Spanish La Liga 2009-2010 managers list

Here you go the 2009-2010 season managers list for Spanish La Liga….

Almeria: Hugo Sanchez (Mexico :: July 11, 1958 :: since 2008)

Athletic Bilbao: Joaquín Caparrós (Spain :: October 13, 1955 :: since 2007)

Atlético Madrid: Abel Resino (Spain :: February 2, 1960 :: since February 2009)

Barcelona: Josep Guardiola (Spain :: January 18, 1971 :: since June 2008)

Deportivo: Miguel Ángel Lotina (Spain :: June 18, 1957 :: since 2007-08 season)

Congratulation for this season winners

So 2008-09 season is over today and I would like to congratulate and applaud this season winners……

 

England:

• English Premier League title: Alex Ferguson (Scotland) with Manchester United
• FA Cup title: Guus Hiddink (Holland) with Chelsea
• Carling Cup title: Alex Ferguson (Scotland) with Manchester United
• Community Shield title: Alex Ferguson (Scotland) with Manchester United

Guardiola enter the Elite club

Dream Team architecture

Josep Guardiola won the treble with Barcelona (La Liga – Copa del Rey – Champions League), also he is the sixth man to won the Champions League as a player and a coach another great milestone to be added for Pep Guardiola wonderful debut season as a senior coach.

For sure Pep’s team already leveled or even surpass Cruyff Dream Team (1990-94). Again Congratulation Pep Guardiola and below the list of the people who won the Champions League as player and coach:

Guardiola before the Champions League

writing history with golden letters?

Here I’m talking only about the coach Guardiola, his first year as senior coach was a huge success, winning La Liga and Copa del Rey with style promoting sensational football displays making Barcelona a goal machine (they scored about 156 goals through the season), now being in the Champions League final is another big accomplishment for a coach in his debut season.

If you compare Barcelona XI squad by the end of 200-7-08 season and this season there is one change which is Zambrotta gone and Dani Alves come instead, here we can see the great work done by Guardiola he install back the spirit, discipline, commitment, and passion in the Catalan squad.

Guardiola kept using 4-3-3 formation but his work was on the positioning of the player and the passing abilities they acquired.

According to the statistics of Champions League Barcelona rate of pass completion is 87.2% the best for sure, this show Barcelona passing brilliance while their players positioning brilliance is how they pressure their opponents the moment they lost ball possession the likes of Eto’o, Henry…etc became the first defender. Barcelona monopolize ball possession, and terrifying their opponents with their attacking prodigy which give the opponent team one choice of two, either playing open game and be ready for the bad consequences like demolition lost (6-0 or 5-0) or playing ultra defense like Chelsea did in the Champions League or Real Madrid in the first Clasico back in December 2008.

In the both cases you can never guarantee the outcome, Real Madrid lost 2-0 while Chelsea couldn’t seize the opportunity the had and eliminated (not to mention the referring errors against Chelsea) by resistant Barcelona.

But there is an important point differentiates Manchester United from Real Madrid and Chelsea that United is stronger and they have the counter attack tools to capitalize on Barcelona weaknesses.

Another point about Pep Guardiola I might questioning his ability to make changes in tactics to change the game direction, for example in Chelsea first game in Camp Nou he didn’t or he couldn’t change their way or approach of play to crack Chelsea defense they kept attacking in the same style. On the other hand I admire Guardiola way to confuse Real Madrid and Juande Ramos in El Clasico at Madrid this May (2-6 for Barcelona, Pep change Messi position from the right flank to the middle of the park and combined well with Iniesta and Xavi to humiliate Real Madrid with master piece performance.

The bottom line even if Barcelona lose the final this season will be historical for Guardiola, also suspensions and injuries block Guardiola to have full squad maybe this is the time to depend on Hleb, Caceres, and Gudjohonsen (even it is late a bit little).

This season we saw Barcelona football brand that make the whole world talk about it and admire it, the first one to thank is Guardiola who brought it back and thanks also for the total football philosophy inherited by Dutch due Rinus Michels and Cruyff.

