away goal or maintaining a draw may not as difficult as it seems for Benfica. If Benfica are able to advance they will be awarded €6,000,000 adding to their current champions league earnings of over €22,000,000. 

The Lisbon Derby March 5, 2016

The final Lisbon Derby of the 2015/16 Liga NOS season concluded Saturday night at Estádio José Alvalade where Benfica beat their rivals from down the street Sporting CP 1-0 due to a goal in the 20' minute by Kostas Mitroglu. MitroGOLO (as he is often referred to as due to his ability to score) has produced 15 goals in 24 league matches making him the third best scorer in the Liga NOS. )

Prior to kick-off, it was reported that goalkeeper Júlio César would be out for 6 weeks due to a 

training injury. Although 37 year old back up keeper Paulo Lopes was available, coach Rui Vitória

decided to put the pressure on the young 22 year old Ederson who made his Liga NOS debut at the 

Lisbon derby. A similar situation happened during the 2013/14 season in which Artur Moraes was 

replaced by 20 year old Jan Oblak for the remainder of the season.

In terms of similarities between Oblak vs Ederson there are a few. For starters, no one expected Júlio César to be injured prior to the most important game of Benfica's season thus giving the opportunity to Ederson. Secondly, both Ederson and Oblak disallowed goals in their debute Liga NOS matches. Finally, although both are young and seemed like inexperienced keepers, they demonstrate qualities of maturity and can be reliable to start. When Júlio César returns hopefully before the end of the season he will most definitely return to the net as Benfica's starter as he is still has a lot to offer. In the meantime, let's hope that based on yesterday's performance that Ederson (Oblak 2.0) will not fail the Benfica Nation. 

During the first 10 minutes of the match, it was evident that both teams were aggressive towards each other and not settling for anything less then a victory. Jonas was taken down instantly by the Sporting CP defense inside the penalty area. Moments later during another Jonas breakaway, Sporting CP goalkeeper Rui Vitoria appeared to reach out and grab the Benfica Forward' feet. In both cases referee Artur Soares Dias did not award any penalties or fouls. Benfica broke the silence in the 20th minute as Fulham - loanee Kostas Mitroglu capitilized on a William Carvalho mistake / deflection in the penalty area which gave the reds the 1-0 advantage. Carvalho (not a defender) was simply trying to cover up the mistakes of the Sporting CP defensive line and their goalie Rui Patricio. Sporting CP were relentless and throwing everything they could to get back into this match. During the 26th minute captain Adrien Silva ran into Benfica full-back Eliseu inside of Benfica's penalty box area. Although Soares Dias could not see everything throughout the match, it was very important that he did not award Silva a penalty kick for his acting abilities on the pitch. 

In the 39th minute Jefferson in a Renato Sanches-Esq style captured a shot outside of the Benfica box catching the top of the bar of the Benfica net. Sporting CP continued to apply pressure throughout the first half testing Ederson at least once more before half time. Their momentum continued into the second half as former Benfica player Bruno César missed a headed opportunity in the 54th minute. It was no doubt that Sporting CP dominated possession on this derby day.

Once again Ederson demonstrated a notable comparison to Oblak as he punched away the ball with confidence in the 68th minute. Sporting CP best opportunity to capitalize came in the 71st minute as Adrien Silva did not score on Benfica's wide open net reminding us all of World Cup 1994 when Baggio shot the ball over the net costing Italy the World Cup. 

After many weeks, Benfica have finally claimed first place in the Liga NOS. There are still 9 match days left in the 2015/16. Benfica need to continue to be consistent and treat every game from now until then as if it were a final. Although FC Porto and Sporting CP have challenging away games ahead of them, Benfica must not worry about anyone but themselves. 

Defending champions Benfica have now won 11 of their last 12 league games. Benfica have not won three consecutive Portuguese League titles since 1974/75 - 1976/77. 

Game Statistics. 

Game Highlights

Post Game Benfica Conference

Post Game Sporting Conference

 

Nelson Oliveira Should Return To Benfica 2016/17

Although the Nelson Oliveira story continues to be an ongoing topic for the Benfica Nation, one can't help but to wonder what the future holds for the young Benfica striker. The 24 year old is currently on loan to English Championship side Nottingham Forest and has scored 8 goals in 23 league appearances. In a league in which 46 league games are played (not including cup competitions) Oliveira at this rate may end up with 15 - 20 goals this season. 

It is true that Nottingham Forest plays in a second division league in England and are currently in tenth place (15 points from first place, 8 points from a promotion play-off spot sixth place.) but an argument can be made that The Championship in England may be more competitive then most European Leagues including Portugal's Liga NOS. In the Championship, a promotion is worth 100 Million Pounds whereas in Portugal a promotion from the second division to the first division may be worth 100 Million "Escudos" or "Paus" (probably less). Scoring 8 to 15 to possibly 20 goals in this League should be an accomplishment worth acknowledging in any league let alone the Portuguese League. 

In a year in which Portugal had a very favourable draw in Euro 2016 Fernando Santos is still without a dedicated true striker. Oliveira, although may not be a favourable choice to most Portuguese footy fans due to his outspoken Father and poor attitude during his days under Jorge Jesus, Oliveira compared to other Portuguese strikers such as; Eder, Hugo Almeida, Helder Postiga, Lucas Joao, and a few others has proven himself worthy according to his numbers. 

If Nelson Oliveira was currently on loan in the Portuguese Liga NOS to a mid-table team such as; Arouca, Belenenses, or even Braga and scored 8-10 League goals this season, many critics and fans would be in favour of having Nelson Oliveira return to Benfica and become the second or third string striker. Benfica this summer acquired 50% of  Raul Jimenez' rights and although there is talent in th young Mexican's feet, he has only  produced 3 goals in the Liga this year at the Luz. 

