[情報] 關於Irureta的一些舊新聞
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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