Football Coaches or Managers and Leadership

 

So I’m a management student (B.S in Business & Management) and I love this field so much, and can’t help it not relating it to football managers or coaches.

The rule of coach or manager in Football (Soccer) differentiate for example in England the coach is a football coach and manager they have more responsibilities and more influence like players contracts and transfers and the holistic view from a football perspective this privileges in Spain and Italy doesn’t exist only on few cases.

I always see the coach or manager as a leader, during college I took Leadership course in that course we learnt that there are types of leaders (some leaders are heroes or teachers or rulers).

Alex Ferguson is a Ruler leader he don’t hesitate to kick any one out of his team (Nistelrooy – Kean – Hienze – Beckham) what ever their stalwart status for the team or for the fans because he is the master of this team no one should undermine his authority while Arsene Wenger is a Teacher for sure when we look his influence on his students (players) you can tell his role to educate his players with football basics and install his football view and methodology (Cesc or Denilson for example admire Wenger or their teacher so much), the Special One Mourinho is a Hero leader, he protect his troops (players) from the media, always ready to take the blame on his shoulders if anything goes wrong.

Fabio Capello I thinks is a Ruler leader type he is fearless man take decision despite the huge potential risk underlining there and can confront any dilemma with solid nerves.

Josep Guardiola fill in Hero leader type category he restore Catalonia pride always support his players and literally protect his players like the incident that happen during the Clasico game against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou 2008 December, Real Madrid players deliberately tackling Leo Messi and the flamboyant Pep stood up and shout toward the referee telling him: “if you will not protect Messi I will take him out of the game” I like that attitude from Pep.

Or according to the Leadership Behavior Theory, there are leadership styles:

•  Autocratic
• Democratic
• Laissez-fair

This theory I’ll talk about later in another post. And try to apply it on Football managers.

Spanish La Liga Managers (Updated)

The complete list of La Liga Managers:

Almería: Hugo Sanchez (Mexico)

Athletic Bilbao: Joaquín Caparrós (Spain)

Atlético Madrid: Abel Resino (Spain)

Barcelona: Josep Guardiola (Spain)

Real Betis: José María Nogués (Spain)

Deportivo La Coruña: Miguel Ángel Lotina (Spain)

Espanyol: Mauricio Pochettino (Argentina)

Getafe: Michel (Spain)

Málaga: Antonio Tapia (Spain)

Mallorca: Gregorio Manzano (Spain)

Numancia: Jose Rojo Martin “Pacheta” (Spain)

Osasuna: José Antonio Camacho (Spain)

Racing Santander: Juan Ramón Muñiz (Spain)

Real Madrid: Juande Ramos (Spain)

Recreativo Huelva: Lucas Alcaraz (Spain)

Sevilla: Manolo Jiménez (Spain)

Sporting Gijón: Manuel Preciado (Spain)

Valencia: Unai Emery (Spain)

Valladolid: José Luis Mendilíbar (Spain)

Villarreal: Manuel Pellegrini (Chile)

Guardiola’s Barcelona attacking art

 

This man deserve all the hype generated by the globe media about his work until now with Barcelona, the latest thing make me more and more impressed by the Catalan man his tactical switch in the Clasico against Real Madrid, as he put Eto’o on the right side instead of Messi usual position, and let the little Argentine enjoy free role at the middle of the pitch to crack up Madrid backline with his combination alongside Iniesta and Xavi taking full advantage from Real Madrid high back line defense.

To manage a team that scored 146 goals during the season and 100 goals in the La Liga is something more than impressive, it tells you that they attack on a clear way they know what they are doing.

They force their opponents to fear them and to set back to defend and if someone dire to attack them or open up you should ask Real Madrid, while the only team made Barcelona feel helpless was Chelsea with their ultra-defense game plan, hence Guardiola is not error-free as the experience factor pops up in Chelsea game Barcelona didn’t change their way of playing, for example they didn’t try to impose Chelsea set-pieces problem here we can say Guardiola lack of experience appeared. This Big matches show the exceptional coach from ordinal one, for me Guardiola is a top class coach under-development.

