In the space of a few months, Florentino Luis has gone from being a key piece at Benfica to a minor substitute. Why has the young Portuguese midfielder lost the starting position he had last season? Roger Schmidt explained.
The case of Florentino Luis is beginning to become a mystery. Last season, the midfielder played an important role in Benfica winning the national title. An almost indisputable starter, he ensured balance for his team and was present during every major meeting.
But in the 2023-2024 financial year, the Portuguese midfielder has been used very little so far. The Sexal-coached player has started just three of his eight Portuguese league appearances. Worse still, he has yet to play a single minute in the Champions League.
In the present moment where benfiquists Looking frantic in the middle of the pitch, one might wonder why Roger Schmidt gives himself the luxury of denying himself Tino. One of the journalists had the courage to ask the German technician this question in a press conference on the eve of the match against Casa Pia (the ninth day of the tournament). The latter explained himself on this point :
“It’s true that Florentino Luis plays less. He was a key part of our team. But this season, we have more options in midfield: Chequinho has been placed in this area of the pitch, Joao Neves has developed well and we appointed Orkun Kukcu this summer. “Tino has played some games this season, but in my opinion, he was not at his best. He is a very important player and I hope he reaches the level he had last season because we need him.”
