Benfica head coach Marco Silva has strongly defended his squad selection after journalists questioned Polish player Jakub Kaminski's playing time in Portugal. Speaking before Benfica's upcoming league match against Estoril, Silva rejected claims that the 17 million euro signing was taking longer than expected to adapt to the team.
Kaminski has yet to make his Portuguese league debut, logging 163 minutes of playing time across all competitions this season. The Polish international has appeared in five matches overall, making his only starting appearance against Sankt Gallen and coming on as a late substitute in four Europa League qualifying fixtures, during which he provided one assist.
The questions arose ahead of the fourth round of the season, with Portuguese journalists asking Silva whether Kaminski's integration was taking longer than expected relative to his transfer fee. As quoted by sports newspaper O Jogo, Silva pointed to other high-profile additions in the squad, asking how much Lukebakio cost, noted at 20 million euros, and how many minutes he had played in the last three matches, while also questioning the cost and recent minutes of Rios.
Squad decisions and player competition
Silva said he could name further examples of players who cost less, emphasizing that his responsibility as head coach is to select the squad he believes gives the team the best chance to play each match. He stressed that he makes those decisions himself and stated that he did not want to focus exclusively on Kaminski's situation.
Describing Kaminski as a player who had recently arrived, started playing, and then stopped, Silva explained that the roster rotation was part of natural competition between players. He asked reporters if they expected him to remove Gianluca Prestianni, who he noted had been playing somewhat below his best recently, simply to bring Kaminski into the side.
Club context and upcoming fixture
Benfica are a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, competing in the top flight of Portuguese football, the Primeira Liga. The team regularly competes in European club competitions, including the UEFA Europa League, balancing domestic league fixtures with matches on the continent.
Benfica's fourth-round match against Estoril is scheduled for Monday, August 31. The fixture is set to kick off at 9:15 pm local time.
