(续约後访问一篇) IRURETA: “WE NEED STRONG AND FAST NEW PLAYERS” On 11 May, just two days ago, Javier Irureta agreed with Deportivo that he will be their coach for the next season. With it, the season 2004/2005 will be the seventh consecutive one of Irureta at the club. With this quit early renewal there’s now sufficient time to consider the content of the squad for the next season. In this interview Jabo speaks about his time at Deportivo so far and what he expects for next season. Q: If in 1998 you have known about being here still in 2005, you might have bought a house here. A: Yes, that could have been a possibility back them. And that also could have been a good investment because in the past few years the prices have gone up in this area. But the club have offered me my current place to live and I don’t have any problem with it. I haven’t won anything nor have I lost, but I have lived. Q: You always seem to have liked short periods at a single club. A: Well, I was at Sestao for four years and left that club when I assumed that my job was done there. The thing is that one always should follow the sensations one has about a certain club and here the people always have helped me a lot. Even after the disappointing match against Porto they have supported me a lot and that has touched my heart. This year we have reached the Semi-Finals of the Champions League but we didn’t have much luck with the cards and some other things. If we can have more luck I think we can reach the final. Q: The overall performances of Deportivo have influenced your decision to stay at Deportivo? A: Yes. There were other disappointing periods at the club like the one in 1994 with the missed penalty kick. But the team has demonstrated that we can stay among the best teams around. Q: For Deportivo to stay among them is the same as growing? A: It concerns staying among the best Spanish teams and to grow in Europe. And haven’t we grown after having won at Milan, Munich and Manchester or after having only been eliminated in the Semi-Final against a team which, like Camacho already has commented, haven’t lost a tournament in two seasons? Q: But at the same time the budget of Deportivo will go down. A: Cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia are much bigger than La Coruna, and they even can keep alive two professional clubs. Barcelona have four times the number of socios we have. And still we fight with them on the same level. That’s the mystery and magic of football. And that’s why we should attach value to what we have achieved in recent years. When I came here in 1998 the team had just played a bad season. But since then we always have finished at the top, although I agree that we still can ask a little bit more. Q: The number of players will go down, but you have always disliked to have a small squad of about 22 players. A: I don’t want to have players who hardly have a chance of playing. Some players have rarely been used this season and I prefer them to be happy. They must understand the situation and remember that there won’t be a similar situation like when we took Pandiani back from his loan. I would like that these players were like the ones of Valencia: Salva responds well at Malaga, De los Santos is a starter at Atletico de Madrid, and Carew has been doing well at Roma… That also indicates the level of a team. With a smaller squad problems can arise when having three or four injured players. But even the disease of Molina we could cope with. And with counting on Molina we have leaked less goals this season. Overall we can survive with a squad of 22 or 23 players, especially with players which can be used on several positions. Look at Angulo from Valencia; he has been a striker, central midfielder, a winger and even a side defender for them. Q: Are you satisfied with the current amount of players like these? A: No, I am not. It’s said that at the pitch there’s room for the physical and psychological aspect. At Deportivo some players have protested when there situation was changed just a little bit. They told the press that they weren’t playing at their natural position. For a coach it’s always important to have players who can change their position, because it indicates that they’re strong in the mental aspect. By having three or four players like these one can survive a season with a squad of 23 players. Q: When considering the mental aspect; does the team need new players with character? A: This team has been responsible for many great nights, like against Milan when we showed to have much character. But on occasions things have been very different. Q: Players with the spirit of a captain, can such a player be signed or has he to be formed? A: I think players like these are formed over time. But there also are players with such a personality that they don’t need that time. Maradona was immediately made captain when he went to Napoli. But, overall, players formed at a club are respected more because they represent the general line of the club. Q: Next season could be the last one of your two captains: Fran and Mauro Silva. A: It’s evident that they will be out of this club within a short period of time. And it worries me because they have represented a lot. I feel very identified with both of them and I never have had problems with them. Against Porto both of them weren’t present and we noticed it. I would have liked them to be 26 or 27-years old. Overall we need some more youth in the team. To be more concrete, we need new players who are strong and fast. Q: So Deportivo will look for a fresh new wind? A: We want to form a team which can play even faster and resists more. Q: Isn’t it possible to work on the resisting aspect? Or is this impossible with such a full calendar? A: With so many matches it’s very difficult and we don’t have a team which is strong enough to handle it. Most of my players are more technical than strong. And they cannot be changed after 28 years. Q: Is the physical aspect becoming more important in football? A: It still isn’t more important than the technical aspect, but it’s true that teams like Valencia and Porto have reached an European final because they are strong in the physical aspect. Q: Much has already been said about Porto and their coach Mourinho, with his tactical moves but also influence on the mental aspect. A: I know what he has done, by pressing the referee. But if he hadn’t been awarded that penalty he wouldn’t have beaten me. This may sounds personal although I don’t think coaches can beat each other. But he did by having a penalty and that’s not a tactical question. What about the rest of the match? He could count on all of his players while I could not. And I would like to recall the chance of Valeron. There were circumstances which were in the favour of Porto, like the nonsense surrounding Jorge Andrade. Q: Doesn’t Mourinho change his team a lot while Deportivo always do the same? A: From their midfield to their attack they have players who can form many combinations. We must find ways to combine the players we have. Another thing would be to sign a player which we cannot afford. Q: It seems evident that the team needs to have someone scoring goals. A: I only can say that this season we have scored less than last season. In fact, there’s quit a gap between us and Madrid or Valencia. It would be difficult to stay at the top if we hadn’t been so good in defence. But concerning scoring goals we indeed have had a problem. -- 如果人生最坏只是死亡， 生活怎会有面对不了的困难？ --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.229.6.28