Juan Solla, back to Premier in the hands of Gracia

ways Call Grace and from round John Plaice they met in the 2007/2008 season, when Navarre landed in Pontevedra. Since then, there has not been a football project for a coach in which he was not accompanied by a physical trainer, and Leeds, where both have been working since February, will not be an exception. This time it was more difficult for Galičanin to say yes than on other occasions, because he was immersed in another project in which Olympic Marseillebut in the end he decided to live, which is his second experience in the Premier after Watfordbetween 2018 and 2019.

Solla says that Gracia had the idea of ​​taking a break after finishing her time at Al-Sadd. However, he was given the opportunity to go to the base of the French team together with Michael Alonso and Marco Otero. He was comfortable there, he enjoyed the experience of returning to youth football a little later. “My family was fine, it was a project planned for several years, with good people and good experts. I it cost me to decide to quit,” he admits. He thought that “it was also a very good opportunity, to return to Premier with Javi”, with whom, he recalls, he has been for fifteen years. He decided to change “with great enthusiasm and the hope that turn out well”.

He states in detail that the relationship with Gracia arose when he worked as a rehabilitator in Pontevedra, where he arrived hand in hand with Alberto Argibay. “When he left, I stayed. Javi decided to count on me as a physical trainer, we play play-offs, we have a very good relationship and when he finishes, he decides that he wants me to continue working with him,” he commented. In the first row, after the maroon outfit, it occurred to him to go Cadiz and since then they have joint projects in clubs in different countries that include Malaga, Valencia, ruby cauldron or Watford, among others. At the same time, the coach of Redondel is still part of the coaching staff Moroccowith whom he worked these days during the representative break.

It was last month when they joined Leeds. This new challenge is leaving the Olympique stage very quickly, but also very positive. “It was very good experience. It was a job I didn’t dedicate myself to for a long time,” he says, recalling that his first steps were in the lower categories, in clubs like clashhe Celtic or Pontevedra, but almost 20 years ago. “It was a part I forgot, and Miguel Alonso and Marco Otero helped me a lot. It was a project to radically change the academy, training philosophy, facilities… A strong bet that would be noticed in a year or two,” he details.

From descent to exit

But by the same token, Juan Solla was also seduced by the challenge of Leeds, who were caught in the relegation places last month and have already started to raise their heads after leaving the red zone. “In principle, it is a three-month project, and further, depending on what happens, we will see. In four games, we have two wins, a draw and a defeat, which was against Chelsea,” he sums up. A positive balanceespecially considering that “you run into a new team, with players you practically don’t know”, even though they had the recommendations of many in football, he clarifies.

In Marseille, they made it easier for him to leave, even though they tried to force him reflect about the possibility of staying. “Was long conversations and I had my doubts, but they understood. It is known that in football there are sometimes moments when opportunities arise and you have to make decisions. I think at this point I had to take this one,” he says. He is very grateful to Marc Otero and Miguel Alonso for their stay in France and to Gracia for the trust she always showed in him.

Both his previous role and the one he is currently taking on managed to make them compatible with the Moroccan team, with whom he was already in World Cup in Qatar. next to the vigué Eduardo Dominguezthey formed the Galician level of the great discovery of the event in which they were fourth after falling in the semi-finals.

Rodrigo Moreno in the team and more Galicians in the club

Juan Solla describes in detail that upon his arrival in Leeds they found “a the main clubwith a lot of people, where it’s easy to work and everyone wants to help”, something that works very well easy the adjustment. The starting point was a complicated situation because they were in the relegation zone, but he points out that they found “a group of players very willing to work, to progress, with great enthusiasm.” Note that it is a young squad and from there, “mistakes arising from inexperience” combined with the desire for progress could arise”. At no point did they have the perception that they were in front of a dead team, he says, which was shown later with the results they were reaping.

In addition to this youngster, one of the veterans is the youth department of Celta Rodrigo Moreno, which rounds off the Galician touch not only put by him and Solla himself. Because they already worked in this club before arriving Willy Alonso as an analyst, Alvaro Dominguez and Ruben Crespo, which has been in the subject for five years. “I have a good relationship with them and it always helps to get to the place and meet people you know who know how the club works, tell you tricks and help you integrate,” he thanks.

As for a return to the Premier League, Solla has “very good memories” of his previous experience, at Watford, which is why he wanted to return to this competition. “It took two years to reach the Cup final and it was a very good and enriching experience. It’s one of the first leagues in the world, if not the first, and it’s very exciting,” he adds.

Leeds arrived at the championship break in fourteenth position with 26 points and two differences with relegation, but in an upward trend since the arrival of the new professional staff. They started the course with Jesse Marsch, with Skubala serving as an interim.