Better known as Pepe, el Bomba, he is a native of Villagonzalo and resides in Mérida. Public official, he is married and has a son.
– Since when have you dedicated yourself to training?
I started in 2000, with AD Villagonzalo in the First Regional.
– What motivated you to train?
Well, when I played for Zarceño and, due to circumstances, the coach was missing, since I was the oldest member of the squad, I performed player-coach functions. That’s how the training bug started to get to me.
– What does being a football coach mean to you?
For me it is a passion, since I love football. It fills me with satisfaction to transfer my football ideas to a team and have them translate them on the field of play. Furthermore, the knowledge of people and their behaviors is very enriching.
– What is your sporting career? What teams has he coached?
I started coaching AD Villagonzalo, I continued in the Guareña youth team, Guareña’s first team in Regional Preferente and five years in the Nueva Ciudad youth team, in Mérida. I stopped training for a year to obtain the national coaching title and then I went to La Nava de Santiago to take charge of AD Santa Quiteria for four seasons. Finally, last year I signed for CD Zarceño on its return to regional football.
– In your opinion, what qualities should a good coach have?
When I obtained the title of national coach in Badajoz, all my concepts changed. I think that both physically and technically, everything should revolve around the ball. Tactically, the coach must adapt to the type of players he has on the squad and in the psychological field he must work hard on the players’ emotional state, both individually and collectively, and be able to create a group commitment, unity between they.
– What are the main disappointments that a coach experiences?
The lack of commitment, the indiscipline, the selfishness of the players who think more about themselves than the group and the lack of a good organizational structure in all levels of the club. It also hurts me a lot to leave footballers who deserve to play on the bench, but only 11 can come out.
– And the most gratifying thing?
The friendships I have made in all the teams where I have been and the possibility of meeting so many kids, which has enriched me personally. As a coach, the fact that a team assimilates your concepts and transfers them to the playing field.
– Which coach or coaches do you like?
I like those coaches who have their teams well organized and know what they play. The first coach who impacted me was Arrigo Sacchi at Milan and his reduction of spaces forward. Then, the style of play that Johan Cruyff implemented and, later, Guardiola enriched and gave continuity. Currently I highly value Simeone’s personality and mental work and Zidane’s simplicity in managing a squad full of figures and egos.
– What do you value most about your players?
Commitment and solidarity. The player must know that the more the team grows, the more he grows and not the other way around. Furthermore, he must feel the shield that represents an entire hobby.
– What is your preferred playing style?
The style depends on the players you have on the squad. For me the most important thing is the transitions, both offensive-defensive and vice versa, so that the team never divides or breaks. The footballer must attach great importance to possession of the ball, but also when we do not have it, because then we can recover it.
-How do you see Zarceño compared to last season?
This year we have a more balanced team, with more competitiveness in the squad due to the new additions. Now the team knows what to play, the players associate well, they have assimilated many concepts and we have more intensity.
– What aspirations or objectives does the team have in the short term?
Train well today, tomorrow… to be closer to winning the next game. I think we can be among the six or seven teams fighting to play in the promotion league.
– What is your assessment of the last season?
I would give it an A+. We must keep in mind that we started from scratch, with many players who had only played indoor soccer. The team, in the first round, did not know how to compete, we went from less to more and ended up competing for promotion. In that first year, we grew a lot.
– Define yourself. What is Pepe el Bomba like as a coach?
I think that as a coach I am very hard on my players in the sense of repeating fundamental concepts of the game to them many times. On the other hand, I like to separate the sporting field from the personal field, prepare training and matches well, get to know the opponent to neutralize their strong points and combat their weaknesses and, of course, listen to the opinions of those around me.