Josep Guardiola is a case example of how a football club benefit from their legends, Guardiola evolve from a leader in the pitch then to coach Barcelona B team and finally take the responsibility of Barcelona FC, it was a risky decision by Joan Laporta to choose young coach to manage top class players like Xavi, Messi, Eto’o…etc but did you forgot Guardiola played with the like Romario, Laudrup, Koeman…etc and coached by the Cruyff, Capello!!!

So should Barcelona complain about Chelsea conservative approach??

After watching Barcelona against Chelsea, or even Real Madrid against Liverpool at the Santiago Bernabeu we should know why English side teams are conquering the European Champions League, they know what it takes to win games. And that Champions League is two games to decide which team will qualify to the next round and every small detail can contribute who will qualify.

By the end of the day the sentence ends justify means as the bottom line of the debate, when Jose Mourinho said he didn’t enjoy Liverpool against Chelsea (4-4) draw at the quarter finals of The Champions League at the Stamford Bridge stadium because most the eight goals were a school boys football errors not a display of the cream of European Top teams and that’s mean the coaches are not doing their work to avoid such as mistakes.

From the football fans point of view Chelsea performance was shameful for Football fans and for the game reputation. Yes good points, but who will save the Managers head from not winning trophies because they want to play attractive style!!!

We all saw Barcelona was out of ideas how to crack Chelsea lock, did they consider another way to crack it beside monopolize the ball possession with no outcome? The answer must be asked to Guardiola he should play on Chelsea own weakness like set-pieces balls this was a great opportunity to score a goal, at these games when you know the great coach from the good or normal coach.

Guardiola didn’t win anything yet, unless he won something he will be another version of Chelsea’s Avram Grant who lost the Premier League, the final of FA cup against Tottenham, and the Champions League Final against Manchester United. One of the most important factors of The English team dominance at the Champions League that they have great managers with stability (yes Chelsea has no stability but the have GUUS HIDDINK!!)

Finally the tie didn’t decided between Barcelona and Chelsea and both have 50 percent chances, Guardiola should keep his good work and try sometimes to change their style and approach based on their opponents and the circumstances because in Football the priority will always be winning. 

Guardiola: the team will always be giving 100%

 

Josep Guardiola; Barcelona FC young manager held a press conference before his team match against Sporting Gijon in La Liga 22 matchday

 

Guardiola don’t think Barca will be affected of playing 9 games in 28 days:

We’re not tired, we’re fine, we must be in good shape because otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to keep going in three competitions with matches so close together.

About their next opponent Sporting:

We’ve played sides who park the bus and Sporting don’t do that. Manolo Preciado says they’re coming to attack and if he says that, that’s what they’ll do

Guardiola admire ‘brave’ coaches, especially Sporting coach Manolo Preciado:

 I like brave coaches and I admire them for always going for goals

Guardiola proud and happy for Busquets and Piqué Spain call:

The two of them are coming on really nicely; This is Piqué’s first year as a regular Sergi has been a real surprise, even for me

Finally he gave his praise for Barcelona FC youth system:

All their hard work is paying off and this is proof that the Barca youth academy have a lot of talent and the system works

My comment:

I’m so impressed with Pep’s first year as Barcelona manager, appointing him was the right decision his discplain regiem made us forget last two seasons for Barca which was full of conflicts in the dressing room. Now they are back like a football team but with super individuals (Messi, Eto’o, Xavi, Alves….etc) under a briliant coach Pep Guardiola.

I love numbers so let Guardiola record speaks about his wonderful job:

Guardiola coached Barcelona before Sporting match in 36 official games (La Liga – Copa Del Rey – Champions League) Wins: 29 Loses: 3 Draws: 4

Finally this excellent record was achieved with wonderful playing style so Pep had manage to do the difficult two RESULTS + Entertaining and attractive displays

Best