Online Reporter
RAMON Catala and Luis de la Fuenta are SAME AGE BOYS – they are both 65-years-old.
They were born just one month apart.
Catala was born on May 29, 1961, and de la Fuenta was born on June 21, 1961.
De la Fuenta won the FIFA World Cup in the United States in July to add to the Euro 2024 title he won two years ago. He has been part of the Spanish national teams’ set-up since he was appointed coach of the Spain Under-19 side in May 2013.
Catala is just about to start his journey with the Warriors tomorrow when they take on Sierra Leone in a 2027 AFCON qualifier in Morocco.
It will also be his first test in an AFCON qualifier.
It’s been a great year for Spanish coaches who won FOUR of the SIX major trophies on offer in world football.
Luis Enrique won the UEFA Champions League with PSG, Unai Emery won the UEFA Europa Cup with Aston Villa while Mikel Arteta won the English Premiership with Arsenal.
Warriors fans will be hoping that the same Spanish coaching magic will rub onto Catala and help their team finally make a big impression at the AFCON finals. The Warriors have never gone beyond the group stages of the AFCON finals.
But, that can wait.
What is important right now is for the team to first qualify for next year’s AFCON finals.
It’s something which foreign coaches, either from Europe or from South America, the two continents which provided the two World Cup finalists this year, have generally struggled to achieve with the Warriors. Only one foreign coach, Zdravko Logarusic, led the Warriors to the AFCON finals.
But, even that achievement came after he won just one game in the qualifiers, against neighbours Botswana. His team was so bad that Loga was not even given the privilege to guide it at that AFCON finals as he was fired before the tournament had begun.
The responsibility now lies with Catala.
And, given the success which Spanish coaches are enjoying, many Warriors fans will be hoping he can deliver them to the Promised Land.
However, his lack of experience, at this level of the game, remains a concern.
He has spent the majority of his career working as a fitness coach with various clubs and national teams. But, his Spanish identity brings some hope.
“Spain represents the leading footballing culture, radiating their influence across the globe,” noted former Germany captain Philip Lahm in a column for The Guardian ahead of the World Cup final.
“The architect of Spain’s vision is Johan Cruyff. He brought the 4-3-3 formation and a specific ideology to Barcelona.
“A cadre of tactical purists, such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery, refined his approach into a philosophy that has defined the playing style of the entire league, all youth squads and the national team for nearly two decades.
“Its principles include ball-oriented defending, clearly defined positions and roles, a high level of organisation, and technical, combination-based football. Eleven players operate as a unit, moving like a swarm.” Is this what we are about to see from Catala’s men when the Warriors plunge into battle against the Leone Stars tomorrow?
Mathew Masinge