Bahia fans’ wait for the new coach lasted just two days. Rogério Ceni agreed with Tricolor, and will lead the Bahian team until the end of 2024, and will take over in the Brazilian Championship in place of Renato Paiva, who resigned from command of the Squadron last Wednesday (6).
Fired from São Paulo in April this year, Rogério Ceni arrives to take over his 5th club in his career. His most notable spell took place at Fortaleza, a club where he won the Copa do Nordeste in 2019, the Brazilian Championship Series B in 2018, and the two-time Cearense Championship in 2019 and 2020.
In addition to his good time at Tricolor de Aço, Rogério Ceni played for Flamengo, a club for which he won three important titles: the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2020, the Supercopa do Brasil and the Campeonato Carioca in 2021.
With the announcement of Bahia’s agreement with the new coach, social networks arose with many comments from Esquadrão fans, most of them praising Ceni’s trajectory, and wishing luck to the commander, whose mission will be to rid the team of risk of relegation in Series A in 2023.
luck to the greatest of all
Bahia fans can rest assured that he will save the team. There’s a 9 who provides support, a strong winger and the other who provides dribbling and incision, both fast. First steering wheel with 1.86. Defenders with good impulsion. Everything he always liked. They don’t fall.
—dudin (@duzin_01) September 8, 2023
Ceni is good. A place in the Copa Sulamericana 2024 is guaranteed.
— Alexsander Silva (@Alexsandercrvg) September 8, 2023
Ceni is good. A place in the Copa Sulamericana 2024 is guaranteed.
— Alexsander Silva (@Alexsandercrvg) September 8, 2023
Bahia fans celebrate agreement with Rogério Ceni on social media
Bahia’s situation in the Brazilian Championship is not the most comfortable. Tricolor de Aço is in 16th place, with 22 points, just one ahead of Santos, which is currently the 1st team within the relegation zone.
Without winning for two rounds in the Brasileirão, Bahia needs to score in the next games to get rid of the risk of being relegated, and for Tricolor fans, the choice of Rogério Ceni was correct, as the coach has experience in other teams , and can use his knowledge to make the Bahian team grow and reach Serie A.
Another point mentioned by Bahia fans on Twitter this morning is that if Tricolor manages to escape relegation in 2023, and remain in a safe position for next season, the expectation is that the club, in the long term, can become a powerhouse on the national scene, given the investment power of the City Group, which manages the club’s SAF.
Great hit from Bahia. For Ceni, it’s better than insisting on waiting for Flamengo to participate in this Bahia project, which is full of money, but football is missing on the field. The Northeast has great projects, just believe what happens in Fortaleza.
— Saulo Queiroz (@sauloqueirozde1) September 8, 2023
Even though the Bahia is close to the Z4, I think the Ceni is a good choice.
The team has potential for improvement and belongs to the City group. It can be a gateway to a long-awaited career abroad.— SPFC London (@SPFCLondres) September 8, 2023
Remember Rogério Ceni’s last job as a coach
Rogério Ceni’s last stint was coaching São Paulo, the club that designed him for football, and which is an idol, considered by many to be the greatest player to ever wear the Tricolor Paulista shirt. Between 2021 and 2022, the commander coached the team in 107 games, achieving 50 wins, 29 draws and 28 defeats.
As a greatest achievement, Rogério Ceni managed to reach the final of the Copa Sudamericana in 2022, being defeated by Independiente Del Vale 2 x 0 in the decision and finishing runner-up in the continental competition.
This season, Ceni managed to reach the quarterfinals of the Campeonato Paulista, and was eliminated by Água Santa, on penalties, after a goalless draw in normal time. The coach ended up suffering from a lack of players in the Tricolor squad due to the outbreak of injuries that affected the team at the beginning of 2023, and had his departure confirmed after the game against Puerto Cabello from Venezuela, in the group stage of the Copa Sul. Americana this year.
The atmosphere in the locker room was not the best between Ceni and part of the squad, which would have supported the São Paulo board of directors to opt for a change of technical command in the middle of the season.
The trigger for Ceni’s troubled relationship with the Tricolor players happened after the coach charged striker Marcos Paulo more incisively in front of his teammates after their elimination in the Campeonato Paulista, the situation was taken with indignation by the squad’s leaders to São Paulo board at the time.
What will be Bahia’s next match in the Brazilian Championship?
Bahia takes advantage of the FIFA break to prepare for the direct confrontation ahead in the fight against relegation in the Brazilian Championship. Next Thursday, the Squadron will face Coritiba, at 8pm (Brasília time), at the Couto Pereira Stadium, in the capital of Paraná.
If they win, the Bahian team will reach 25 points, and could overtake Goiás, who will face Palmeiras, away from home. The Esmeraldino game takes place one day later, on Friday (15), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time).
Bahia next games
Coritiba x Bahia, Brasileirão Série A, Curitiba-PR – September 14 (Thursday), 7 pm (Brasília time);
Bahia x Santos, Brasileirão Série A, Salvador-BA – September 18 (Monday), 8 pm (Brasília time);
Flamengo x Bahia, Brasileirão Série A, Rio de Janeiro – RJ – September 30 (Saturday), time to be confirmed.
