FCBARCELONA.CAT

14.07.2009 11:31

20 managers and many objectives

Jesús Carrillo

The league starts the last weekend of August. 20 teams and 20 managers, representing different clubs that all have different targets in their sights.

Five teams have new managers for the new campaign: Manuel Pelegrini at Real Madrid, José Ángel Ziganda at Xerez, Juan Ramón Muñiz at Malaga, Ernesto Valverde at Vila-real and Juan Carlos Mandía at Racing. The latter is the only one that has never managed in the top flight before.

Fifteen stay on

The other 15 clubs in the first division have the same managers as they had when they ended last season. Curiously, all the managers brought in as replacements last term to turn around the ailing fortunes at their new clubs have all been kept. These are Camacho at Osasuna, Hugo Sánchez at Almeria, Michel at Getafe, Abel Resino at Atlético Madrid and Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol.

Two of three newly promoted sides

Of the three new arrivals, two have kept the managers that saw them promoted. These are Marcelino García who saw Zaragoza return to the highest level, and Josep Lluís Oltra, who did likewise for Tenerife. But Esteban Vigo will not be staying in charge of the Xerez team, having been replaced by Ziganda.

Manzano and Mendilíbar, the veterans

Andalusian Gregorio Manzano is into his sixth year as boss of Mallorca, the longest any manager has been on the bench at any club in the first division.

Next in that list is José Luis Mendilíbar, who’s on the bench at Valladolid for the fifth season. Joaquín Caparrós and Miguel Ángel Lotina go into their third years at San Mamés and Riazor, respectively, as does Manolo Preciado of Sporting.

Guardiola, Resino and Jiménez

Josep Guardiola and Manolo Jiménez are the only managers that were products of their own club’s systems. The Barça and Sevilla chiefs both started out as youth players for their respective outfits. Abel Resino of Atlético Madrid, and Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol, are similar cases, for they both spent large amounts of their playing careers with the clubs they now manage. Espanyol’s coach first went into management in charge of the club’s ladies team.

Three former Barça men

There are three former FC Barcelona men now managing in La Liga. Guardiola, of course, is defending the title won last season. Also, Ernesto Valverde starts work at the El Madrigal after winning the Greek double with Olympiakos; and Jon Andoni Goikoetxea is assistant manager at top flight debutant Xerez.