Cercle Brugge have made a managerial change, sacking Lars Friis on Saturday. The Jupiler Pro League club have appointed 55-year-old Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha as his successor, the club confirmed.
The decision follows a difficult start to the season which sees Cercle Brugge sitting 17th with just six points from ten matches. Technical director Luciano Murchio commented on Friis's departure. "We want to sincerely thank Lars for his commitment and professionalism over the past months," Murchio said.
New coach with international experience
Pedro Caixinha has signed a contract running until the end of this season, with an option for an additional year. The coach has extensive experience in countries including Portugal, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Scotland. Murchio expects a quick turnaround. "We expect Pedro to have a positive impact on the team in the short term and help us reverse the current sporting situation."
The change comes despite the team's first league win of the season, a 2-1 victory over Antwerp last Saturday. T. Akinsola scored twice in that match. The win could not hide the overall trend: the team has scored thirteen goals and conceded twenty-two, a negative goal difference of nine.
Recent results, available on our fixtures page, show an inconsistent pattern with two wins and two defeats in the last four games. After beating Antwerp and losing to Union SG, Cercle also defeated Sporting Hasselt but lost to Anderlecht.
New coach Caixinha inherits a side that is twenty-one points behind leaders Club Brugge. His first task is the away match against RAAL La Louvière this Saturday. That opponent sits 16th in the standings, just above Cercle Brugge. The club hopes the arrival of a coach with international experience will contribute to much-needed stability and development.
The report in full is at sporza.be
