“The coach is the one who suffers the most from defeats”

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Here are some excerpts from our interview with Marcelino García Toral. The entirety of this 6-page interview can be found in 24hfootnews magazine n°349, available on newsstands and on our eshop since April 7.

“When I started coaching, I was inspired by Rafa Benítez because he didn’t have a great career as a professional player”

Marcelino Garcia ToralPhoto credit – Icon Sport

The best tactical plan

“The important thing is the movement. There is no perfect system in football. The positioning of the players on the field has its advantages and disadvantages. The job of the coach and his staff is to establish which scheme is the best in relation to his workforce. In Bilbao, we operate in 4-4-2 because we master the data that this system implies, that is to say, to maximize its best aspects and find solutions in the face of difficulties. With the profiles available, you can both develop a good attacking game but also perform well in the defensive phases. This leaves room to combine and use the counterattack. This scheme also allows a good, fair and simple distribution of spaces in all areas of the game.

How to get the best out of a player?

“The main thing is the work in training. In other words, it is the assimilation of game concepts as well as the search for collective automatisms that allow individual characteristics and particular profiles to be compatible together. I strongly believe in collective functioning, because this is what allows individual characteristics to surpass themselves. In the organization of the team and the concepts of play in the offensive phase as in the defensive phase, this implies adaptation in order to obtain the best performance from the entire workforce. »

The game with two attackers

“I like playing with two forwards. Of course, I don’t want to have two identical profiles on the pitch. They must not be parallel but offer different skills. This offers multiple ways to attack. In addition, I consider it more difficult for the opponent to defend on two close players than on one. This can generate more doubts and approximations in the face. And that’s an observation I also make when analyzing my own team. »

His inspirational role models

“If I talk about really different teams from a technical and tactical point of view, I will mention Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan and Barça and Guardiola who had different styles, but also many points in common. Also, when I started coaching, I was inspired by Rafa Benítez because he didn’t have a great career as a professional player, but all he got as a coach was through hard work.” .

The importance of psychology in coaching

“When you are young, you have less experience to resolve difficult situations. With maturity, experience and analytical reasoning, you can find solutions, face each scenario. The players need to perceive that there is a normalcy, a consistency, a viable response to generate as much trust as possible around them. There is no doubt that the coach is the one who suffers the most from defeats, but it is also possible that he is the one who relishes the victories the most. As a technician, I feel stable enough to respond to all types of situations, with the aim of offering a positive outcome. All players need to feel supported by the coach, the staff, the teammates and the whole club. With very talented players, as was the case with Dani Parejo in Valencia or today with Iker Muniain, we try to insert them at the heart of a collective idea. They need to feel comfortable with the game offered and surrounded by their teammates. »

The importance of psychology in the player

“Being a footballer brings a lot of responsibility, because football is a sport but also a profession where you have to be at your best level in every game. The public demands it. So you always have to be more efficient, especially since it affects the results of your team. Victory gives you confidence, defeat can lead to depreciation and hard times. It’s not always easy to manage it. Knowing how to face these kinds of situations makes you a better player. I don’t know any player who is good all the time. Throughout my career, I have had exemplary players in terms of their attitude, on and off the pitch, with a lot of respect. At Athletic, Yeray Álvarez who beat cancer and Ínigo Martínez who gave up the Euro because he was psychologically tired are two great examples. »

Integrating young people into the workforce

“I like having a small squad, because it promotes better cohesion among the players and it also allows the incorporation of young players who dream of being part of the first team. It’s not a question of patience but of stimulation, of the desire to make room for players who will grow with our tactical instructions and with their teammates. Allowing a player to realize his dream, we like it a lot and it satisfies us. In no case is it a matter of obligation, but of enthusiasm. I’ve always liked working with young players, maybe because I’m grateful to have been a cantera player who crossed the categories to become a professional player in the team of my land. I don’t forget it. I managed the juvenile, then the subsidiary of Sporting de Gijón. For example, I had David Villa under my command. At 18, he already had everything. He dominated the game, he was skilful, quick, skilful. His game could adapt to any team, whether offensive or defensive. Since he had both feet, he was constantly finding situations to stand out. We could see that he could become an elite striker. »

“The day you think you can’t progress any more, you start to regress. »

Marcelino Garcia ToralPhoto credit – Icon Sport

Does a professional player evolve technically?

“I was lucky to grow up in a small Asturian village and there were lots of places in nature where we could play after school. I have almost always played against children older than me. We arrived later in the clubs. Now it is much more difficult to play ball in the street and children can enter a club at 5 years old. It’s a very different process and we sometimes forget that it’s about children and the first thing is to have fun. Besides, there is a difference between northern Spanish football and southern Spanish football. This is due to the climatic conditions and therefore to the state of the land. This forges a certain style of play and player. For example, in Asturias I started playing on sand or grass courts which, due to heavy rains, become muddy and therefore very heavy. The game in the North of Spain is much more direct and with a lot of contacts, that of the South reputedly more technical. That said, the playing conditions are standardized with synthetic pitches. »

Choosing a club

“You have to think carefully before committing to a club. Once the decision is made, the risks are implicit. My staff and I have confidence in our work before choosing where to go. This preliminary analysis leads us to believe that things will go in the right direction. It happened once that it didn’t go our way: in Seville. It was the only time I accepted working conditions and a workforce that had not fully convinced me. But it helped me to realize that the initial strength of conviction is very important for the results to be satisfactory and for the objectives to be achieved or even exceeded. You learn a lot from this type of experience, especially to make the right decisions with other clubs. »

His leitmotif as a coach

“Regardless of age and experience, you can always improve on a daily basis. The day you think you can’t progress any more, you start to regress. This is my way of acting as a professional. I first impose it on myself and on others. »

What does winning a title represent?

“When you become a coach, you dream of leading a professional team. And when you do, you dream of winning a title. We did it for the first time with Valencia in the Copa del Rey in 2019, the year of the centenary and against Leo Messi’s Barça. A few months later we raised the SuperCopa with Athletic, but this time there will always be that regret that we couldn’t celebrate it because of the pandemic. »

Represent the club of his land

” This is the dream ! When you’re a kid, you support your hometown team, in my case it’s Sporting de Gijón. Little by little, I realized that wearing this jersey could become a reality. I would have liked to have stayed longer, it lasted 4 years but I wish it had lasted 15 years! The competition is very high and I couldn’t maintain this level for so long. It’s something that I find here in Bilbao. »

A future abroad?

“For a coach, the notion of the future is always very opaque! We don’t know what the future will hold. In Bilbao, I live an extraordinary experience. If 18 months ago I had been told that I would coach Athletic, I would not have believed it. I am very grateful to the leaders for giving me this opportunity. Before signing here, I actually considered going abroad. This remains possible in the medium or long term. Everything can change overnight for a coach and his staff and you have to know how to take advantage of the present day. That’s what we do at Athletic. »