Lars Friis

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Lars Friis

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|5|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Feldborg, Denmark

| height =

| position =

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Feldborg/Haderup IF

| youthyears2 =

| youthclubs2 = Aulum IF

| youthyears3 =

| youthclubs3 = Ikast FS

| years1 = {{0|0000}}–1999

| clubs1 = Feldborg/Haderup IF

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| manageryears1 = 2021–2022

| managerclubs1 = Viborg

| manageryears2 = 2022

| managerclubs2 = AaB

| manageryears3 = 2024–2025

| managerclubs3 = Sparta Prague

}}

Lars Friis (born 7 May 1976) is a Danish football manager.

Playing career

Lars Friis was born on 7 May 1976 in Feldborg, Denmark. He started playing youth football for local club, Feldborg-Haderup IF. Known for his technical ability and dedication, he often played as a centre-back or midfielder, despite not being particularly fast or physically imposing.{{cite news |last1=Hansen |first1=Jørgen |title=Superligatræneren fra Feldborg |url=https://www.dtunet.dk/superligatraeneren-fra-feldborg/ |access-date=19 September 2024 |work=Dansk Træner Union |date=20 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303122752/https://www.dtunet.dk/superligatraeneren-fra-feldborg/ |archive-date=3 March 2024 |language=da-DK}}

After a year at a nearby efterskole, where he played for Aulum IF, Friis joined Ikast FS, competing at the top youth levels before the formation of Midtjylland.

He later returned to FHIF to start his senior career but was forced to retire at age 23 due to a cruciate ligament injury.

Coaching career

Friis began his coaching career in 1999 at Midtjylland, where he was until 2015, when he also left the club shortly after Glen Riddersholm's departure.{{cite web|url=https://www.bold.dk/fodbold/nyheder/fcm-assistent-stopper-ved-aarsskiftet/|title=FCM assistant stops at the turn of the year|language=da|website=bold.dk|date=26 July 2015}} Soon after, he accompanied Riddersholm to AGF as an assistant. In the spring of 2018, he was offered to join Brentford as a development coach,

{{cite web|last=Tøfting|first=Nicolai|url=https://www.bold.dk/fodbold/nyheder/lars-friis-er-ny-udviklingstraener-i-brentford/|title=Lars Friis is the new development coach at Brentford|language=da|date=3 January 2018|website=bold.dk}} but after a year he returned to AGF as an assistant, now for David Nielsen.{{cite web|last=Schmidt|first=Martin|url=https://www.bold.dk/fodbold/nyheder/agf-henter-lars-friis-hjem-som-assistent/|title=AGF brings Lars Friis home as an assistant|language=da|website=bold.dk|date=24 July 2019}}

Managerial career

In January 2021, he took up his first head coaching position when he joined Viborg.{{cite web|url=https://www.vff.dk/nyhed/sport/12275-lars-friis-er-ny-cheftraener-i-vff/|title=Lars Friis is the new head coach of VFF|language=da|website=Viborg FF|date=16 January 2021}}

In January 2022 he was signed by AaB, but was unable to get out of his contract until compensation was paid to Viborg by AaB. He officially became AaB manager on 9 March 2022.{{cite web|last=Nelausen|first=Raymund|url=https://www.bold.dk/fodbold/nyheder/aab-bekraefter-lars-friis-starter-onsdag/|title=AaB bekræfter: Lars Friis starter onsdag|language=da|website=bold.dk|date=8 March 2022}} Following a poor start to the 2022–23 Danish Superliga season Friis was sacked by AaB on 15 September 2022.{{cite web|last=Margren|first=Sara|url=https://bold.dk/fodbold/nyheder/bombe-aab-fyrer-lars-friis/|title=Bombe: AaB fyrer Lars Friis|language=da|date=15 September 2022|website=bold.dk}} On 16 December 2022, Friis was hired as an assistant coach to Sparta Prague manager Brian Priske.{{cite web|title=Sparta má nového asistenta. Přináší lidský aspekt, vítá ho Priske|url=https://isport.blesk.cz/clanek/fotbal-1-liga-rocnik-2022-23/424499/sparta-ma-noveho-asistenta-prinasi-lidsky-aspekt-vita-ho-priske.html|access-date=16 December 2022|language=cs|website=Blesk|publisher=Czech News Center|agency=Czech News Agency}} On 12 June 2024, Friis was appointed as the manager of Sparta Prague, replacing Priske, who became the manager of Feyenoord.{{cite news|last=Lizec|first=Jiří|title=Potvrzeno. Priske míří do Feyenoordu. Spartu přebírá osvědčené jméno|url=https://www.sport.cz/clanek/fotbal-ceska-1-liga-potvrzeno-priske-miri-do-feyenoordu-spartu-prebira-friis-5030034|access-date=12 June 2024|language=cs|website=Sport.cz|publisher=Borgis|date=12 June 2024}} On 15 May 2025, one day after a 1–3 loss in the Czech Cup final against Sigma Olomouc, Friis was sacked as head coach with team on the 4th place in the league table and four losses in a row.{{cite web|first=Jiří|last=Čihák|url=https://www.idnes.cz/fotbal/prvni-liga/friis-ve-sparte-konci-tym-do-konce-sezony-povede-loucka-trener-druholigove-rezervy.A250515_115155_fotbal_jic|title=Friis ve Spartě skončil, tým přebírá Loučka. Nemohli jsme už dál čekat, zní z klubu|language=cs|date=15 May 2025|access-date=15 May 2025|newspaper=Mladá fronta Dnes|publisher=Mafra}}

Managerial statistics

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" \|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
rowspan="2"\|Team !rowspan="2"\|Nat !rowspan="2"\|From !rowspan="2"\|To !colspan="8"\|Record
{{Tooltip\|G\|Games managed}} !{{Tooltip\|W\|Games won}} !{{Tooltip\|D\|Games drawn}} !{{Tooltip\|L\|Games lost}} !{{Tooltip\|GF\|Goals for}} !{{Tooltip\|GA\|Goals against}} !{{Tooltip\|GD\|Goal difference}} !{{Tooltip\|Win %\|Winning percentage}}
align="left" \|Viborg \|{{Flagicon\|Denmark}} \|align=left\|16 January 2021 \|align=left\|8 March 2022 {{WDL\|34\|17\|10\|7\|for=65\|against=37\|diff=yes}}
align="left" \|AaB \|{{Flagicon\|Denmark}} \|align=left\|9 March 2022 \|align=left\|15 September 2022 {{WDL\|22\|6\|4\|12\|for=27\|against=36\|diff=yes}}
align="left" \|Sparta Prague \|{{Flagicon\|Czech Republic}} \|align=left\|1 July 2024 \|align=left\|15 May 2025 {{WDL\|51\|28\|7\|16\|for=89\|against=70\|diff=yes}}
colspan=4 \| Total {{WDLtot\|107\|51\|21\|35\|for=181\|against=143\|diff=yes}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+ Managerial record by team and tenure

rowspan="2"|Team

!rowspan="2"|Nat

!rowspan="2"|From

!rowspan="2"|To

!colspan="8"|Record

!{{Tooltip|W|Games won}}

!{{Tooltip|D|Games drawn}}

!{{Tooltip|L|Games lost}}

!{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}}

!{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}}