“Winning in Bilbao is in a hurry”

Alberto de la Bella (Santa Coloma de Gramanet, 1985) is the clear example of a player without a youth squad who absorbed the essence of the derby. He enjoys the duels against Athletic the most, where he is always good: four wins, five draws and one loss in 10 games against the rojiblancos, with two memorable moments: 1-3 in 2012/13 and his goal in right for a 1-1 in 2014/15 with less on the field. He attends the MD from Cartagena, because he works in the technical staff of ‘efesé’ as a ‘sports mentor’.

What is your mission in Cartagena?

This is my first ‘post-football’ year here and I am enjoying and learning as a sports mentor. I help players come as prepared as possible for the game in mind. I have individual and group work and I enjoy it, really.

Is it a tactical job, but mainly a psychological one?

Yes and it is important. One sets goals at the individual and group level and the plan is to guide and accompany them in achieving those goals. There are different stages within a season, moments when they are better and worse, and having a figure like me who goes with them and helps them go through the processes that are necessary their passage makes their work easier.

Aperribay said in his farewell to Real that he was waiting for him at the club

Yes. We will see in the future. I will return to San Sebastian. I think I will stay in Cartagena for a year and then I will definitely come back to San Sebastián. I am also in training, I started to study psychology, which can give me a lot of knowledge. I’m not young, I’m not going to Erasmus, like at university, but I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.

How is Luca Sangalli there? You started playing a lot, now almost nothing, how do you see it?

Luca, play more or play less, don’t drop. He has a huge personality. He is the typical player that any coach would love to have in his ranks. He is a great teammate, he always gives his best and now he doesn’t have to join, but when the coach needs him, he will be ready.

The derby has arrived. Do you see Real ready to attack Bilbao again?

Of course I saw him getting ready. La Real went through a small bump in results, but are back on the winning track and will go all out in San Mamés. They want to consolidate that fourth place and what better way to do it than by winning the derby.

How did you survive the derbies? Did you feel the rivalry as a youth player?

Yes. Realized throughout the week of training that this was a special match. And everywhere you go, the supermarket, La Concha, the Center… everyone tells you that this fight has to be won. And that’s what it feels like. The companions, most of whom are Basques and have lived since they were small, tell you that they are different parties and the atmosphere created is wonderful. The relationship between the two hobbies is an example for the entire world of sports.

And what does it mean to win in Bilbao and embrace the Real fans?

Winning in Bilbao is a rush, for the three points and for the satisfaction of feeling superior to the other team in the area.

How do you remember 1-3 of the 2012/13 campaign?

That was brutal. Brutal. We started losing, there was a displacement of a lot of people from Real, like in every game. And rounding it off with goals from Antoine, Agirretxe and Carlitos was brutal. That was the last derby at the old San Mamés and it’s the one I remember the most. And then I had a chance to score.

How did that Real play…

Brutal. I have all the games on my hard drive and I need to play them for my son so he can see how his dad played that season. This was my best phase as a footballer.

And then there was the 1-1 derby, where you scored the equalizer with your right foot, how do you remember it?

I think this is the only goal of my career with my right foot. We started with a penalty and the sending off of Mikel González. Very complicated situation for an away derby. There was a lot of pressure. Pardo gave me a good pass, I controlled it with my left, but it stayed a bit to the right, bouncing and I didn’t think about it. If only I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have implemented it like I did at that moment.

Is it possible to repeat the success they achieved 10 years ago, to get a place in the Champions League?

I think it’s time to qualify for the Champions League. La Real is having a good year, managing to be a fixture in the Europa League, but I think they need and deserve fourth place. This is the team that has been in that position the longest, more than the chasers like Villarreal or Betis and hopefully they can keep it until the end of the season. It will be a reward for all their hard work throughout the season.

Your eldest son, Enzo, who is a soccer fan and a realist, which Real player do you like the most?

He likes a lot of players. Because of the place where he plays, he prefers creative players: Kubo, Brais, Merino, Silva… He pays attention to the artists of the team.

And what does the father want in this Real?

I want to see how people come out of the youth academy and do things as if they have been in the first team for three or four years. It’s amazing how prepared they come, the work being done from below and it’s a source of pride. I recently read an interview with Olabe and it’s Real model is an example for any quarry.

And there is also Imanol, who you have only been with for a few months at Real, what influence do you think he has had on this march for Real?

Imanol is important, it is an important part of the project and the future. He is the perfect coach for Real Sociedad. I could hardly be with him, but the way he transmitted, the way he felt…Having someone like that leading a team was amazing.

Have you played any ‘Imanolina’?

For sure. But it was that I lived with such intensity in every training session, every exercise, that it was normal. And I really liked that he did not look at the names, but at the meritocracy of each one. He is a fair person and sometimes coaches lack that.

You can rarely keep up with Oyarzabal on the left wing, how did you see his progression?

From the time I left him until now, he took a huge step once he inherited the ’10’ from Xabi Prieto. Mikel is this Real icon and a fixture in the Spanish team. Hopefully he can feel the way he felt before the injury because he is also a key piece. There is no Real Sociedad without Mikel Oyarzabal today.