All change at Setubal: Dauto Faquira named new head coach

Carlos Carvalhal to take on Greek challenge

Dauto Faquira was presented as the new head coach of Vitoria Setubal on Sunday morning, signing a 2-year contract. He will face the hard task of replacing Carlos Carvalhal, who has moved to Greece to coach Asteras Tripolis.

Carvalhal guided Setubal to a Carlsberg Cup triumph, the semi-final of the Portuguese Cup and qualified for next season’s Uefa Cup by finishing 6th in the Bwin Liga.

However, Faquira is far from overawed by the task at hand. In front of many Setubal supporters who gave him a warm welcome to his new home he said he will do everything he can to win and produce an attractive football team.

“I will give everything I can to this team,” said the former Estrela da Amadora boss. “It’s a new cycle. We want a competitive team and maybe I will bring some Estrela da Amadora players and of course I will speak to Carvalhal as we are good friends.”

Faquira will work with assistant coaches Luis Queiros, Alexandre Santos, Gil Henriques and Carlos Cardoso.

Setubal president Carlos Costa attempted to take pressure off his new coach by commenting, “we won’t demand the same results we had this year as we know it would be a tremendously hard task as this season was extraordinary. Our goal next season is to play a calm championship.”

Before taking up his new post, Faquira coached Estrela da Amadora for the past two seasons after cutting his managerial teeth at lower league clubs Sintrense, Odivelas, Barreirense and Estoril-Praia.

Carvalhal goes Greek

As for Carlos Carvalhal, after his miraculous year at Setubal the coach has decided to try his luck abroad and has earned a position as head coach at Greek Super League side PAE Asteras Tripolis.

Asteras finished in seventh place this season, 26 points behind league champions Olympiakos. He pen to paper on a two-year deal.

“I’m very satisfied coming to Asteras Tripolis. I believe that the team have the conditions to go even further next season. I am not better or worse than other coaches – I am just different,” explained Carvalhal.

“People should believe in me and once the players assimilate my work processes I feel that the conditions are right for Asteras Tripolis to succeed.”

Carvalhal becomes the third Portuguese coach in recent times to ply his trade in the land of Plato and Socrates as he follows the leads of Fernando Santos and Jose Peseiro.