Former Latvian national team and FK Jelgava manager Dainis Kazakevičs has been formally announced as the new head coach of FA Šiauliai.
The announcement of appointment of the new coach was made by the club on their official media yesterday in the evening. Former Latvian national team manager Dainis Kazakevičs, who had previously been acknowledged to be in the running for the role, will be taking over the reigns at Šiauliai. The northern Lithuanian club, who are locally known for their emphasis on youth development and long-term strategy, were in the market for a new manager since their previous manager of four years, Mindaugas Čepas, resigned back in November.
The Latvian specialist, also known for his work with youth development, both at the Jelgava academy and with the Latvian Football Federation, was out of work since the start of the year, when he was replaced at the helm of the Latvian national team by Italian Paolo Nicolato. In various interviews on his future since then, Kazakevičs reiterated that he will only consider offers from clubs that not only work to his strengths but also are willing to work with a long-term approach.
Commenting on his appointment to the club media during the first training session, the new coach had this to say:
First of all, I would like to thank you very much for your trust. I am very serious about getting to work and I am glad that serious goals are set for the coming season. I think Šiauliai is a football city with a club with a clear philosophy. Personally, I really like the idea of supporting local players, so I am fully determined to maintain the Lithuanian identity in the team. On Thursday, we had an introductory training session with the youth of the team. I wanted to see everyone, get to know each other and show my trust in each of them. We are fully prepared to support and develop young players, because there are already really great footballers who can play in the highest division of the country. We will work hard and try to squeeze out the maximum in the coming season
At Šiauliai, Kazakevičs will be re-uniting with another Latvian – striker Dāvis Ikaunieks – who played under him in the national team for a number of years, and will be joined by assistant coach from his national team tenure, Jurģis Pučinskis.
Source: https://siauliufa.lt/fa-siauliai-vaira-pereme-buves-nacionalines-latvijos-vyru-rinktines-treneris/