Lenny

Good half, that. Benfica are the better side but we're showing promise. Both of our goals were very well taken. I really do hope Almiron can keep this up, his biggest flaw since Rafa left is his lack of belief in himself. With the increased confidence will come increased decisiveness, and as I've mentioned, he should get plenty more chances with the players we now have, capable of using his movement.

Whilst I think I'm going to remain realistic in terms of the level and volume of players we can bring in this summer, my tolerance of the poorer quality players is going to be quite minimal. Harsh maybe, but with increased ambition comes increased expectation. Mistakes such as Lascelles recklessly abandoning his position, and the likes of Longstaff being forced into errors as we've seen are going to tire quite quickly. Thankfully, effort is no longer all we can expect, and those that aren't good enough rightfully should and ultimately will be removed.

I really hope we can find a way to play without isolating the striker this season. Feels like we've done that for years (probably because we have).

I just think between them they were a touch out of sync.

Longstaff simply isn't good enough. He just can't keep up.

Very good save.

Bit of both IMO, ASM probably waited a touch too long.

Almiron could be a major beneficiary of players like Trippier and Bruno that can spot a pass this season. His pace and movement will see him get plenty of chances. He just needs to finish them...

Very nice goal that. Excellent spot from Almiron, a composed pass as you'd expect from Trippier and a neat finish.

Almiron did superbly there, lovely goal.

They look a good side.

Intensity seems noticeably higher this game.

Almiron will benefit massively from Bruno this season (providing he stays).

That was so unlucky.

From the limited amount that I've seen Werner, he's always looked to me like he contributes a fair bit to build-up play and looks a tidy player. Some of the missed chances I've seen have looked more on the side of "bad luck" rather than him being useless, too. He does seem to get caught offside an unacceptable number of times, mind. I'd be happy for us to take a punt if a compromise on his reported wages could be found.

He is deceptively fast. And earned the extension

I do hope so however with being afforded more space comes a greater expectation with his decision making and end product. He needs to learn to pick the right time to dribble and when to pass etc. and to be fair to him of late, I think he's working on it so there's promise.

I think this is a fairly critical season ahead for ASM's career. He needs to show that he can adapt and contribute to an organised team with a structured game-plan. I really want it to work for him because at his best, he's such an exciting player to watch, but if it doesn't work out then I suspect his career ceiling may be comparable to Zaha at Palace. My gut feel is that he might not have the right mentality to go to the top, but I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

It'd be that Rihanna song, surely?

Frustration at 10 minutes of a pre season game when the mood is generally positive is bit extreme though, no? These games are literally to allow them to get up to speed, they aren't going to be at their best. And thankfully, we're in a position now whereby if the players don't produce they'll get replaced.

Pulling up in front of the cameras - story of his life

As dislike-able as he appears; Gordon looks a good/promising player from what I've seen of him.

Let's be greedy and go for Sarr and Diaby, with three players vying for two spots.