Claudio Giráldez: “Estoy cumpliendo un sueño donde quiero y siempre quise estar”

We talked to Claudio Giraldes, the coach with whom “Celtismo” has been identified the most for a long time.re-establishing the club’s characteristics with attractive football betting for the fan and his commitment to the youth team. In a lengthy interview, he reviews his first nine months in charge of Celta for MARCA and looks to the future with optimism and ambition..

After the first nine months at the helm of the team, how would you rate it?

It’s a dream come true, a huge hope to be able to represent the team of my life, my city, a team that I carry in my heart. The balance is very positive. I think we are building something very good and we notice the warmth of all the fans, the club, the city. And above all the support of the players, which I think is the most important, because they understand that we are helping them to be better. I think the best is yet to come, we are in the process of developing many things. We have a lot of room for improvement. I feel very proud of the connection with the people, I have rarely seen it during my 37 years, and let no one doubt. “Celta” is going to go to any field to dominate and be bold.

Nine months later, do you still have that illusion?

Undoubtedly. I really enjoy what I do, I’m passionate about my job, I’m passionate about the club I’m in, the players and the dressing room I have. I wake up every day with the same enthusiasm, even before the Celta first team training. I am fulfilling a dream where I want and always wanted to be.

Aspas is the best player in the history of the club, he does not allow comparisons

Claudio Giraldez, “Celta” coach

There is an unusual communication between you and the crowd…

I know very well that warmth, that warmth, that excitement that we generate and how happy people are with us. It is also a responsibility that we try to fulfill with work, with maximum effort, being very faithful to what we think. We are very grateful. We are very much in touch with the feel of the club and its uniqueness.

That Claudio Giraldez, who collected MARCA guides as a child and teenager, did he already want to be a coach?

Ever since I was a child, I have had this passion for organizing, training, directing, and leading. I like to express my opinion and let people follow it. From a young age I had that connection with the MARCA guide and magazines like Don Balón, or PC Football.

And what influence did the EuroCelta you used to watch from the stands as a kid have on your proposal?

That is one of the references I have as a coach. That “EuroCelta” by Carpin, Mostovo and company. But also other moments from Celta, with very bold proposals, from Eusebio, who brought out many young players, with Berizzo, Luis Enrique or Unzue. And then the Barca of Cruyff and Guardiola in recent years team… That’s what I like to see as a fan and what I feel as a coach. It’s impossible to convince the players of one thing. which you don’t feel. This is another way to win, which is what the fans want.

And from “Celta”, which you continued as a coach, would you like to train any football player?

Mostovo, a player for me. How the world stopped when he had the ball. I learned a lot from him as a footballer. I would also say Borkha Oubina, who is now in the coaching staff and understood the game very well.

In this months debit the team numbers as visitors…

It is an accumulation of circumstances. Obviously we want to improve on the things we know we’re not doing well. I think a lot of times it’s not a bad job, it’s game situations that we need to improve on. At home we’re much more correct The encouragement of the fans is also important in difficult moments. There were also away games in which we were not very consistent both in the game and in the defensive activity. We need to improve continuity, be stable in game situations in which we are not dominant.

Are you proud of the growth of players who have reached the Premier League with you?

I am proud to see the evolution of any of my players, to help them become better football players. Let your career be as productive as possible and help the team.

It is wise to create teams based on their hobbies and cities

Claudio Giraldez, “Celta” coach

Is the future of clubs like “Celta” going through the quarry?

Nowadays it is important to have players who have lower costs than the first team in order to generate money or results. We have always believed in the youth team more or less in the first team. The process has always been careful and it pays off. You create a feeling that players believe in more. Fans recognize themselves more in a player who has been a follower. It’s a smart way to survive by creating teams based on your hobbies and cities.

With confirmed renewal, does Aspas have time left?

Of course he has a rope for a while. Obviously we all have to be aware of how old he is and that he’s not going to be with us for the rest of his life. We’re trying to manage him to be there as long as possible. knowing that it is very difficult not to have him on the field because of what he represents and can still be.

From the beginning, he did not allow comparisons of Fer Lopez with the captain…

The comparison will be good when Fer retires. And it would be just as unfair, because times are different. Iago is the best player in the history of the club, I have no doubt. Fer has just started, he has played one game in the First Division and twice in the cup.

Do you expect anything in the winter market other than leaving players out for a few minutes?

I’m very happy with the team and the mix of people. We have a very good group of people who know they can come in and out of the team as they want and that improves our competitive level on a daily basis. We understand that the players , who have played little, may have options to leave, and there are also players who have a sign, and the market is free. I hope that the team moves as little as possible.

Are you afraid of a key player leaving?

It’s not a fear. We have a very long line-up and I believe in it a lot. In this world, everyone can see the players who stand out, I’m sure everyone wants to stay here until the end of the season.

You bet on the cup.

Undoubtedly. We will go to Santander with the hope of going one more round and going as far as possible in a very special competition for everyone.

There are players above that I treat unfairly, they deserve to play

Claudio Giraldez, “Celta” coach

He has two-and-a-half years left on his contract, but does his ambition extend beyond Celta?

For me, this is the club of my life and the club I want to be in. I have no other ambitions as of today. The day I have it, I’ll take it to the club, because I don’t need to hide it. I feel complete. What I would like in the future is for the club to grow and to be at higher levels. I go hand in hand with the presidency, the sports management and the dressing room. I am very happy, I want to continue the steps here and, frankly, me somewhere else I don’t see it, because I would like my and the club’s aspirations to be realized together.

He rotates less than in the beginning, except for the left-back and striker…

I am a trainer who likes to change. Everyone knows that they should pay attention, that they will have their chance. At the top, I think we have a lot of people that I treat unfairly because they deserve to play. We have a lot of good players up front and we need to be as unpredictable as possible.

Where would you like to see Celta play in June?

Higher than where we are, and I think we can be, despite knowing how difficult it is to win every game in the First Division. We have to improve our numbers, maintain in their home and build a team that is equally recognizable, more stable and stronger.