Football Season Guide

Vitoria de Guimaraes

In


Ivo Vieira (coach) Moreirense; Jonathan (gk) Moreirense; V. Bondarenko (def) Shakthar, UKR; Lucas Soares (def) Alverca; Victor Garcia (def) Famalicão – return from loan; Edmond Tapsoba (def) youth system; Romain Correia (def) youth system; Ibrahim Touré (mid) Cordoba, SPA; Mikel Agu (mid) Porto/Setúbal; Al Musrati (mid) Youth System; João Pedro (att) Trofense; André Pereira (att) Porto – on loan

Out


Luís Castro (coach) Shakthar, UKR; Yordan Osorio (r)(def) Porto – return from loan; João Afonso (sp)(def) Santa Clara; Tozé (k)(mid) Al Nasr, UAE; Mattheus (r)(mid) Sporting – return from loan

After a couple of shaky moments in the first half of the past season, Guimarães got back to a decent place that got them access to European spots. All in all, the supporters expected more. There will be a few changes for the new season, starting right on the dugout. Luís Castro accepted a tempting offer from Shakthar Donetsk and the club signed with Ivo Vieira, who did an amazing job at Moreirense. Solid defender Osorio and playmakers Mattheus and Tozé left the club, but the new signings seem to be more promising. There are high expectations surrounding striker André Pereira, on loan from Porto. More important than the transfer moves will surely be the medical department actions. Recovering Jhonathan, André André, Wakaso, Aziz and Ola John while keeping Amoah away from injuries will be absolutely vital. Ivo Vieira looked very promising at the helm of close neighbours Moreirense, and seems the ideal man to drive Guimarães to a more successful season. The squad seems more balanced than last year. There are many players that are known for spending a lot of time on the medical department. There’s the fear that injuries may hurt the performance on the long term.

Target


Defeating their arch-rivals Braga both on the pitch and on the table would be a dream this season. More realistic goal would be to set up the 5th place as the aim. However, fans will demand more consistency over the season.