Taking a step back to move two steps forward

Miguel Angel Lotina has a complex media. For many journalists and commentators is that of Meñaka too defensive coach can pay in small teams but never give a chance to occupy a larger bench. By contrast, NDF has always had editors who admired his work, as our former colleague Juan Baeza, every year we reserved a place to Lotina, either to emphasize virtues as courage and wisdom , to spend a compliment or give a compliment . And less than six months, myself I highlighted his extraordinary tactical when to hold your team with different backgrounds.

Last season the Deportivo got a team that aimed as much to move comfortably in mid-table, half a year is spent poking his head noble positions of the Liga. In the second round, the turning point that led to the serious injury Luis Filipe, the team fell into a depression that made him the worst team in 2010. In summer, Lendoiro devoted his time to perform a series of tinkering but forgot the most urgent work : the signing of a striker of minimum guarantees. Depor started badly, very badly, so much so that after eight rounds played, the branquiazuis had not yet released the box wins, four draws and adding four losses, with fourteen goals conceded and only three in favor. With such balance, how could it be otherwise, the place of good Lotina began to falter.

Thus, in the ninth game, against RCD Espanyol in Riazor, Basque is playing the position: a defeat would, with almost complete safety, with their bones on the dole. At no time is difficult for a coach to deal with a game whose outcome will make the immediate future. To overcome such a difficult test, a technician needs to build on two pillars: the confidence of his players on it and his own. If one of the two fails, date of death. Lotina arrived on Sunday and no pulse trembled when played all trained with five defenders. The team won scoring three goals-as many as in all previous matches, and players, led by Lopo, made a public demonstration that they are to death with his coach.

The appeal for the defense of five is not new to sports remember the legendary Arsenio behind with Nando, Ribera-Djuckic-Voro-Rekarte-nor Lotina. In his first season in A Coruña, after reaching to be five points adrift of safety in Week 20, Menaka decided to strengthen its defense with a fifth man and the result could not be better: 35 points in 18 games and traced to Intertoto place. During the next few seasons, Lotina used different formations, with a predilection toward the 4-5-1, but the loss of key players in this scheme, as Filipe, Sergio Verdú Lafita or have led the team to soften a lot, to the point to become cannon fodder for the Second Division.

Lotina's decision to take five defenders for a home game proves to be a brave guy and honest, which seeks the good of his team and not his own: if the Espanyol, which is in the European places, it would have earned at Depor Today the head of Lotina be stuck on a spear. However, the team responded and not only won, but did so with competence and good feeling to give a step entregadísima with your computer. Lotina has earned credit for at least let him work until Christmas without having to bear indirect or revealing silences its president, a guy who usually has little patience with his chosen, only has had seven coaches in eighteen years and removing Corral and Silva, they were only one year, the others remain at least three seasonson the job.

PS. A story for readers not Coruña: a few weeks ago, on a holiday, tens of Riazor Blues appeared in the Sports City Abegondo at the time of training. Among workers in facilities and security staff began to run some alarm: everything pointed to that, as seen elsewhere, had been riding a chicken for the poor condition of equipment. However, to everyone's surprise, began to sing, encouraging staff and chanting the names of the players. Lotina, who is a gentleman, I paid a few beers as thanks.

Photo | CanalDeportivo.com
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In NDF | Miguel Angel Lotina, an expert in tactical formations