http://cnews.canoe.ca/Slam020318/col_molinaro-can.html Spain's Irureta the class of Europe By JOHN F. MOLINARO -- SLAM! Sports You could hardly blame most football fans outside of Spain if they have never heard of Javier Irureta. Living in the formidable shadows cast by Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, Irureta and his Deportivo La Coruna squad get very little media ink in Europe's top sports dailies. Which is a shame, because while Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello and Ottmar Hitzfield hog all the headlines, it is the mild-mannered, pensive Irureta who is the class of European football managers. With its 3-1 win over Osasuna on Saturday, Deportivo leap-frogged Sevilla into third place in Spain's La Liga with 51 points, two points behind co-leaders Real Madrid and Valencia. With only eight games left on the schedule , Deportivo are well within striking distance of claiming their second Spanish league crown in three years, (no small accomplishment considering Spain's reputation as one of the best leagues in the world). Couple that with the fact Deportivo, having beaten Manchester United twice, Juventus and Arsenal twice, are all but set to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and the club from Spain's Galicia region appears to be ready to take Europe by storm. And the mastermind pulling the strings is Irureta. Irureta and Deportivo have managed to break the Real Madrid- Barcelona stranglehold on Spain's La Liga, having won the league title in 2000 and finishing in second place in 2001. Notorious for preaching a defensive brand of football that is typical of Italy's Serie A, Irureta and his approach stand in direct contrast to the high-scoring, free-spirited style that dominates Spanish football. Deportivo play a tactically sound and disciplined game where each player has a specific role. And while Spanish fans and media alike criticize him for his defensive stance, Irureta has produced positive results during his 17 years as a manager. A former midfielder who won two leagues titles and one Intercontinental Cup with Athletic de Bilbao, Irureta turned to coaching and led Sestao to promotion in Spain's Second B and Second A division between 1985 and 1988. After a season with Logrones, he moved to Real Oviedo and took them to their only appearance in the UEFA Cup. In 1991, the club finished in sixth place in Spain, its highest league position in 38 seasons. After leaving Real Oviedo in 1993, he took over perennial bottom-dwellers Racing de Santander, leading the club to an eighth place finish (its best showing in 48 seasons). From there, he assumed the manager's job at Athletic de Bilbao and Real Sociedad before going to Celta de Vigo where the club finished in sixth place in 1998 (the team's best showing in 52 years). And while he earned a reputation as the man who could turn around traditionally weak teams, his greatest achievement came in 2000 when he led Deportivo to the Spanish League crown - its first in team history. Deportivo's title claim in 2000 sparked a new era in Spanish football. By winning the title, Deportivo not only broke the stranglehold that Madrid and Barcelona had on the Spanish championship since 1985, but also established themselves as a dominant third power in the traditional two-horse race known as La Liga. The sheer achievement of Deportivo's championship campaign cannot be understated. Imagine Aberdeen or Livingston out-pointing Celtic and Rangers to win the Scottish League Title. Unlikely, right? That's exactly what Deportivo's title win in 2000 over Madrid and Barcelona is equal to. What's even more amazing about Irureta is the way he has led Deportivo to the top in Spain. While Madrid boasts Zidane, Figo and Raul and Barcelona have Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert, Irureta fields a starting eleven made up of hard working players who play together as a team, not as a group of superstars. Not having the same financial resources as Madrid and Barcelona has been a blessing, not a detriment, for Irureta. The lack of superstars on the club has allowed him to foster and nurture a sense of 'companerismo' (Spanish for team unity) unmatched in La Liga. Irureta doesn't have to worry about bruising the fragile egos of star players or deal with team owners who want to know why their high-priced talent doesn't have a regular spot in the starting eleven. Instead, Irureta is given free reign at Deportivo, allowed to run the team as he sees fit according to his own football conscience. While Irureta's system of rotating his starting eleven has been met with slight disdain by key striker Diego Tristan, it has allowed the club to remain fresh and gives players all the more incentive to work hard and stay on top of their game. With the quarterfinals of the Champions League in sight, Deportivo look poised to make a run for the title. And while all the talk in Spain about the Champions League is about Madrid, don't be surprised to see Deportivo sneak into the final four by upending Bayern Munich, Manchester United, AS Roma or, gasp!, Real Madrid. Irureta has already won fame and fortune in Spain. Now he's looking to get it on a much larger stage: Europe. Knowing his resolve and ability of getting the best out of his players, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see Deportivo, and not Real Madrid, win European glory for Spain. --

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