Ricardo Rodríguez: « Against PSG, the idea is not to spend the whole match defending » – 07/23/2022 at 06:00

Ricardo Rodríguez: ‘Against PSG, the idea is not to spend the whole game defending’

For the second friendly match of its tour, PSG will face Hiroki Sakai’s Urawa Red Diamonds, but also and above all Ricardo Rodríguez, voted Japan’s best coach last year. Converted to positional play in Thailand, this Spanish globetrotter, former assistant to Rijkaard in Saudi Arabia, has every intention of standing up to Christophe Galtier in the game.

With experiences in Spain, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and now Japan, you define yourself as a

« soccer worker »

. What do you mean ?

I made myself a little on my own, as my experiences progressed. I have been linked to football all my life, as a player, then following an injury, in physical preparation. At 24, I joined a professional staff, that of Real Oviedo, where I had trained and where I found former teammates. I went through almost all positions, director of the Real Madrid football school in Mexico, assistant coach in Girona, sports director in Málaga, analyst for Rijkaard in Saudi Arabia… Having lived in different countries and worked with players of different nationalities has helped me create my own style as a coach today.

“A sentence from my president in Thailand struck me: “Ricardo, people love football to have a beer in their hand, a scarf around their neck and see their team attack.” For me, it was a click.  »

You are a fan of the possession game and cite Sampaoli, Cruyff and Guardiola among your references. Where does this interest in this type of football come from?

Actually from Thailand. Specifically from my second club there, Ratchaburi. I had players… Read more about the article on SoFoot.com