Another poor season for the ‘Blues’. Last decade has been tough on the club, and things didn’t exactly improve after their split. The now called Belenenses SAD had yet another frustrating season, saved during the final third by the preferred fireman over the nation: Petit.
Starting with Silas in the dugout after the promising ending of last season, Belenenses seemed to have good foundations for a better performance, this time around. A poor start (2 defeats and 2 draws) was enough for the short-tempered board to throw Silas off the boat.
Young and relatively unknown Pedro Ribeiro stepped in and had immediate results. He changed for a flat 4-4-2 but kept the positive football, even if more oriented to a direct game.
However, a couple of bad defeats and a conflict with some players ended up forcing Ribeiro the way out, and Petit arrived with the mission he is now accustomed to: bring the club away from relegation zone.
Petit’s well known pragmatism and immediate effect was again a reality, and Belenenses picked 15 points in the first 10 rounds, which almost secured Azuis a safe place before lockdown.
Things were tough after league resumed, with many injury problems and the lack of quality in some areas being exposed. Still, the job had been done in February and March, so Azuis will be among the top teams next year, once again.
One should expect more problems next season as the team doesn’t look solid enough to build a stronger squad this time. Petit is a great rescue coach, but isn’t known for being a project manager.
