Mazola Júnior at Paysandu: a look at his latest debuts | OneFootball

Mazola Júnior is back at Paysandu for another attempt to lead the club to promotion to Série B of the Brazilian Championship. Announced this week, the coach took charge of the team in the final stretch of the Série C quadrangular phase, after Júnior Rocha’s departure.

This is the coach’s second spell at Curuzu, where he had already worked in 2014 and achieved promotion to the second division. Before returning to Paysandu, Mazola Júnior had stints with several different clubs in Brazilian football.

Among his most recent spells are Ituano, Grêmio Novorizontino, Portuguesa, Náutico, and Confiança. His debut performances, however, paint a different picture from the one built over the course of some of those jobs.

In his first five matches with those clubs, Mazola Júnior failed to win. There were two draws and three defeats, with two points earned out of a possible 15, equivalent to a 13.3% success rate.

Ituano: goalless draw

Mazola Júnior’s second spell at Ituano began in June 2021. The coach was hired to replace Vinicius Bergantin, who left the club after two defeats in the first two rounds of Série C.

His debut came against São José-RS, away from home, in the third round of the competition. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, a result that marked the coach’s first point on his return to the club.

The run that followed, however, was completely different. Mazola Júnior led Ituano on a surge in Série C and finished the competition with the national title and promotion to Série B. In that campaign, there were 14 wins, eight draws, and only two defeats in 24 matches.

Grêmio Novorizontino: defeat in São Luís

His spell at Grêmio Novorizontino began in September 2022. Mazola Júnior was hired to take over the team in the final stretch of Série B, and his first assignment was a clash against Sampaio Corrêa in Maranhão.

Novorizontino opened the scoring through Ronald, but conceded a comeback and lost 2-1 to Sampaio Corrêa. Mazola Júnior managed the club in nine Série B matches, recording three wins, two draws, and four defeats.

Portuguesa: defeat in the Campeonato Paulista

After Novorizontino, Mazola Júnior took over Portuguesa for the 2023 Campeonato Paulista. The spell, however, was short: the coach managed the team in only five matches before being dismissed.

His debut came against Botafogo-SP at Canindé, ending in a 2-0 defeat. By the end of his spell, Mazola Júnior had managed Portuguesa in five matches, totaling one win, one draw, and three defeats before leaving the club.

Náutico: draw in a derby

In April 2024, Mazola Júnior was hired by Náutico to replace Allan Aal. The coach arrived on the eve of the second leg of the Campeonato Pernambucano final, after the red-and-white side’s 2-0 defeat in the first match.

His debut was against Sport, at Arena de Pernambuco, and ended 0-0, a result that confirmed the state title for their rival. At Náutico, Mazola Júnior managed nine matches, with two wins, three draws, and four defeats, a 33.3% success rate.

Confiança: defeat to CSA

Shortly after leaving Náutico, Mazola Júnior took over at Confiança. The coach was announced in June 2024 for the remainder of the Série C campaign, a competition in which he had already built an important part of his career.

In his debut, Confiança hosted CSA and lost 1-0, Mazola Júnior’s third defeat in five first matches with clubs. In Sergipe, for example, the coach managed 11 matches before leaving the post in October.

The record stands at a 13.3% success rate, with two points out of 15. At Ituano, however, Mazola Júnior started with a draw and then led the club to the Série C title in the Brazilian Championship and promotion to Série B.

Now, on his return to Paysandu, Mazola Júnior will have another debut to add to his career. The challenge will be to try to repeat the promotion achieved in 2014 and change the recent record in his first matches with clubs.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.