Nicolás Arregui changed roles at Capitol, from assistant to head coach. In this round of interviews, the coach of the Prado cast spoke about how he lives this previous stage and what he expects from his team in the contest, which had him as one of the animators of the last LUB.
At what point from the professional does this opportunity come to you?
I spent several years working as an assistant and it had not been given to me. Even, I was stopped for many years and then I joined with Diego (Cal) on the subject of the videos, and little by little I got closer in this last time thanks to him. There was a vacancy at the club, which was offered to me when Diego went to Biguá. In the first instance, I gave up due to labor issues, then I reconsidered it and decided to take this step of accepting the proposal.
What do you expect from yourself as the head coach and how much difference is this role from the experience you had last season?
It is a different role. In fact, in the passage that I had last year in command of the team, when Diego was with COVID, the players made it very easy for me. Now it is different, that is why having a team similar to the previous one was key to having a knowledge of all the parts and being able to give it continuity. This experience is new for me, but it is a team that has always been characterized by prioritizing the human group. Every day everyone goes and trains with enthusiasm, they push themselves forward and leave their best. It is a barbarian group, which gives you peace of mind to work.
How much does it influence the preparation before the start of the League that several players come very close to starting the competition?
The truth is that this is something that happens to all teams, or to the vast majority, it is not just us. That is why we looked at the team building at least to maintain a base from last year, to have that team knowledge that makes things easier for us and makes adaptation faster. Everything that has to do with El Metro, and added to some injuries, made us delay preparation a bit. Now the excuses are over, you have to start playing, there is no time to regret. For the next opportunity it will be necessary to take into account these kinds of things. We all have problems, we are not the only ones.
How important is it that foreigners know the club and the League? How is John Dickson?
We have two foreigners who arrived and who already know the environment and the club (Paul Harrison and Davaunta Thomas), and that is extremely important because we know what they can give. Dickson has been adapting physically. Although he was not in the institution, he already knows the League. His direct style is going to bring us a lot. It still lacks a bit of back and forth, but its characteristics were sought to suit our style of play.
How much did the arrival of Demian Álvarez boost to the squad almost upon the beginning of the LUB?
Demian is a very experienced player who is going to give us a great leap in quality. It is also coupled with the game that we are looking for, the court runs very well, it can be another generator and another way of scoring for us, so as not to depend so much on Thomas or Paul. Having another perimeter road that can generate situations is key. He adapts very well, he has a lot of category. We are very happy for the effort that the club made to be able to count on him.
How do you imagine this long-form competition could play Capitol?
At the end of the year I will tell you if I feel better or not (laughs). I think this mode is the fairest, the two-wheel shape is the fairest. I think the format is very good. This is what we need, a longer tournament, which we hope will be competitive.
Do you train with any extra pressure because this year there are declines?
I think last year we showed that the team could aspire to more, we are not going to name the word “relegation” in training. Our bar has to be higher than last year. We have to aim up, we want to be at the top. We will not look down.
How much is this team’s way of playing different from last year?
We are going to try to imitate what we did last year. Run the court whenever we can, and when there is no counterattack goal we will play looking for the best option. We do not think of anything else than to get with this team until the end.
Regarding the fixture, did you like the beginning or would you have preferred another?
What happens is convenient. If we had to do this, it is because this suited us, the reality is that we do not have to turn it much.
How is the return to the public by Capitol throbbing?
The truth is that we are really looking forward to it. Undoubtedly it is not the same to play without people in the stands as with people, even if it is not complete. In the club you live with great intensity, people always accompany you, giving forwards. It is lived on a day-to-day basis because there are always people on the lap, both in practice and in friendlies. You can feel the desire to return, encourage and support. In that sense, the Capitol fans, who I began to know in recent years, are very faithful and accompany for good.
What is Capitol for this season?
My thought is to be as high as possible. This is step by step, Capitol wants to be competitive, every day that we have a game we have to be competitive and try to win as many games as possible. Time will tell how far we go. There are no short-term or long-term goals. The short is game by game.
