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Benfica manager Bruno Lage lavished praise on Chelsea stars Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez. The Portuguese tactician claimed that the pair are among the best players in the world in their respective positions.
Neto joined the Blues from Lage's former side, Wolverhampton Wanderers, for a reported £54 million fee last summer. Fernandez moved to Stamford Bridge from Lage's current side for a then-British record transfer fee of £106.8 million in 2023.
This is Lage's second spell at Benfica, after his previous stint between 2019 and 2020. He didn't manage Fernandez in either spell, as the Argentine was only at the Estadio da Luz for the latter half of the 2022-23 campaign.
Lage did mentor Neto at Wolves, with the winger making 22 appearances under the 49-year-old's tutelage between 2021 and 2022. Speaking of his former protege ahead of his side's FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) Round of 16 clash against Chelsea, the Benfica boss said (via Metro):
"The player I really know is Pedro Neto. He's one of the best wingers in the world. He’s so dangerous because he can go either way on the ball."
Lage also reminisced a funny incident with Fernandez and went on to lavish praise on the 24-year-old. He said:
"There was actually a rumour before Enzo came to Chelsea that he was going to join me at Wolves, so that was funny... In terms of money, Chelsea have one of the best midfielders in the world."
Lage's Benfica will take on Enzo Maresca's Chelsea for a spot in the CWC quarter-final on Saturday (June 28).
"I'm very pleased" - Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca makes claim about midfield star Enzo Fernandez
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has claimed that he is 'very pleased' with the way that midfield star Enzo Fernandez has progressed and settled into his system.
At a pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues' CWC clash against Benfica, the Italian tactician also praised the midfielder's demeanour. He said (via Metro):
"I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he’s a nice boy. He’s polite, he’s a good boy. Then he’s worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play. But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goals, assists."
Maresca went on to emphasize the importance of balance in attack, asserting that he wants all of his frontmen to be involved in the gameplay. He added:
"This is what we want from our attacking players.I’ve said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals. So his (Enzo's) contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better."
If Chelsea overcome Benfica, they will take on a Brazilian side - either Palmeiras or Botafogo - in the quarter-final of the FIFA Club World Cup. After their group-stage loss to Brazilian side Flamengo (1-3), they will have to be on top form if they are to have any chance of winning the competition.
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Aaryan Nagraj
Aaryan has been covering European football at Sportskeeda since the start of 2024. He is pursuing an integrated M.Sc. degree in Chemistry at NIT Rourkela, and tends to rely on his proclivity for numbers and statistics for his content, making the most of websites like Transfermarkt and FotMob. He is also a district level basketball and table tennis player.
A Borussia Dortmund fan, Aaryan had his first tryst with football during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Despite his young mind being influenced by Lionel Messi's exploits, his favorite World Cup moment is Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free-kick against Spain from the 2018 version. He strongly believes that Jude Bellingham and Florian Wirtz can replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their respective potentials.
Aaryan, who has been on commentary panels for football and cricket tournaments at his university, is a huge admirer of Achraf Hakimi for the Moroccan's loan stint in Dortmund between 2018 and 2020. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp, who impressed him with his excellent tactical nous and benignant man-management skills.
When he is not scouring the internet for unique statistics, Aaryan follows the Indian Super League, the A-League, and the Saudi Pro League among others. He is an avid quizzer and debater, and a trained classical and western musician who likes to rock out for his college band, Euphony, as lead vocalist and guitarist.
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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava