When Bruno Lage was sacked by Wolverhampton Wanderers in October 2022, it seemed clear he’d wait for a very good opportunity before taking a new job.
Most managers who reach the Premier League try to keep themselves there, but the Portuguese coach apparently didn’t get many offers to stay in the English top tier.
So when Botafogo came for him in July this year, it seemed like a great scenario. The club had just lost their manager Luis Castro to Saudi Arabia, as he went there to work with Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lage took charge with them standing on top of the league table… 12 points clear from the second place.
It never seemed like the Rio de Janeiro side could lose that title, especially with the former Wolves boss coming with all his Premier League experience.
But things haven’t been great for him.
In the Brazilian league, which really matters, he’s struggled a lot. In his first six games, he managed to get three wins and three draws, which kept Botafogo safely in the lead. In the past four games, there were three losses and one draw.
This draw was at home, against Goiás, who are in the relegation zone. Lage took too long to bring their star Tiquinho Soares to the pitch, and that was seen as a big mistake, especially because it was him who ended up scoring the equaliser.
That was the end of the line for him.
Botafogo fans chanted the coach was ‘dumb’ at the end of the game, and the club announced his departure on Tuesday evening. They still stand on top of the table and are seven points clear, but they obviously fear that the manager could have cost them such an important title.
Lage should now remember his Wolves days well, because with this bad experience, it’s hard to imagine him returning to the Premier League soon.
