March 8, 2008 11:46 PM

SOURCE:
uefa.com

Discuss On Our Forums

Cajuda catches breath at Guimarães rise

When Manuel Cajuda was appointed Vitória SC coach not much more than a year ago, the Guimaraes club were on their uppers in the second tier of Portuguese football. On Sunday they take on Sporting Clube de Portugal as a serious rival to the Lisbon giants for a UEFA Champions League berth.

All-time high
Cajuda took the Guimarães job in December 2006, with the team having been relegated the previous summer and not looking the most likely candidates for a return to the top flight. But in Cajuda they had an experienced coach who had brought unexpected success to SC Braga, UD Leiria and CS Marítimo – and although early results were not promising, 34 points from their last 14 games earned promotion. That form continued through their first six matches of this campaign, leaving them in an all-time high of third place, a position they retain having never fallen below fifth. "Honestly, I didn't expect to be in this position," the 56-year-old Cajuda told uefa.com. "At the beginning of the season, our main goal was to finish somewhere around sixth place. We are managing to do that. We have risen to the challenge and even though we are feeling the pressure a lot right now, I believe we will be up to the task."

Relaxed
Holding a one-point advantage over fifth-placed Sporting as well as their Setubal-based namesake Vitória FC, Guimarães welcome the Leões on Sunday knowing victory would move them a step closer to securing one of Portugal's three UEFA Champions League spots. While Guimarães have been preparing calmly for the weekend showdown, Sporting are fresh from a tough 1-1 UEFA Cup draw at Bolton Wanderers FC on Thursday, which Cajuda thinks could be to his team's advantage. "I think serenity is one of our main weapons against Sporting," he said. "We have to be clever against such difficult opponents and I hope the damage caused by the European match in England could leave a dent on them."

Support
Among the fans at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, revamped for UEFA EURO 2004™, will be eight-year-old Gabriel Horta, who on Wednesday became the club's 29,000th member. That figure is beaten in Portugal only by the big three of Sporting, SL Benfica and FC Porto, with 17,000 regularly turning up for games. Horta hails from Cajuda's Algarve home town of Olhao, and the coach said: "There's a unique love for this club. Certainly, Guimarães would be an interesting sociological case study to find out the reasons why a city with a little more than 50,000 people manages to get so many supporters to the stadium. Vitória are indeed a special club. I have been coaching for many years but have never seen anything like this. I feel privileged to be here."