Stephen Eustaquio

[Bully]

Hi All. Has anyone been to an FC Porto game? Going to be there for May 28th. I've never been to a game in Europe. Tickets are not on sale yet on the official website. Is that typical? 

Thanks for any input!

[masster]

On 5/5/2023 at 11:52 AM, Bully said:

Hi All. Has anyone been to an FC Porto game? Going to be there for May 28th. I've never been to a game in Europe. Tickets are not on sale yet on the official website. Is that typical? 

Thanks for any input!

Can't speak for Porto or Portugal in general, but in Italy it is common for single match tickets not to be available until 2-3 weeks before game day as kickoff dates and times can be adjusted for television and cup competition reasons.

[InglewoodJack]

He’s starting today 

[Unnamed Trialist]

On 5/5/2023 at 8:52 PM, Bully said:

Hi All. Has anyone been to an FC Porto game? Going to be there for May 28th. I've never been to a game in Europe. Tickets are not on sale yet on the official website. Is that typical? 

Thanks for any input!

As @massterhas posted, exactly the same in Spain.

In function of how the league is playing out, and also the Cup matches pending perhaps (they play Braga 4 June). For example, as it is the last fixture of the season, every match involving a team playing for something will be played at the same time. Those already relegated, or midtable, may be played at different times.

For example, as Porto is 4 back of Benfica with 3 matches to go, they may not even decide the time until rather late, after the previous week, because if Benfica draws that previous weekend and they win, they'd be 2 points back going into the final day. Have to play at the same time. Also: huge demand for tickets.

You have to appreciate, in contrast, that for TV it is much better to show Porto and Benfica separately to maximize audiences. So if they can, they will, but not if they are both playing for the league on May 28.

[Acid-Tone]

On 4/26/2023 at 11:22 AM, PiedPilko said:

I've heard Uribe is probably leaving

There's reports out that he's off to get a final big payday in Saudi Arabia!

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Based on the tie brakes listed here:

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022–23_Primeira_Liga

For Porto to win the League today, they need:

a) To win their match and for Benfica to lose their match

b) To win their match by at least 11 goals and for Benfica to draw (a close to impossible scenario)

Edited May 27, 2023 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[Acid-Tone]

I'm calling it now: Benfica will not pull a Dortmund today!

[PiedPilko]

Porto finish second behind Benfica.

Kind of a quiet second half of the year for Steph. He still has some work to do - long stretches of play where he'll be very uninvolved and much too safe. He'll undoubtedly get some blame for 'costing' Porto the title with that red card against Benfica early in the season. He'll bounce back I'm sure - he always seems to. But Porto will presumably be in the market for a true 8 this summer who could very well be some Brazillian wonderkid - even with Uribe gone, there will undoubtedly be a lot of competition.

At this level, Steph needs to be that roaming threat from anywhere on the pitch we saw midseason. Steady, competent 6 isn't gonna be enough.

 

 

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, PiedPilko said:

Porto finish second behind Benfica.

Kind of a quiet second half of the year for Steph. He still has some work to do - long stretches of play where he'll be very uninvolved and much too safe. He'll undoubtedly get some blame for 'costing' Porto the title with that red card against Benfica early in the season. He'll bounce back I'm sure - he always seems to. But Porto will presumably be in the market for a true 8 this summer who could very well be some Brazillian wonderkid - even with Uribe gone, there will undoubtedly be a lot of competition.

At this level, Steph needs to be that roaming threat from anywhere on the pitch we saw midseason. Steady, competent 6 isn't gonna be enough.

I sort of disagree. I prefer him not trying to do everything and playing as a piece on a team. For me his overextending and running up and down was an indication of immaturity. He was always asking for it, chasing it, up and down. Just hold your spot guy, you're at Porto.

On a big club you don't have to do that, fine for Paços. In a big, dominant possession club, true, if you're out of position it matters less vs weaker rivals. But you'll be punished if you play like that against major rivals. What you are talking about is good in terms of mentality. Especially if you need to turn it on in a crunch. But it can't be your regular style unless you are in superstar mode.

We went through this for years at Barça with Frenkie de Jong, he did the same thing. He has such talent. But in tough matches he played himself out of matches and became peripheral. Tried to do too much and hurt the balance on the field. This is the risk as I see it.

I suspect his coach Conceiçao had a role in reining him in and I agree.

 

 

[PiedPilko]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I sort of disagree. I prefer him not trying to do everything and playing as a piece on a team. For me his overextending and running up and down was an indication of immaturity. He was always asking for it, chasing it, up and down. Just hold your spot guy, you're at Porto.

On a big club you don't have to do that, fine for Paços. In a big, dominant possession club, true, if you're out of position it matters less vs weaker rivals. But you'll be punished if you play like that against major rivals. What you are talking about is good in terms of mentality. Especially if you need to turn it on in a crunch. But it can't be your regular style unless you are in superstar mode.

We went through this for years at Barça with Frenkie de Jong, he did the same thing. He has such talent. But in tough matches he played himself out of matches and became peripheral. Tried to do too much and hurt the balance on the field. This is the risk as I see it.