Nelson Oliveira is a "Made In Benfica" product from The Seixal and has been since 2006. He is represented by Jorge Mendes and his contract with Benfica expires on June of 2016. Although Oliveira has crossed paths with Rui Vitoria in the past, there is no word yet as to what Oliveira's future holds with Vitoria or at The Luz. One thing is for sure Benfica fans love not only a Portuguese Striker but one who scores goals. This is something Benfica has not seen since the says of Nuno Gomes. Hopefully for Oliveira he can keep his attitude in check and can continue to work hard by delivering the goals proving that he is worth a shot for Benfica's future. 

SL Benfica's 400 Million Possibilites

Although the Benfica NOS deal is still not hundred percent clear to everyone (except the parties involved) what is well known is hat Benfica has sold their TV rights for €400 million over the next 10 years. For a club with the history and prestige as Benfica this financial gain will help Benfica eliminate debt and help continue to grow the Benfica name across the globe.

Eliminating debt or paying down most of the debt in any situation always leaves a feeling a satisfaction. It's as if a burden is lifted off your shoulders and you can now focus on building a positive future. The president will most definitely use most of that money if not all of it to pay off current debts previously accumulated by former Benfica Presidents (We all know their names).

Benfica will also continue to grow youth within Benfica. The Seixal has become very popular supposedly there are renovations in the process and a possible second ground at The Seixal for the Benfica system. 

This deal is great for Benfica however in the long run this money still will not compete with the success of such teams as the Manchester's of England, PSG of France, The big two of Spain, and other clubs with deep pockets on a billionaire budget.

It is argued that The Portuguese Liga NOS is a top-five league at best within Europe but it is not just Benfica who is benefiting from the NOS deal the whole league and all of the team's involved the big three or bottom three will benefit from this deal. 

I'm all for spending money responsibly as my Mom used to say in Portuguese "Quem  não paga,  não devo" (Who pays, doesn't owe) However, in a scenario in which Benfica no longer have debt and can afford to spend "impulsively" or "irresponsibly" Benfica have plenty of options other then paying off debts or investing in the youth system at The Seixal.  

Perhaps we will see the return of all of the players constantly talk about returning to Benfica they will finally put their money where their mouth is (literally. All of the players that periodically post on social media claiming that they would love to return to "O Glorioso"David Luiz, Javi Garcia, Axel Witsel, Nemanja Matic, Angel Di Maria, Oscar Cardozo etc.

We may even see the return of such a retired players as Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola, Nuno Gomes, and my personal favorite Pedro Mantoras, Let's face it wit $400 million Euros part of that buy a new pair of legs with that kind of money. The super sub is only 34 I'm sure he can last another 2-3 years and repeat the 2005 championship season with his new set of magic legs.

Just like any business, in order to make money you need to spend money. So with this money Benfica will see over time they should invested wisely so that they can reap the rewards for the future.

400 million can also save Portugal the nation that is an economic turmoil divide 400 million by 10 million people and hopefully help Portugal bounce back on their feet financially in time.What a story that would be Benfica saves Portuguese Soccer and Portugal.

400 million can also buy you the best coaches in the world. Let's say Benfica want to continue a "Made in Benfica" team for the future. If you want to have a starting 11 of mostly local brought up players you need a larger than life coach with a great resume who can produce results. 

I'm sure if you show Jose Mourinho an above average salary, he may reconsider coming back to Portugal and coaching the team who ironically enough let him go during the Presidential change. Mourinho loves a challenge and what better challenge then not only winning the Portuguese league but being the first coach in history to win the Champions League for Benfica. I'm sure if this was guaranteed Benfica would donate 20 million a year to his salary to achieve this goal.

Now we must not forget that Benfica is a sports club that goes beyond soccer. Improving the overall facilities of all of the other sports teams would definitely bring up moral with all members of all the sports teams and paying members (socios around the world) affiliated with this club.Better volleyball,l track and field basketball, facilities. Continuing to invest in modern technologies and equipment and continuing to train existing coaches and attract better coaches to the club. 

I can't speak for everyone but I know from my experience I have had a hard time getting through to the offices of Benfica whether it was to buy merchandise, tickets or just a general question as a socio. I'm not sure if it is a staffing issue but perhaps improving customer service to better the needs of all the socios and Benfica supporters from all over the world. Possibly an increase of wages to internally satisfy the financial needs of the staff to better deliver a good finished product. It's like a car you need a well oil machine and all of the different parts need to be in functioning order if only part of the vehicle is well-maintained it will not function properly. 

More money means more exposure means more people willing to do business for foreign investment and local investment. Everyone will want to associate their business with this club. How many companies, business', and products around the world advertise with the Manchester's, Arsenal, Real Madrid, PSG and other "Billionaire clubs"? why? because they're a big name and big names create big revenue.

Also if a team like Benfica can now afford better wages as opposed to decent wages for star players, then they will most likely stay at Benfica instead of leaving for greener pastures for a big payback. Look at all of the players who left to Chelsea, Russia and Valencia over the past few years, had Benfica increased their salaries would they not want to stay at a club where they were worshipped? Fans still cry over David Luiz and Javi Garcia would they not stay if the price was better? Benfica players will no longer have to go outside of the Luz because Benfica will have deeper pockets that they will be able to hold onto player for longer periods of time. 

Again 400 million can buy you a lot it won't necessarily by championships just look at Manchester City,and PSG, who are two of the wealthiest teams in the world and even though they do well in their domestic leagues they are still without the champions league. Their time will come as their pockets become deeper and their investors and investments continue to grow for these clubs  and hopefully Benfica will be no different.