Dani Poyatos, a coach 10,000 kilometers from his team

Dani Poyatos will debut in the First Division of Japan … from Barcelona. The restrictions of the Asian country, which extended its state of emergency until March 7, have prevented the Spanish from traveling to take the reins of his new team, the Tokushima Vortis. He is the only coach in the competition who has not yet been able to meet with his players, which he considers “a handicap” in an already complex season: for the first time in history, four teams will go down to Second. “If everything goes well, we will travel to Japan in mid-March. But we will have to do the visa, comply with the mandatory quarantine … It is a very complicated situation, but we are trying to adapt,” he confesses helplessly.

Poyatos, who went through the quarries of RCD Espanyol and Real Madrid and was in charge of Panathinaikos in the Greek Super League, may not direct Tokushima from the band until next April. Until then, 10,000 kilometers stand between him and his footballers, an obstacle that he tries to reduce by spending the day in front of the computer. “We are in constant communication with the local coaching staff. We connect at 7 in the morning and work, at least, until 3 in the afternoon. We do videoconferences, they send us videos with all the training sessions and games … But it's not easy “, explains Poyatos, for whom language is a barrier:” I have a great translator, but there are times when it is difficult to convey what I want. I feel helpless, but I know that it is the situation that we have to live. We have this disadvantage and our duty is to work hard so that the team competes as well as possible. “

Dani Poyatos has in his 'staff' with Marcel Sans, who spent more than a decade in the quarry of FC Barcelona. The Catalan confesses that the interest shown by Tokushima Vortis played a fundamental role in his decision to go to Japan. “When I was at Real Madrid they already started talking to me. They did not make any offers, but they showed interest in meeting me. Now yes, and they let me know that he was not a candidate, he was the candidate. They wanted me and that decision is very difficult to see in football today. That made me really want this adventure “, details Poyatos, who will not be the only Spanish coach in the J-League: Ricardo Rodríguez, his predecessor on the Tokushima Vortis bench, will direct Urawa Red Diamonds, while Miguel Ángel Lotina will be at the controls of the Shimizu S-Pulse.

It will be next Saturday, starting at 6:00 in the morning, when Tokushima Vortis returns seven years later to the highest category of Japanese football. In their previous participation, Naruto's men finished bottom and only achieved three victories in 34 days. Dani Poyatos will follow the debut against Oita from Barcelona and thanks to a tool launched by the J-League. “I am not in favor of anyone on the bench wearing a headband, so I will put all my trust in the coach who is there now. He is the one who is day by day with the players and will know what to do if he has to make a quick decision “Values ​​Poyatos. “After the game we will draw conclusions and continue rowing,” adds a coach who only hopes to enjoy the confidence that they did not give him in Greece. “I had no intention of leaving Real Madrid because I was happy there, but Panathinaikos made me a very attractive offer. They told me they would be patient, but after only three days they told me that they didn't count on me. I think my dismissal was not due. to a sports theme, “he discovers.