A feeling of disappointment in the end for a fourth place is the best evidence that Braga is really already on the next level. However, not yet on the level of the top three as this season was also evidence of.
Braga started in a very strong pace and, by the time they defeated Sporting with a very solid performance, one thought that we would be having a new contender for the title.
However, Arsenalistas showed a particular weakness when playing against the top three teams, having lost all other five matches, most of them with heavy negative scores.
When Braga faced their limitations, they entered in a mini-crisis in the last part of the season (5 defeats in last 8 rounds), which ended up costing them a third place that seemed safe for a while.
This negative ending run may have taken away some momentum and Braga may be adopting a more realistic approach next season, stepping down a notch and avoid mentioning the title again.
The departures of André Horta, Danilo and Vukcevic proved to be crucial, as Bracarenses were never able to reproduce the quality of 2017-18 midfield, with Fransérgio injured for long and Claudemir and Novais not having a totally convincing season.
Dyego Souza had a strong season, and was the top scorer of the league for some time, earning him a call to Portuguese national side. Paulinho and Wilson Eduardo were also good in attack, and Sequeira’s consistency during the season was a pleasant surprise.
