Liga NOS: X-ray of Marítimo

On Sunday, at 5:30 pm, Benfica enters Estádio do Marítimo to play matchday 13 of the Liga NOS.

Claudio Braga began the season, but the coach did not withstand a streak of poor results - five straight defeats - which culminated in the elimination of Benfica's opponents from the Portuguese Cup. The season began with six new faces in the squad, in which Danny and Lucas Áfrico have been proving to be valuable assets, and 15 players left the team, including key players, such as Pablo Santos, Erdem Sen, Ghazaryan and Éber Bessa.

The important losses had an effect on the results, as can be seen in the three victories achieved in the NOS League in 12 rounds. In 17 official matches, Marítimo got four wins (the other was in the League Cup), three draws and 10 losses, scored 13 goals and conceded 24.

The most used starting XI in 2018/19, suffers some chances, namely by playing in 4x4x2: Amir; Bebeto, Zainadine, Lucas Áfrico, Fábio China; Fabrício, Jean Cléber, Correa, Danny; Rodrigo Pinho and Joel.

For the match against the eagles, a special emphasis for the injuries picked up by Fábio China and Ricardo Valente, who may not be available for the match.

Wing play and set-pieces

Despite the poor results and currently sitting 13th in the Liga NOS, Marítimo presents interesting stats, according to the portal Wyscout.

The team from Madeira has shown an offensive capacity and it racks up, on average, 11 shots per match; the team displays approximately 50 % ball possession. The men under Petit take advantage of the offensive full-backs (Bebeto and Fábio China), as well as players who explore the flanks (Danny and Correa) to deliver a lot of crosses looking for Rodrigo Pinho and Joel. IN average they deliver 18 crosses per match.

Marítimo also shows some efficacy in the set-pieces. They don't usually have many corner kicks (5 per match), but 76% of those corner kicks result in a shot on target.

In the pass chapter, the efficiency is around 80%. The green-red team carries 361 passes per game, but risks little because it bets more on the side pass (132) than on the forward pass (128); the long pass can be an option to explore the depth of the opponent: 46 per match, on average.

In defensive terms, the ability of Marítimo to recover the ball stands out. On average, the team recovers the ball 78 times every 90 minutes.

Transfers at Marítimo

Text: Marco Rebelo

Pics: Liga Portugal