Albert Riera (Manacor, April 15, 1982) has football present 25 hours a day. After a long and successful career as a player, he moved to the bench a few years ago and after dominating Slovenian football with Olimpija Ljubljana can be found in Girondins of Bordeaux, with the aim of returning this historic French football team to Ligue 1, which he also plays as a short.
He arrived in Bordeaux in October last year. What is your assessment of this first season?
For me it was an experience that took the team at the beginning of the season because when this situation happens you don’t fix it yourself. I had the intention of signing a player per line in December, but we couldn’t include anyone because of DNGC (the financial control body for clubs in France) rules. And in the end we were not able to fight for the goal, to go up. Representing this shield we have to try, but in this situation they are not real possibilities.
Looking forward to next summer, will they be able to make additions?
We won’t know until June. The club needs to pass the DNGC rules again and from there we will know the budget we have.
You have one year left on your contract. Yes or yes is your intention to fulfill it?
I am very honest. I don’t like to leave anywhere behind the door. Less than a club I was at as a player. I feel and know what needs to be done to bring this team back to Ligue 1 but I need the way and for them to let me build the team that I think it needs to be done to try to climb, so that the sporting responsibility falls to me Obviously, something reasonable and within the club’s possibilities. Let it be a project, because this course cannot be called that, since there is no progress.
What particularities does the French Ligue 2 have?
In football in general, in Spain, in France and everywhere, the difference between First and Second is in quality. In Second, physique is more important, which is something that can be improved for the player. Ligue 2 is a league where you suffer if you don’t have the physicality.
Leaving the Girondins aside, which three Ligue 2 players would you highlight?
Himad Abdelli, Angers midfielder, Gauthier Hein, Auxerre winger, and Irvin Cardona, Saint-Étienne striker.
Do you have the life to watch football beyond France?
Obviously! I want to watch the Spanish LaLiga, the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, which is what I like the most… For what you want, you always make time from anywhere. We coaches become football patients because we have to stay current. For me it’s not work. If you love what you do, it’s more than a ‘hobby’. This is what I enjoy and I don’t look at the hours I put into it. Sometimes I come home at 9 in the evening and I leave at 6 but I return to the computer from home at 8:30. I don’t count the hours anymore because I get lost.
You are a Mallorcanist. Is coaching Mallorca one day a goal?
It’s obvious. Tomorrow, if there will be a possibility on both sides, that they love me and I am ready, I want to contribute my grain of sand to what is the group of my land. But when it’s time. That moment has yet to come.
The latter. Will the Girondins achieve promotion to Ligue 1 with you next season?
If you listen to me, yes. I know what we need, I know how to do it and I am convinced. But we need a way to be competitive the way I want to do it.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
