Cerezo Osaka manager Levir Culpi believes his team is capable of challenging for the J. League title this season, but the Brazilian wishes former protege and current Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa was still around to help him.
Culpi returned to Cerezo for a third stint midway through last year's campaign, rejoining the club just eight months after stepping down when replacement Sergio Soares' brief tenure ended in dismissal. Cerezo's season began promisingly enough before descending into a relegation dogfight, and even Culpi's return was not enough to prompt a change in fortunes with survival remaining elusive until the final day.
With the 59-year-old now firmly back in the saddle, however, confidence is running high ahead of Saturday's J. League opener at home to Albirex Niigata. Culpi admits his decision to answer Cerezo's SOS last August could easily have backfired, but having spent the previous five years at the club, familiarity gave him a natural advantage.