Ricardo Rodríguez, the Spanish coach who dazzles Japan

When Tokushima Vortis defeated Omiya Ardija 1-0, the heart of Ricardo Rodriguez (Oviedo, 1974) throbbed more than ever. “Come on!” He yelled non-stop while handing out hugs to all the players and staff members. After three years dying on the shore, Tokushima had just achieved promotion to the J-League (Japanese First Division). At that time, nobody knew it, but Rodríguez already had a bench in the elite assured. Days before, the Spanish coach had signed for the next two seasons with the Urawa Red Diamonds, champion of the AFC Champions League in 2017. “I knew I was going to the First Division, but I needed everyone else to accompany me,” says Rodríguez from Japan. “The club, the players, the fans … We all work together with a clear objective in mind and getting it and finishing the job well was a brutal liberation.”

Ricardo Rodríguez arrived in Japan in 2017. After working in Mexico, Saudi Arabia or Thailand, the Oviedo coach accepted the challenge of taking Tokushima Vortis back to the Japanese First Division. The club had only played in the elite once before. It was in 2014. And as it went up, it went down. “The first thing I did was create an attacking game identity. Before my arrival, Tokushima used to play counter attack and defend at 5-4-1,” Rodriguez recalls. In his first season, the Spaniard lost the opportunity to play in the promotion play-off on the last day. In the second he was 11th and in the third he fell to a First in the 'play-out'. The fourth time was the charm: Tokushima Vortis had a perfect campaign and not only achieved promotion; He also won the J2-League championship: “What I am most proud of is the way we have won. With offensive football based on positional play and pressure on the rival field. And with many young people Those were the three identity marks of Tokushima Vortis: offensive game, high pressure and young players. “

Unsurprisingly, Tokushima tried to renew the coach who brought him back to the J-League, but Ricardo Rodríguez understood that his time at the Vortis was over. “It was very difficult to tell the sports director and the president that I was leaving. I said goodbye through tears because they placed all their trust in me and that made me very happy. I know that I could have continued many more years because my connection with the club and the fans is huge. We are a family, but I need to try new challenges and Urawa is a club from another dimension “, discovers the Asturian, who did not think twice when he received the call from the 'reds':” It is a team I wanted to coach. Another club would have generated more doubts, but When Urawa called me, I felt that I had to accept to continue growing as a coach. “

Ricardo Rodríguez believes that the symbiosis between him and Urawa is perfect: “This year he has not had a performance commensurate with his greatness – he was 10th in the league – so there is a lot of work to be done. We have to rebuild the team at the level of play. of style, and to instill certain tactical behaviors. For that the squad will have to be rejuvenated, because many of the most important players are veterans. ” In the statement with which he announced the signing of the Spanish, Urawa set the goal of “winning the league in 2022”, one of the great reasons why Rodríguez decided to sign for the 'reds': “They want to return to the Champions League and be champions of Japan. They are goals that I share. Every coach likes to be in a club that can fight for the titles”. However, the important thing now is “to select players who can carry out my football idea. We do not know when success will come. The important thing is that the club sees that there is a process and that it is in line with what is sought. In Japan they believe in processes, so success will eventually come“.

Only one translator will accompany Ricardo Rodríguez to Urawa. There, in Saitama, a new coaching staff awaits him to continue working with. “I like to do it like this. I think the teams value it because you integrate to the maximum. You train people, they soak up how you watch football, they learn the reason for each decision … They are sponges. I improve them and they improve me “, details the Spaniard,” delighted “in Japan. His next big goal is for Urawa fans to” feel proud “and” do not go to the field just to watch football “: “I want them to enjoy and feel positive emotions”. Before that, he must close his cycle in Tokushima Vortis by contesting the Emperor's Cup, in whose quarterfinals Honda FC will be measured this Wednesday. “I have told the players that they have made history and now they have the opportunity to be legends. We are three games away from another title and we dream without limits,” says the Spaniard who has conquered Japan.