Sao Paulo : Palmeiras have appointed Dorival Junior as their new coach following the sacking of Argentine Ricardo Gareca.
The 52-year-old will be tied to the eight-time Brazilian champions until at least June next year, Xinhua cited from a statement by the Palmeiras Wednesday.
“First of all, I want to identify any problems that could have affected the team’s performance,” Dorival, who played with Palmeiras from 1989 to 1992, said during a press conference.
“After that we will work as a team to get the best out of the players. If everybody can improve just a little the team will gain a lot.”
Former Argentina international striker Gareca was sacked Monday after less than four months in the job.
The decision followed Palmeiras’ 0-1 loss to Internacional Saturday, a result that left them 16th in Brazil’s Serie A standings.
Palmeiras returned to Brazil’s top flight this year after being relegated for only the second time in their history in 2012.
The club’s next match is Saturday’s away trip to Atletico Paranaense.