Galatasaray also speaks Catalan

BarcelonaDomènec Torrent returned to sit on the Camp Nou bench ten years after his departure from Barça. This time, however, he did so sitting on the visiting bench and in the first coach’s chair. The coach of Santa Coloma de Farners started leading Catalan teams in the 90’s until his path crossed with Pep Guardiola. Lovers of the same football look, Torrent accompanied the Santpedor coach to the elite between 2008 and 2018: Barça, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. After more than ten intense years, he felt it was time to make decisions again. “Before being with Pep I had already been the first coach for 14 years in a row, in which I went through many categories of Catalan football; I only needed Second and First, practically. And, in recent years, the truth is that I was very I was comfortable with Pep, but he often commented to me, at dinners and conversations, that I should be a coach again, that I would have a good time, so in Manchester we got a few different offers and we talked about it quite naturally. One was from New York City, because Patrick Vieira was leaving and they needed a coach, “he said in an interview with the newspaper shortly after packing for the United States.

Torrent led the New York team, which is part of the City Football Group conglomerate, for a season, and before embarking on the Turkish adventure, he also spent three months at Brazilian Flamengo, one of the most South American continent. Several families were fighting for control of the club, which made day-to-day work difficult, and a tough thrashing that coincided during the election campaign of one of the directors ended up condemning Torrent and his coaching staff. They were fired in early November 2020. After more than a year without training, the Galatasaray proposal arrived. Without thinking much, the Catalan coach accepted the challenge of reviving one of the most powerful clubs in Turkey, which is going through low hours. It was a club commission, a firm commitment to the football position and possession that Torrent and his staff of confidence, formed by the Catalans Jordi Guerrero, Jordi Gris, Ricard Segarra and Julián Jiménez. The most immediate priority is to move away from relegation to the Turkish league – a competition they have won 22 times – and straighten the team’s course. Their work is beginning to be rewarded: this Monday they won the derby against Besiktas (2-1) and last week they managed to draw a deserved 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the round of 16 of Europe. League.

Torrent’s idea stems directly from Guardiola’s football, with which he shared a decade of learning. “If Messi goes down in history as the best footballer, Guardiola will go on to become the best coach. I know this is good and there are many valid ways to play football, but I like Pep’s. It’s incredible how he works, the hours he spends… He leaves nothing to chance, also how he invents and reinvents, and the passion he puts into it. that now they leave me alone as a coach, I learned them from him “, the Colombian coach explained to ARA.

During his time with Guardiola, Torrent was primarily in charge of strategy with the ball stopped, both offensively and defensively. In addition, he had a great understanding with the coach of Santpedor: “With a look we already understood each other.” Now it is Jordi Guerrero who is in charge of working this plot in the technical body of Galatasaray. Like Jordi Gris, Guerrero is Torrent’s direct assistant. Despite having some proposals on the table, they were both untrained when they received Torrent’s call. They didn’t think so either, and soon they were ready to travel to Istanbul, the place where they arrived to replace Fatih Terim, who, in his fourth stage as coach of the Turkish team, had been leading the team for five years. In fact, Terim is known to Galatasaray fans as the emperor.

Torrent in Istanbul was also accompanied by physical trainer Julián Jiménez and goalkeeping coach Ricard Segarra, who has left Barça to embark on this new stage. Segarra was the coach of the A youth team and had also coordinated the Barça goalkeeping area. In fact, he is one of the defenders of the signing of Ter Stegen and the promoter that Iñaki Peña, who had an outstanding performance in his debut at the Camp Nou last Thursday, is playing as a transfer to Galatasaray. The coaching staff also has the collaboration of Manacor’s Albert Riera, a former Galatasaray player.

Language defense

All thestaff celebrated the draw against Barça, but they are aware that Barça are much more powerful and that they are still the favorites to win despite Barcelona’s 0-0 draw. In addition, the trick set will face the return with accumulated fatigue. Due to heavy snowfall they were unable to return to Istanbul until Sunday and on Monday they had the demanding derby against Galatasaray. Still, they know the support of the fans would be an injection of energy. The so-called Turkish hell will seek to boost the team. In fact, more than one member of the coaching staff has been left speechless when he has had to comment on aspects on the bench during a match. This Thursday’s Barça rival also speaks Catalan. Es va encarregar de recordar-ho Torrent a la sala de premsa del Camp Nou després del duel de l’anada quan va respondre a una pregunta formulada en castellà: “Jo et contestaré en català, que és la meva llengua, i ja t’ they will translate it “.

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