Manix Mandiola (Eibar, 62 years old) begins on Sunday at 12.00 in Los Pajaritos a new stage in his extensive career. Coinciding with the duel between Numancia and Marino de Luanco, two technicians who he does not hesitate to praise will face in Ipurua: José Luis Mendilibar and Jagoba Arrasate. The Eibar coach expects a disputed derby, with occasions, between two teams that do not speculate.
Sunday's Eibar-Osasuna faces two of his friends: Mendilibar and Arrasate.
Yes. The truth is that it has a bad distribution of points because if each one takes one, little, and if not, one of the two will be annoyed by the defeat. But the nice thing is that both are in the First Division that already has a terrible merit. It is a great prize.
And they are also consolidated in their clubs and in the category. How do you see them?
Jagoba won the League in Second Division and rose easily; last year he did a season with a newly promoted. Eibar has more difficulties than Osasuna to sign. Every year is another turn of the screw, you just have to see the market. Valladolid raises him players, with Orellana; o Lejeune, who was in the team, goes to Alavés. When it comes to hiring they have to do magic. But I think it will reinvent itself once again and Mendi will bring the issue forward.
Is this ability to optimize templates the great virtue of Mendilibar?
They usually bring him players who make their debut in First Division, or who come from a couple of bad years, or who promised and have stayed there. And with that tool, Mendi has been around for five years, this is the sixth, getting results. It has terrible merit. Both he and Jagoba, who last year with the same Segunda players and a little more, look at how he competed.
And despite losing Chimy Ávila due to injury.
That is something they do well, it is evident. And it is already several years in the case of Jagoba and many years in the case of Mendi. It is not the product of chance.
Arrasate often comments that you are the coach who has marked him the most.
Perhaps for having been the oldest I have had, five years. I will have been the coach he has been with the longest. And because, well, we speak the same language, also in many aspects of life. I am delighted, if he says that it is to be appreciated on my part.
You have stated on occasion that when Mendilibar leaves Eibar, the team may suffer. Do you still believe it?
It's not that I believe it, it's that I'm absolutely sure. Eibar is also a peculiar club where they don't change their coach every two or three and the people who run it have much more common sense than most clubs. But what Mendi does … And I already told you that I think this year is going to be the most difficult because players like Escalante, Orellana have left, there are also people who by age or performance have dropped a bit and the reinforcements have not they are consolidated, they are bets. But when it seemed that he was in a bad dynamic, he went to Valladolid and won the game. Mendi always has an ace up her sleeve. I don't know how he does it but in difficult moments he ends up pushing things forward. It is the great endorsement that the team has.
What kind of match are you looking forward to?
Well, I don't know, because they both play very brave, they like to play in the opposite field. They attack with quick transitions, they don't waste a lot of time rubbing the ball in midfield, they both like to defend high up … So, I don't know. What I do believe is that there will be quite a few occasions, both on one side and the other. The one who is more successful will be able to take the game.
How do you live football without an audience?
It's like with masks and confinement, in the end you get used to it. When we are on the field and we play a game with a little audience as we are playing now, with four cats, there comes a time when you forget. The footballers are the protagonists and you who are in the corner, with the nerves that you have, you do not even notice. It is, as they are saying now, a new normal. I hope it lasts little but we have to adjust.
Manix Mandiola opens this Sunday in front of Numancia. The Soria team arrives at the start of Second B with good feelings. “Here the results rule but I see the team very well. At the very least, it gives me hope ”.
The competition system requires a good start. “It is always important, but being a shorter competition, it has more influence. Clubs can go crazy sooner ”.