Ricardo Rodríguez, Emperor of Japan: “When we win I invite paella”

The Japanese Adventure of Ricardo Rodriguez (Oviedo, 1974) advances with a firm step. After four years in the Second Division, the Asturian coach landed in a historic one like Urawa and, what seemed to be a year of transition, is only 90 minutes away from becoming a historic exercise. After being named best coach of the year in the J-League, where he finished sixth, Ricardo Rodríguez will play the final of the Emperor’s Cup, whose winner will obtain a place in the next edition of the AFC Champions League. “I want to win titles with Urawa,” warns a Rodríguez whose greatest victories is having earned the respect of footballers and fans.

Did you expect to be chosen as the best coach in the J-League?

Not much, really. He hadn’t given it much thought, but he believed they would give it to someone else. We have been with the Emperor’s Cup in mind for a while and kicking the league. They told me two or three days before the gala and it was a surprise. I thought it would be the same for Kobe’s coach or Kashima’s. When they gave the award they said that it had been difficult and that they had appreciated the impact that my arrival in Urawa had had and the change in style. It is gratifying that the work we have done is valued.

The club should be proud to have bet on you. Have they let you know?

The truth is that I don’t know if the award had gone to Urawa’s coach before. This season we weren’t able to put any player into the J-League ideal 11 and all the prizes were going to Frontale. That there is someone from Urawa in this type of awards makes the club happy. They have given it to me, but the recognition is for everyone. I depend on my staff, on my coaching staff, on good sports management … The prize belongs to everyone. It is not a cliché, it is reality.

After finishing sixth in the J-League, the goal is to win the Emperor’s Cup and qualify for the Champions League. Do you see it possible?

It’s possible. We eliminated Cerezo Osaka in the semifinals. We had a thorn in the back because they eliminated us in the Levain Cup. Now we are going to face Oita, against those of us who know what it is to win in the league. I think the players know what they are playing. On the big days they always perform and for us as a club it would be a big step to qualify for the Champions League. We are the Japanese team with the most Champions, we reached the final in 2019. There is a tradition of Champions and we are focused on getting that place.

When he signed for Urawa, he said he had a lot of work ahead of him. Did you get more than you bargained for?

I have had the job I was hoping for. The preseason and the first month of the league was tough. In preseason we weren’t able to generate many chances. He said, ‘Oh my gosh, let’s see where we can get this.’ We finished the preseason worried and the start of the league cost us, but from April we started to pick up the pace, we started to compete well and we were reinforcing the squad. Sakai, Junker or Scholz arrived and that helped us a lot in the second lap.

Is the change from Second to First great in Japan?

I have not noticed much the change from Second to First. Sometimes the J2-League is even tougher. The players run more, they have more physique … It was difficult for the players to understand the concepts and be physically prepared, but when we got into the rhythm that I wanted, everything was easier. There were some who were already settled in the 50th minute. Until we were getting everyone to be able to hold the rhythm, to press after loss, to be clear about the concepts of ball exit, to give amplitude, how to attack the last quarter or not to concede cons, it was difficult. We also had college players and it was difficult, but not because of the category change, but because of the change in habits.

What has cost you the most when it comes to imposing your style of play?

How to get the ball out and get well positioned to the opponent’s court so as not to concede counterattacks. Also how to turn the ball, create superiorities on the outside and inside … Here the teams are not open, they are very compact. Whether it is 5-4-1 or 4-4-2, there is a lot of tacit rigor and you have to do things very well. You have to know what spaces to occupy, how to get to the baseline, get to finishing areas well … There are many concepts and putting it all together and the player mechanizing it was what cost me the most. Also the physical part.

Has it cost you to manage a dressing room with Japanese soccer stars like Yuki Abe?

No, I have taken it naturally. The good thing about the preseason we did in Okinawa is that we had a lot of conviviality and there you see a bit of the different groups that there are. There is a group of veteran players who are friends, friends. Those who won the Champions League in 2017, those guys are going to be friends for life. You see there is a connection between them. On the other side were the young boys and the new ones. It was necessary to connect, but I saw that they were all spectacular boys. Yuki Abe, Makino, Ugajin, Koroki … They are great legends of Japanese football, but they have not complained if they have had a few minutes or have been left out of a call. I was working on generating that group atmosphere, that we are a team and we all have to add whether we play or not, but it is one thing to say it and another to accept it. They told me that it was the most difficult part of Urawa, but I am happy because there are players who have not had the minutes they expected and, even so, their behavior has been exemplary. I am very grateful to all of them. Communication is key, that even if they do not play they feel the affection and that you are trying to improve them. I take good care of those things, group management is key.

