Carvalhal returns to Sporting Braga without fear and with an open chest

Carlos Carvalhal said this Wednesday that it took him a few minutes to accept his return to the technical team of the Sporting de Braga football team, and said that he looks at the situation from a “positive side” and with an “open chest”.

Two years later, Carlos Carvalhal is back as coach of Sporting Braga, replacing Daniel Sousa after the unexpected departure of former coach Arouca after the home draw with Estrela da Amadora (1-1) in the first round of the championship, on Sunday.

“If I was afraid that I would not come here, I have courage. In football, we have already faced difficult situations, such as lack of organization and financial difficulties, in clubs that were forced to win. We have all lived through this and we are ready for everything. We are open to everyone. I look at it from a positive side. The contract is for two years, not three days. [quinta-feira]” he said at a press conference dedicated to the trip to the Servetta stadium during the return match of the third qualifying round of the Europa League, which was attended by Arsenal president Antonio Salvador.

In his third spell at the club, Minho, after half a season in 2006-07, as well as the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, said he was “very happy” to “come home”.

“I feel like I never left here, this is my club. I am very happy to be with these players, this administration, these fans and even the journalists. I have been very well received since I arrived – and that is why I did not have a presentation, because it is time to work and talk less – time to roll up my sleeves and go to training,” he said.

Carvalhal said he woke up on Monday to a message from the president sent on Sunday evening, after the 1-1 home draw with Estrela da Amadora in their league debut, inviting him to a meeting.

“[Mas] “I go to bed early and only see it in the morning. On Monday he invited me, set the conditions, and I agreed in two or three minutes,” he said.

The coach confirmed that “the motivation is very high”: “Sporting Braga is my club. I helped them win the Portuguese Cup, became my “champion”, and that says it all. Winning here has 10 times more value than in other clubs.”

Refusing to be pressured by the circumstances surrounding his return, Carlos Carvalhal says he wants to leave his “mark”, especially as the “pressure” on the club is “enormous, but in a positive sense – going down a division is much worse.”

Carlos Carvalhal also noted that “the club has developed in a frightening way, it has world-class capabilities.”

“I know many of them and have seen one or two better or at the same level. The big difference is that in these two years I have become a grandfather,” he said.