Bruno Lage has been appointed head coach of Benfica, signing a two-year contract at the Estádio da Luz.
The 48-year-old returns to the club he led to the championship in 2018/19, replacing Roger Schmidt who was sacked following the 1-1 draw against Moreirense last week. Tom Kundert reports from the Portuguese capital.
After several years coaching Benfica’s youth teams and B-team, Lage was appointed manager of Benfica’s senior team in January 2019, replacing Rui Vitória. He had an immediate and spectacular impact. Benfica recovered a 7-point deficit to FC Porto to win the league in style scoring goals galore.
Lage set up his team in a 4-4-2 with João Félix playing off Haris Seferovic. The Portuguese teenager was outstanding and was sold to Atletico Madrid for €126 million at the end of the season. Lage took full advantage of his in-depth knowledge of the talent in the youth ranks, with João Félix, Florentino Luís, Ferro and Gedson Fernandes all playing key roles in the championship triumph. As a curiosity, Florentino is the only player from that Benfica team who remains in the squad today.
It seemed Lage could do no wrong, and the next season kicked off with a 5-0 thumping of Sporting in the Algarve to lift the Super Cup. But that was as good as it got.
Lage’s second season at Benfica went badly wrong. In a reverse mirror image of his debut season, the coach saw his team fritter away a 7-point lead as FC Porto overtook their great rivals to win the 2019/20 championship. A horrendous run of form in which Benfica won just two of their final 13 matches made it inevitable that Lage could not continue, the coach resigning after a 2-0 defeat against Marítimo in Madeira.
Related: Roger Schmidt sacked by Benfica
Lage next landed a job in the English Premier League, taking over at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where his agent Jorge Mendes has a strong influence.
The move took many by surprise but Lage justified his appointment with an excellent first season at the Midlands club, finishing in the top half of the table, five points short of qualification for the UEFA Conference League.
However, like at Benfica, Lage followed up a good first season with a poor one. Stretching over the two campaigns, Lage’s Wolves won just one of his last 15 matches in charge, and he was relieved of his duties at Molineux with the team in the relegation zone.
Lage’s next adventure was at Botafogo in Brazil, the coach taking over from compatriot Luís Castro with the Rio de Janeiro club top of the standings. Lage’s time in Brazil was a brief and hapless one, the manager lasting less than three months in the job. He was sacked in October last year after 15 games in charge. He has been out of work since.
Lage returns to Benfica looking to rebuild his reputation. He proved himself capable of creating successful and enterprising teams in his first year both at Benfica and at Wolves, but at both clubs he was unable to turn it around when things started going south.
Which Bruno Lage will we witness in the Portuguese capital in 2024/25?
The answer to that question will be crucial for his managerial career and also for the future of Benfica president Rui Costa. A legendary Seleção player and Benfica icon, Costa has been subject to fierce criticism in recent months, mainly for keeping hold of Roger Schmidt when it was obvious he was past his sell-by date, on top of a wildly erratic transfer policy.
Benfica are five points behind leaders Sporting but only four matches of the 34-game season have been played and the squad is packed with high-quality players in practically every position. With Lage coming off two sackings and Costa under fire, the duo will be desperate to get things right and change perceptions of them.
Bruno Lage’s coaching team: Luís Nascimento, Carlos Cachada, Ricardo Rocha (assistants), Alexandre Silva (physio), Nuno Santos (goalkeeper coach), Jhony Conceição (analyst), Diogo Camacho (analyst).