I suspect his coach Conceiçao had a role in reining him in and I agree.

 

 

The thing is, I think peak Eustaquio is that hybrid midfielder who sort of does a bit of everything. When he was in his best form, he was all over the pitch - right where he needed to be, making smart, pitch perfect passes and tailing whichever teammate had the ball. It's a change for him, sure, but he did it really well.

Much less helpful Eustaquio is just an excess 6 passing the ball sideways. IMO, and seemingly Conceicao's too, someone with his engine should be using it to get forward.

[sebdeserio]

3 hours ago, PiedPilko said:

The thing is, I think peak Eustaquio is that hybrid midfielder who sort of does a bit of everything. When he was in his best form, he was all over the pitch - right where he needed to be, making smart, pitch perfect passes and tailing whichever teammate had the ball. It's a change for him, sure, but he did it really well.

It's what he did with much success in the CL group stage.

[Unnamed Trialist]

9 hours ago, PiedPilko said:

The thing is, I think peak Eustaquio is that hybrid midfielder who sort of does a bit of everything. When he was in his best form, he was all over the pitch - right where he needed to be, making smart, pitch perfect passes and tailing whichever teammate had the ball. It's a change for him, sure, but he did it really well.

Much less helpful Eustaquio is just an excess 6 passing the ball sideways. IMO, and seemingly Conceicao's too, someone with his engine should be using it to get forward.

It's a great debate. I felt he was trying to prove himself those first months. Now he's settled in and it's better imo. I realize I enjoyed it more when he was assisting or scoring, but he's proved the point. Major clubs have others who can score, play your role.

He won't transfer out higher if he's seen as anarchic, it'll be because he's a reliable team player.

[InglewoodJack]

It just seemed like Porto had way too many really good midfielders and at various times of the season one got glued to the bench, it so happened that Eustaquio got his turn during the last few months, though he did end the season with 5 straight starts, going 90 almost every game. I don’t know if Porto expected him to be a starter this season, but my guess is he becomes a more significant part of their midfield next year and we see him playing a lot more. For his quiet moments, I think his great champions league performances are going to go a long way.

[Acid-Tone]

Lots of changes possibly happening in Porto. 

The latest news out of Portugal has Porto manager Sergio Conceicao mulling over a proposal to return to Italy (where he played a good chunk of his career) and take over managing at Napoli.

I'm sure the opportunity to take over a scudetto-winning squad would be really hard to turn down. It's probably not ideal for Stephen if that were to happen, but I guess everyone in the squad would be on even footing with a new manager.

 

[Fresh Prince of MTL]

16 hours ago, Acid-Tone said:

Lots of changes possibly happening in Porto. 

The latest news out of Portugal has Porto manager Sergio Conceicao mulling over a proposal to return to Italy (where he played a good chunk of his career) and take over managing at Napoli.

I'm sure the opportunity to take over a scudetto-winning squad would be really hard to turn down. It's probably not ideal for Stephen if that were to happen, but I guess everyone in the squad would be on even footing with a new manager.

 

So what you're telling me is that Conceicao will be taking Eustaquio along with him to Napoli? Him and David would both fit that squad so well in my opinion.

[Obinna]

Just now, Fresh Prince of MTL said:

So what you're telling me is that Conceicao will be taking Eustaquio along with him to Napoli? Him and David would both fit that squad so well in my opinion.

He was actually linked to Napoli before moving to Porto, IIRC. 

[Acid-Tone]

I figured we were all capable of coming up with that possibility without me needing to spell it out.  ; )

[InglewoodJack]

To add some fuel to baseless rumours, I don’t remember seeing that Eustaquio recently changed agents:

https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-bwin/fc-porto/detalhe/stephen-eustaquio-passa-a-ser-representado-pela-mesma-agencia-de-luis-diaz

 

agency manages players at all levels, but have gotten a few guys from big Portuguese clubs to top leagues.

[phresh]

 

[InglewoodJack]

Uribe is moving to Al Saad, so there’s one fewer CM that Eustaquio has to compete for playing time with.

[Acid-Tone]

Yeah, we knew that a month ago.

[The Real Marc]

Lots of players moving to the middle east these days - anyone know what salaries are like for imports that aren't Benzema, Ronaldo, etc?

[InglewoodJack]

I wonder if a Saudi club gets bold and tries to sway Davies over, knowing Bayern is a mess and Madrid is sniffing. He’d never do it obviously, but trade the prime of your career for like a 5 year $1B contract? 

[devioustrevor]

6 hours ago, The Real Marc said:

Lots of players moving to the middle east these days - anyone know what salaries are like for imports that aren't Benzema, Ronaldo, etc?

0 taxes as well.

Saudi Arabia apparently is going to legalize alcohol consumption for non-Muslims as well.

 

The big thing though, is that I read that the Saudi government wants to invest $20B into growing the Saudi league.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

There is some kind of rumour that he actually won't play in the Gold Cup?

His pre-season actually begins on July 7th

https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-bwin/fc-porto/amp/operacao-benfica-arranca-no-olival-no-dia-7-de-julho