The time of the coaches: they will be more interventionists

Between the hustle and bustle of the stands and the adrenaline of the grass, the football coach cannot be too interventionist during games. Neither with the three substitutions (33% of the starters except the goalkeeper) does it manage, on occasions, to modify everything it wants. But, in the 11 days that remain to be disputed, in which up to five changes are allowed and the public's encouragement is conspicuous by their absence, their role becomes more decisive.

“The players will be able to talk to each other and we can give instructions. Everything will be heard. I think that for the technicians this will give us a lot of play, ”Abelardo Fernández commented in the press room on Friday. An advantage that should change a trend for Espanyol this year, since it has only been able to change the sign of a match on one occasion.

One of the technicians with a past parrot who is already living directing matches in large stadiums behind closed doors is Lluís Planagumà, current coach of the Japanese Imabari. The technician, for more signs, created a dictionary of words in English and Japanese to communicate in a simpler way with the players. “All the friendlies went behind closed doors, and we played in stadiums of 15,000 or 20,000 people without people. You intervene more. In my case, our vocabulary helps us understand the players. I compare it with the phases of ascent with Hercules, with full stages, and the degree of incidence is now higher ”, he reflects.

In the 27 days played, only against Eibar in Ipurua could the coach (David Gallego) modify the result with the changes. The armored team was much superior to Espanyol and went ahead with a set piece. Iván Ramis finished off at the near post a lateral foul. When it seemed that the Basques were closer to the second, the entrance to the field of players like Esteban Granero, Adrià Pedrosa or Matías Vargas served to turn the game around (1-2).

There were no more comebacks. Espanyol managed to lose advantages in the second parts, such as against Valencia (1-2) or Osasuna (2-4), or even draw agonizingly like in the derby against Barcelona, ​​which coincided with Abelardo's debut. For Planagumà, you have to put the focus on two-way communication, because coaches will also listen to their players and that can condition them. “It can affect more listening to the footballers themselves. Hearing things you couldn't do before. That can interfere with decisions, “he said.