Demo Teams (Part 1)
An introduction to the teams in this week's Amador demo file.
Team: Açores
Country: Portugal
Honours: Portuguese Champions (2004,2013)
One of the quiet stars of the Açores squad is Goalkeeper B. Pestana, so quiet in fact that nobody actually knows his first name and with his strong, silent manner, nobody has plucked up the courage to ask him. While none of his important attributes are amongst the top in the Western Federation, he has strong numbers where it matters across the board at this level. His mentality is amongst the best and his team can count on him in those difficult moments. Although, like most keepers of Amador, he can make errors that will have his manager pulling his hair out he is probably best known for making a remarkable save, possibly one of the best saves ever seen in the League. As usual though, he had little to say about it when questioned, just giving a shrug and muttering that’s my job.
Veteran João Futre is the man who pulls the strings for the team. Equally adept in Centre Midfield or Attacking Midfield he normally occupies the AM slot in behind the striker’s. With good passing, the ability to go past a player and a shot technique most strikers in the Federation would be happy to have he can be a handful for any defence and will chip in with goals as well. He tops it off with a decent free kick and is prepared to work hard for the team as well. The only things letting him down are that he has become a little injury prone as he has got older and there are times when his will to fight in adversity can be called into question. Perhaps not the man to call on when 2-0 down away from home on a cold winter’s evening. On his day though, he would get into any team in the Western Federation.
The man most likely to be looking to get on the end of Futre’s passes is diminutive Striker João Oliveira. In most areas he is what would be deemed an averagely rated player amongst the Federation. His skills though, lie where it matters, in his finishing. Solid in both accuracy and technique, with a bit of power as well, he has more than enough weaponry to cause keeper’s trouble. Don’t look for him to rise at the back post like a salmon but if someone else does he’ll be there to tap in the loose ball. He has a little bit of craft as well and can get past a defender to make space for his shot. Oliveira is a little one footed but he has been known to swing his right foot at the ball every now and then.
Açores are known to be an attacking team and play with a 4-3-1-2 formation. They hold a high back line and look to use offside as a defensive weapon. With a strong, if generally unspectacular team, they would fancy themselves to be amongst the top runners in the Portuguese Division. However as the new season approaches there are many unknowns for all teams regarding who will have the necessary depth of squad to take on a full league season and come out on top. Set pieces and corners will come from the aforementioned Futre who generally takes charge of all dead ball situations.
