From The Times
April 14, 2008
Gabriele Marcotti
It was not long ago that, in terms of managers, Spain was in a similar situation to that of England today, where only one team in the Barclays Premier League’s top nine have an Englishman at the helm. Domestic coaching talent – for whatever reason – was either rare or underappreciated.
And so, from the 1980s, La Liga teams turned to a succession of foreign coaches, from about every corner of the globe: Wales (John Toshack), England (Sir Bobby Robson, Terry Venables), the Netherlands (Guus Hiddink, Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal), Italy (Fabio Capello, Arrigo Sacchi), Germany (Jupp Heynckes, Udo Lattek), the former Yugoslavia (Radomir Antic, Tomislav Ivic), Argentina (Jorge Valdano, Héctor Cúper, César Menotti), France (Luis Fernandez) and Brazil (Carlos Alberto Parreira). And this is not a complete list.
While every other leading European nation stuck to domestic managers, Spain sought out the best and brightest. Jobs were rare for Spanish coaches (as they seem now for their English counterparts). But it meant the Spanish game was exposed to various coaching styles, tactical visions and footballing philosophies. This diverse wealth of experience allowed La Liga to grow, to the point that, by the turn of the millennium, it was probably the best league in the world.
There was another effect. Having some of the sport’s finest managerial minds on their doorstep benefited a generation of Spanish coaches. The ideas that the foreigners brought allowed men such as Juande Ramos and Rafael BenÍtez to develop into the men they are today.
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English managers centre stage
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If those two are heading the Spanish coaching revival, Unai Emery and Marcelino GarcÍa Toral are close behind. Emery, 36, has two promotions under his belt (the first with Lorca, the second with AlmerÍa, his present club, whom he has steered to mid-table in La Liga). Marcelino worked wonders at unfancied Recreativo Huelva, guiding them into the top flight and then a top-ten finish last season. In the summer he joined Racing Santander, who have been a revelation, rising to fifth place.
Marcelino is not a tactical prophet peddling a previously unseen brand of football. Rather, he is a pragmatist who simply prepares better than his opponents and can find the right solution to any situation. “Modern football is strength, dynamism and pace,” he said. But those elements work only with organisation and it is no coincidence that he has a predilection for Sacchi’s legendary Milan team of the late 1980s, whom he describes as “the best organised team ever”.
This may be the common thread linking this new generation of Spaniards: an emphasis on organisation and structure over improvisation and individualism. It is quite a leap for La Liga, which has for years been hostage to tiki-taka, a style of play based on making your way to the back of the net through short passing and movement. It is the antithesis of route one and physicality and is part of the reason why Spain has produced a succession of very technically talented pint-sized midfield players: Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, heirs to Josep Guardiola and Ivan de la Peña.
Defenders of tiki-taka see themselves as purists and view men such as BenÍtez as apostates, unduly influenced by the pernicious forces of football in Italy (organisation), England (directness) and Germany (discipline). But, these foreign influences have allowed this new generation of Spanish coaches to come into their own. It may be early to call Spain the new frontier of coaching excellence, but the fact they can grow their own talented coaches, rather than import them, is a step in the right direction.
Given that, coaching-wise, the Premier League is not dissimilar to Spain circa 1994, you cannot help but wonder if a generation of quality English coaches will surface in the next ten to 15 years. We can only hope.
April 14, 2008
Gabriele Marcotti
It was not long ago that, in terms of managers, Spain was in a similar situation to that of England today, where only one team in the Barclays Premier League’s top nine have an Englishman at the helm. Domestic coaching talent – for whatever reason – was either rare or underappreciated.
And so, from the 1980s, La Liga teams turned to a succession of foreign coaches, from about every corner of the globe: Wales (John Toshack), England (Sir Bobby Robson, Terry Venables), the Netherlands (Guus Hiddink, Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal), Italy (Fabio Capello, Arrigo Sacchi), Germany (Jupp Heynckes, Udo Lattek), the former Yugoslavia (Radomir Antic, Tomislav Ivic), Argentina (Jorge Valdano, Héctor Cúper, César Menotti), France (Luis Fernandez) and Brazil (Carlos Alberto Parreira). And this is not a complete list.
While every other leading European nation stuck to domestic managers, Spain sought out the best and brightest. Jobs were rare for Spanish coaches (as they seem now for their English counterparts). But it meant the Spanish game was exposed to various coaching styles, tactical visions and footballing philosophies. This diverse wealth of experience allowed La Liga to grow, to the point that, by the turn of the millennium, it was probably the best league in the world.
There was another effect. Having some of the sport’s finest managerial minds on their doorstep benefited a generation of Spanish coaches. The ideas that the foreigners brought allowed men such as Juande Ramos and Rafael BenÍtez to develop into the men they are today.
RELATED LINKS
English managers centre stage
Foreign footballers' wives face English test
If those two are heading the Spanish coaching revival, Unai Emery and Marcelino GarcÍa Toral are close behind. Emery, 36, has two promotions under his belt (the first with Lorca, the second with AlmerÍa, his present club, whom he has steered to mid-table in La Liga). Marcelino worked wonders at unfancied Recreativo Huelva, guiding them into the top flight and then a top-ten finish last season. In the summer he joined Racing Santander, who have been a revelation, rising to fifth place.
Marcelino is not a tactical prophet peddling a previously unseen brand of football. Rather, he is a pragmatist who simply prepares better than his opponents and can find the right solution to any situation. “Modern football is strength, dynamism and pace,” he said. But those elements work only with organisation and it is no coincidence that he has a predilection for Sacchi’s legendary Milan team of the late 1980s, whom he describes as “the best organised team ever”.
This may be the common thread linking this new generation of Spaniards: an emphasis on organisation and structure over improvisation and individualism. It is quite a leap for La Liga, which has for years been hostage to tiki-taka, a style of play based on making your way to the back of the net through short passing and movement. It is the antithesis of route one and physicality and is part of the reason why Spain has produced a succession of very technically talented pint-sized midfield players: Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, heirs to Josep Guardiola and Ivan de la Peña.
Defenders of tiki-taka see themselves as purists and view men such as BenÍtez as apostates, unduly influenced by the pernicious forces of football in Italy (organisation), England (directness) and Germany (discipline). But, these foreign influences have allowed this new generation of Spanish coaches to come into their own. It may be early to call Spain the new frontier of coaching excellence, but the fact they can grow their own talented coaches, rather than import them, is a step in the right direction.
Given that, coaching-wise, the Premier League is not dissimilar to Spain circa 1994, you cannot help but wonder if a generation of quality English coaches will surface in the next ten to 15 years. We can only hope.
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