Last season had been a very good one, but João Henriques managed to achieve the biggest and hardest task of all on this one: keep the quality and the standards on the always difficult second year.
Açorianos didn’t even had that much of a good start: just 3 wins in the first 14 rounds. However, Açorianos made a fantastic start of the second half of the season that quickly left them on a safe mid-table position.
The best was however yet to come. After lockdown, Santa Clara made ‘Cidade do Futebol’ (just outside Lisboa) their new home to avoid plane trips. During that period, Santa Clara picked two excellent wins: 3-2 over Braga and a memorable 4-3 win at Luz, against former champions Benfica.
João Henriques continued last season’s mixed approach, a pragmatic attitude not neglecting ball-playing style whenever possible, constantly shifting from a 433 to a trademark diamond formation.
This time, Bruno Lamas and Schettine clearly had their minds elsewhere, so new names had to step up as references. Thiago Santana was in charge with goals while Lincoln was a good playmaker for the team.
There are rumours that Henriques may leave in this summer, and there’s something like an end-of-cycle feeling. The club’s major task will be to avoid any major rupture with these last two seasons and try to hold on to as many players and staff as possible.
