Juan Carlos Garrido: I want to win the CAF Champions League with Etoile du Sahel and unfazed by Al Alhy clash
Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel announced the appointment of Juan Carlos Garrido as their boss on Tuesday after the Spaniard signed a two-year deal with Etoile.
Few days ago, there were reports linking the arrival of Juan Carlo Garrido to Tunisian side Etoile Sportive du Sahel, where Garrido was tipped to replace Faouzi Benzarti as the manager for the Tunisian giants, official confirmation to this report came on Tuesday.
Benzarti was sacked based on poor performance with the Tunisian side haven won only a single game in five outings between July and September before he was later shown the exit door.
Bringing in Garrido as Benzartti’s replacement is a big step as Etoile prepare to make good impact in the Tunisian League this season, and to remain one of the power houses in the CAF Champions League- a tournament they have shown remarkable performances in the last 3 years, reaching the semifinals in 2017 and quarter-final of the 2018 CAF Champions League.
However, the Sousse based club missed a sport in the 2019 Champions League, and this season, things haven’t run smooth for Etoile in the ongoing CAF tournament despite reaching the group stages of this year’s competition.
Reaching the knockouts of this year’s tournament before the arrival of Garrido was always going to be impossible for Etoile but the appointment of the master tactician somehow has boosted Etoile’s chances if not winning the Champions League at least reaching the semifinals of the competition can be guaranteed.
It is understood that CAF Champions League performance was a reason for the appointment of the former Al Ahly manager, and Juan Carlo Garrido was smart to prioritize his main objective of joining Etoile to winning the 2019-2020 Champions League for the Tunisian side.
“My main objective is the CAF Champions League title, and it’s the same for the players. This is not an easy group we are facing so we don’t have to underestimate any teams” Garrido highlighted during his introduction to the media on Tuesday.
‘However, we are aware that we are amongst the best teams so we want to start the CAF Champions League journey on a positive note”, he added.
Champions League triumph is Grrido’s on.1 target after joining the 2007 CAF Champions League winners, Etoile’s history, huge supporters and passion of players are other important reasons for the Spaniard’s coming to Etoile.
“I’m glad to be working with Etoile du Sahel. The club has a great history and a big fanbase “ Garrido said in the press conference held in Sousse to introduce the new staff.
“The way this team plays and the passion that drives its players is the main reason I’m here.” he added.
Garrido would be in the helm of affairs for Etoile in the Tunisian Premier League this weekend before he faces his former employers Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League group stages some days later.
Despite Etoile’s opener in the Champions League against Al Ahly being a difficult one, Garrido is not bothered by the awaiting clash and has simply described the clash as “not decisive”.
“Ahly’s clash will be so important but not decisive. “The Egyptian side is a good team but the game’s result will not be decisive as it’s makes only one part of six group stage games”, he highlighted during his Tuesday press conference.
“My target is to build a new team capable of challenging in all competitions”, said Garrido.
The Spaniard would have to come out from a difficult group of Al Ahly, Al Hilal and Platinum form Zambia before he comes close to winning the 2019-2020 CAF Champions League.
