“I came at a time when changes had to be made and everything was more difficult than we could imagine,” the Argentine coach confessed when he said goodbye to ElPozo
He came to Murcia as world champion and four years later he left without winning a title for ElPozo Murcia, but he took a bag full of sensations, friendships and love to a city that ‘I feel like it’s mine’. Diego Giustozzi appeared next to President José Antonio Bolarín this Thursday to say goodbye to the charcuterie entity. Bolarín praised the Argentine and thanked him for his dedication before clarifying that “At Christmas Diego told us he would not continue and that he gave us time to make arrangements to find a new coach.”
Giustozzi was excited. He was always loyal and respectful to everyone, he kind of liked what the media said about him. He never sent messages and never got involved in absurd fights with journalists. Glassy-eyed, Giustozzi confessed that “lately it has been very difficult for me to talk to the press and avoid certain moments of emotion. I didn’t really want it either, but after all I can’t leave without thanking the club because they really treated me, not only on a professional level, but also on a human level, really unbelievable. I will always carry them in my heart and I will be eternally grateful because for me the person is above any professional. Thanks to everyone,” said the Buenos Aires resident.
He had expected a little more from his stay in a team like ElPozo Murcia. That was the illusion of a coach who at the age of 39 was already world champion with Argentina and ended up at one of the best clubs in Europe. “I came in a difficult time, from the outside everyone knew that something had to change, but from the inside I can assure you that it was all much harder, much more tiring and much bigger than we thought”.
Giustozzi was referring to the departure of Álex Yepes and Miguelín, team leaders for a decade. “These are problems that seem like one thing from the outside, but the suffering comes from within and you’re having a really bad time. It was very difficult to talk face to face with a player and tell him not to continue. And I didn’t do it once. It’s hard to explain how you feel about it, especially after you’ve done it.”
But what most emphasized the resident of Buenos Aires was the sensations among the people in the palace. “Above all, when you win, when you get to the final, when you play well, it’s easier, but when the team was bad, I really felt the love from everyone, especially in the palace. At this stage of my life I didn’t have to win any titles, but you realize that love and mutual respect and that’s what I take most with me: the love I’ve received,” said Giustozzi.
Giustozzi has lost six finals to ElPozo in these four years, but “the one that hurt me the most was the Champions League against Barça at the Palau in 2020,” he admitted. He said he really made the decision to leave a year ago. In August 2021, he informed the club that he would not renew and the doubts started. “I understood that he wouldn’t give 100% and ElPozo didn’t deserve it. I will never change and it seemed fair to me to talk to the club and tell them to their face what I was feeling. I am very grateful for this opportunity they gave me, but the truth is that I decided to leave the moment I was no longer happy.
Perhaps the club’s dedication to attracting players like Taynan and Gadeia and gifting him with Mati Rosa’s whim made him excited, but the truth is the Argentine wanted to leave when his contract expired and that didn’t change. “I’ve been thinking about this decision for over a year and I’ve told you. I am in a different way, the contract is respected because I have to be grateful, but from the moment I was no longer happy I knew I had to leave. I know everyone wants to be in my place, but I’m not going to put that above my values. I am not going to change, until the last day I am in this sport I will be like this. After four very, very ‘tired’ years, it seemed to me the most loyal and honest thing to do was to leave».
The Argentine is now training the Vietnamese squad and leaves the door open for a return to the Spanish league. In ElPozo, he is replaced by Javi Rodríguez, who has just had two very good years at Santa Coloma. A legend as a player for Playas de Castellón and Barça, and winner of two World Cups with the national team, he comes to Murcia on a two-year contract.
Source: La Verdad
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