Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha was voted Manager of the Month in the Campeonato Brasileiro earlier this week; recognition of his fine work with 2nd-place RB Bragantino as the campaign heads into the final third.
Elsewhere, Paulo Sousa is once again out of a job following his sacking by Italian side Salernitana, making it the third position in succession that the illustrious former Seleção midfielder has lasted less than a year.
Caixinha’s RB Bragantino have surprised some by positioning themselves as closest challengers to runaway leaders Botafogo in Brazil’s top flight. The ambitious outfit from São Paulo appear unlikely to catch Botafogo, with a 9-point gap to the summit, but the runners-up position represents a major improvement on last term’s 14th-place finish.
Caixinha, whose team are unbeaten in six matches, was hired ahead of the current season having taken his first steps in South American football last year in Argentina with Talleres de Cordoba. The 52-year-old has enjoyed much of his career success in Latin America, with two spells in Mexico yielding trophies with both Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul.
Such has been the impressive nature of his work in Brazil, Caixinha has already been touted as a candidate for one of Brazil’s bigger jobs, including Palmeiras should countryman Abel Ferreira leave his role. Speaking to O Jogo, Caixinha admitted that he would be tempted by the prospect of coaching one of the grand names of Brazilian football.
Sousa on the move again
Paulo Sousa’s eight months in charge of Salernitana could certainly be described as mixed, after his departure was confirmed this week in the wake of a winless start to their Serie A campaign. In a short space of time, Sousa has gone from being praised for making the southerners one of the toughest teams in the league, to losing his job over a steep decline in performances.
Following Sousa’s first game in charge in February, the stats made grim reading for Salernitana: they had lost 8 of their last 10 matches in the Italian top flight and were in danger of facing a relegation battle. However, Sousa made the team a far more compact and resilient prospect, leading to eight matches without defeat – a club record.
Such an improvement in the team’s form led to speculation of a new contract for Sousa, while apparent interest from elsewhere added to his already high reputation in Italian football. Indeed, champions Napoli are believed to have held talks with Sousa during the summer and sporting director Danilo Iervolino feels the period was significant.
“In hindsight, maybe we should have made other choices in June, something went wrong after that period when there was an approach with another team,” Iervolino said. “From that moment on, something didn’t go well. But we do not hold a grudge, we want the good of Salernitana.”
Legendary Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi has been confirmed as Sousa’s replacement. Meanwhile, Sousa finds himself a free agent once more, with his latest short stint coming after Poland (11 months) and Flamengo (5 months) proved similarly brief.
By @SeanGillen9
