Fran Garagarza, sports director of the Eibar, stated Tuesday that “Another season, Mendilibar has done magic”, because the Gipuzkoan team He has achieved permanence in the First Division with José Luis Mendilibar as coach. At a press conference in Ipurua, Garagarza took stock of the recently ended 2019-2020 campaign, which has been marked by a two-month stoppage due to the coronavirus, and has advanced details of the next one, a few days after Both Mendilibar and Garagarza have renewed for the 2020-2021 financial year.
The mutrikuarra has praised the preparer of Zaldibar, who will complete his sixth season in a row on the Barça bench. “The name of Mendilibar has to be in a framework of the history of the club. To continue another year in the First Division, with the management of the squad it has done, with the post-COVID 19 which we have come out reinforced by good management (15 points in 11 games after the league restart), shows that he is the coach we want him to continue at Eibar “, he claimed.
“The 2019-2020 season has been marked by stress, during the two months of confinement at home and after. We have remained calm despite the stress. Eibar was the eighth best team after the league restart. Something has been done well and it has been thanks to the work of the coaching staff led by Balance. I congratulated him for managing the distribution of minutes between the footballers of the squad (referring to all the players who were starters at the restart of the competition). Few teams have done the same, give value to the entire team, and the footballers have responded, “he said. Fran Garagarza.
“This (achieving permanence) is very difficult. On the street they tell me: 'this season you have been overwhelmed, you have managed to continue in First fair, fair'. The objective has been achieved just, just. But it can't be any other way. In the next exercise, Eibar will be in that fight for permanence. You are going to have to do a very good job not to descend, and if you do, it will be fair, fair. But in the 2019-2020 season, we have done our homework two games before finishing the League, because we achieved permanence before Eibar-Valladolid and Villarreal-Eibar “, he stressed.
“We have to continue along this line, which is the one that is giving us success, despite the changing nature of football in budgets and in the transfer market. Eibar is in the best hands (referring to Mendilibar). There are teams that have changed this season many times as a coach and the results have already been seen (two of the three descendants had more than two technicians). Instead, we, when we have been in delicate situations, with bad results, have done the opposite. We have encouraged the technicians by telling them that we would get the bad situation ahead, we have given them peace of mind, being close to them, but without disturbing them. Because we understand that this is how we will achieve the objective, “he explained.
Six seasons of 'marriage' Mendilibar-Fran Garagarza
Marriage' Mendilibar-Fran Garagarza another campaign (2020-2021) follows at the head of the Eibar (will be the sixth in a row), even though There are some discrepancies in the subject of transfers between the coach and the sports director. “This is like a marriage that has been together for a long time, that sometimes discusses and then reconciles. The two parts have different points of view, sometimes it says 'A', other times 'B', or 'C'. In a six-season coexistence there are many things on the table, and there may be different ways of looking at things. But the work, the harmony, the respect and the forms are correct. One part may think that 'Pepito' should be signed, and the other part is not clear; and debate, pros and cons are analyzed. There may be different points of view, but there is teamwork. A coexistence at this level of demand that will last six seasons would be impossible if there were a bad coexistence “, he sentenced Fran Garagarza.
The sports director also appreciated the work of many people who in the second row have worked to reach the goal. “Another year we have done, they have done magic. The board of directors delegates to the professionals, each in his own area and responsibility. Magic is that connection between everyone. It is not just a matter of one or two people. To achieve the objectives there are many architects. In a club like Eibar many people and many areas have to be aligned to achieve the goal. Not only in the sports area, but all the employees, “he assured.
Pedro León close to renew for a season
Of the seven footballers who ended their contract on June 30 (extended to July 31 except for Orellana and Escalante who left after ending their contractual relationship on June 30), only Pedro León is close to renew for a season. Fran Garagarza explained that he had a conversation on Monday with the Murcia midfielder and that both parties were in good harmony.
At the moment, Eibar's first squad has 17 players, to which must be added the return of six on loan. José Antonio Martínez, Nano Mesa, Asier Benito, Kike Pina, Jordi Calavera and Roberto Olabe, who will be in Ipurua on the first day of training for the next soccer course. Six players from the subsidiary will also make the preseason with the first team from Eibar. (CD Vitoria, from the Third Division): Jon Mikel Magunagoitia, Sergio Cubero, Unai Dufour, Miguel Ángel Atienza, Unai Arietaleanizbeaskoa, and Eñaut Mendia.
Instead, three players from the subsidiary, Ekhi Bravo, Jaime de Dios and Miguel Marí, have turned 23 years old, and will be transferred to other groups.
Complicated summer because the transfer market is stopped
Fran Garagarza anticipates a “difficult summer to make transfers”, because the market is stopped (the transfer market started in early August and will end on October 5, two weeks after the league started). Mainly because the coronavirus has caused an economic crisis that also affects soccer clubs. Thus, the teams will not make large transfers, but will resort to transfers and will pay more attention to their quarry players. So, Eibar must wait to find out whether or not they can count on players borrowed from large teams, which must previously be reinforced to 'drop ballast'. Furthermore, the Second Division competition is not yet over, and that category is the main 'fishing ground' for Eibar to 'catch' footballers.
After the departure of Orellana (Valladolid), Escalante (Lazio), Ramis (he has retired) Charles (he has signed for Pontevedra), De Blasis and Cristoforo, added to the serious injury of José Ángel 'Cote'; he Eibar He is required to sign a central defender, a left back, a pivot, two ends, and a striker.
Short preseason, four weeks and no concentration abroad
He Eibar will start preparing for the 2020-2021 season next week, Thursday August 13, without there having been a month of rest since the end of the 2019-2020 campaign on Sunday, July 19. The preseason will be shorter than usual (four weeks instead of the usual six) and Eibar will not carry out a concentration abroad (usually goes to Austria) on COVID-19. With less preparation time, the number of friendly matches will also be reduced (there will be six instead of the usual 10 'bowling' in the summer).
“It's going to be a shorter preseason than it normally used to be, six weeks. We're going to go four weeks and it makes sense for the friendlies to be reduced. We have had good concentrations in Austria and face rivals from other leagues, but this time we will not take the step to leave and we are going to face opponents of the national league. There is so much questioning about the preseason, the dates, the games behind closed doors, that it is a bit in the air. We have a design done that I cannot confirm because some fringes are missing, “he said.