SHANGHAI: Haunted André Villas-Boas shouldered the blame after he failed to inspire big-spending Shanghai SIPG to silverware in his first season in China, with his future likely to be resolved this week.
The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager refused to say if he would stay on as coach of the Chinese Super League (CSL) club following Sunday’s FA Cup final defeat to rivals Shanghai Shenhua.
SIPG’s season ended in disappointment, with the team finishing second in the CSL and going out in the semifinals of the Asian Champions League.
Villas-Boas’ side, featuring €60 million (RM295 million) signing Oscar and fellow Brazilian star Hulk, won Sunday’s thrilling second leg 3-2 at home to Shenhua, but lost the tie 3-3 on away goals.
“Our ambition was to win trophies and we fell short of this,” Villas-Boas, who looked shell-shocked, said. “So I have to accept my responsibility and failure in this aspect.”