Cerezo Osaka’s Australian head coach Arthur Papas has been named the J1 League’s Manager of the Month for May.
Papas earned his first Manager of the Month award after losing just once in seven matches last month across all competitions.
The former Newcastle Jets head coach, who is in his first season with Cerezo where he has fellow Australians Ralph Napoli and Huss Skenderovic on his coaching staff, has the Osaka-based club eighth in the standings and just seven points adrift of second-placed Kashiwa Reysol through 21 games.
“It is a great honour for me to present the May Manager of the Month award on behalf of the club,” Papas said.
“For me, this award is a tribute to all the staff and players who have worked tirelessly over the past month and contributed greatly to the team’s progress, and I believe it is an award that we all earned together.”
Papas is no stranger to Japanese football as the 45-year-old was part of Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff when Yokohama F.Marinos reigned supreme in 2019.
Under Papas’ leadership, Cerezo have scored a league-high 32 goals.
“The players look like they are having fun. They played some interesting football. I hope they continue to play aggressive football,” said J.League Chairman Osamu Adachi following the Manager of the Month announcement.
Committee member Tomoaki Makino said: “They have maintained their good form by playing a style of football that is firmly in possession of titles and that is enjoyable for both the spectators and the players.”
Satoshi Hojo added: “The management has been brilliant, encouraging competition within the team by actively using young talent and bringing out a sense of dynamism.”
The JFA Technical Committee said: “It’s great that they have a good balance in using young players and are still getting results.”
