Real-Osasuna without secrets

There is an intimate circle surrounding the match that Real plays against Osasuna, on Saturday at Anoeta. It’s a derby with no secrets, like every time Imanol Alguacil and Jagoba Arrasate meet again on the bench. Orio (51) is seven years older than Berriatua (44), but his professional career has developed, with undoubted success, along similar paths.

There is a very close union between the two coaches forged in Zubieta. This opens up more matches. Imanol and Jagoba are from Real and have made a name for themselves with Jokin Aperribay’s recent re-election as Real president: “One of my great prides is that they have been coaches of the first team,” said the club’s councilor , when he reviewed his mandate. Firing Arrasate in 2015 was one of the hardest decisions he had to make. The relationship between Aperribay and the Biscayan coach is close.

The collusion between the technicians comes from afar. Imanol replaced Jagoba on the División de Honor Juvenil bench eleven years ago and was proclaimed league champion in his group. Arrasate went on to train with Easo, before becoming Montanier’s assistant in the first team. The vacancy he left in the second unit of the youth team was filled by Imanol in the National League (2012-2013).

Imanol and Jagoba performed a kind of double jump the following season: the Biscayan was appointed coach of Real and the Guipuzcoan signed on as Asier Santana’s assistant at Sanse. The effects of Jagoba’s dismissal in 2015 had a decisive influence on Imanol’s career: he coached the match against Atlético de Madrid in Anoeta (2-1) with Santana and ended up as head coach of the subsidiary. A time side by side in Zubieta that solidified the friendship that bound them together.

Jagoba was again valued as a result of training at Numancia and, more importantly, having a place in Olympus on the Osasuna bench. On Saturday they will play their particular derby for the eighth time. Jagoba is strangling Imanol, unbeaten in the past seven -5 wins-