What is your secret? It is not easy at all to manage a changing room in a culture so different from Spain.

It is important that the player perceives that every day he can improve, that every day he learns new things. For me the key is the way of being, your personality as a coach and daily communication. Do not play jokes on them, but always be looking for ways to talk about one thing, another, interacting with them, making sure that groups do not form, creating dynamics … I’ll tell you a secret, when we won three games in a row I invited them to paella . I do not know! I was looking for a way to have a good atmosphere, to be connected … If things go wrong, you look for tasks to create a good atmosphere … As a coach, you have to find strategies so that all the players are connected and not leave anyone behind. That and that the player likes a style like mine more than playing the counterattack. That helps too.

Do you like paella?

They tell me they like it, but when we have a better streak they ask me for a gui, which is eel. It’s more expensive and they say: ‘Pay, pay the eel! When we eliminated Frontale in the Cup, for example, he touched eel. We reserve it to celebrate the most important achievements. I got this from Ranieri, who made it with pizzas at Leicester. The Italian with pizzas and the Spanish with paella.

Is it difficult to empathize with the Japanese?

At first it costs. I had been here for three months and I saw that it was difficult for them, but it is a matter of them getting to know how you are and having an open, cheerful and, above all, calm personality. They are shocked by the strong personality of the Spanish, which is why they value calmness so much.

He is used to going to the clubs alone, without his own coaching staff. Has a good working group been found in Urawa?

I’m going alone, but I was able to bring the translator from Tokushima, which is key. He is a person who has been with me for four years, he likes football and, more than a translator, he is like a second coach. For me, he is very important because he knows all the concepts, we understand each other very well and it is very important to explain everything to the footballer. We explain our idea to the rest of the coaching staff and they understand everything better every time. It is part of the process. But of course, the preseason was more complicated because, in addition to having new players, we also had a new coaching staff.

And how is the Japanese?

Wrong. I’ve never made it a high priority. After five years I speak a few words, but I should speak much more than I speak. It is a language that you have to study and I don’t have that time. For me, the main thing now is to win games.

In Japan, the main sport is baseball. You’ve been there for five years, do you notice that football is eating you ground?

Yes, because more and more Japanese children are into soccer. They follow the national team, the J-League … It shows. You go to the fields and there are many children. Baseball is more traditional, but young children already like soccer more.

When you were introduced as Urawa’s coach, the club said the goal was to win the J-League in 2022. Is that statement still valid?

It is a challenge that still stands, but this season Frontale has taken us 29 points. In Japan it is very difficult to sign a player in the top 5. You have to focus on signing young players and improving them or going to the foreign market. Improving the squad is not easy, so the key is to form a competitive team and gradually reduce the gap we have with those at the top. But it will not be easy, Frontale is intractable.

Have you had your eye on a Spanish player?

I really like Japanese players. Of the foreign player I look a lot at the personality and how it can be adapted to the game model and the group. By culture, if a foreigner arrives he has to be an exemplary player for whom the effort is non-negotiable. If you don’t try hard, the Japanese don’t respect you. He begins to distrust you and that is how conflicts arise. If I have learned something in Japan, it is that the foreign player has to make a difference on a technical-tactical level and try very hard. If he doesn’t, it is very difficult for him to succeed in the J-League.

Do you see your return to Spain close?

Not for the moment. I like to be where I am. I want to fight for the objectives of the club. I am happy in Urawa and I want to be a Champions coach and win titles here, which is why the Emperor’s Cup final is so important to me. A few years ago I wanted to be a J-League coach, now I want to be a Champions coach and I know that for that I have to earn it. I don’t think about the future because football and life have taught me to live from day to day. When I was at Girona they wanted to renew me and, overnight, I was returning to Oviedo. You learn to be focused, very involved in what you play at all times, and to improve as a coach every day. When opportunities arise, like this one from Urawa, you value it and that’s it. For them to call me from another place, I have to do very well here and that is why I focus on giving my best where I am. I want to do great things in Urawa and I want to continue here.

How did you experience the descent of Tokushima?

It hurt me a lot. I didn’t know Dani Poyatos personally and we didn’t talk much when we faced each other, but I remember that even though we won, they played a great game. The descent hurt a lot because I was there for four years. When I found out in the dressing room that Tokushima had come down it was a huge disappointment and sadness. It was hard. For the president, for the sports director, for all the coaching staff, for the players … When I got home and saw the president crying in front of the fans, I broke down, all of us who were there know what it cost. I get excited talking about these things, but I’m sure they will come back.