BarcelonaJavi Torralba was proclaimed European champion a few days ago with the Spanish U20 women’s team. The job as assistant coach of the Catalan coach, who also manages Segle XXI, was key in a team that opted for a modern, dynamic and daring game.
What was the aftertaste of the gold medal?
— It’s a very sweet aftertaste because I’ve been working in training for many years and, therefore, it’s a very important milestone. You always see things like this on TV and being able to experience it first hand is fascinating. It serves to close a cycle in the best possible way. It is the culmination of a dream I had since I was young, a personal and collective satisfaction. When I win, I like to remember all the people who bet on me. Betting on training is the real medal.
What were the keys to success?
— The first thing we did well as a team was, precisely, to be a team. It was an exciting and complicated summer at the same time. Many important people of this generation were missing and the bet was to give the opportunity to very young people. Only five players were of the maximum age and the rest were younger. We got it right both in the preparation of the group and in the game proposal. The atmosphere was very positive from the first day and people connected very quickly with the line of work, they were excited.
What was this game idea like?
— We had a group of players who, despite not being very tall, could be very physical. In defense we had to be very solid. In attack, we had people with good hands. Analyzing these strengths we tried to propose a rhythm from the defense, reach the attack by playing and generate options during the first seconds of each possession. We stretched the field a lot to find good shots from the corners. We opted to run because, if we had to play in a static attack, it cost us a little more.
The team had players who came from very different realities.
— Variety is wealth. The key is to be very clear about what each player can bring to you and simplify the game a lot. We opted for very clear and defined situations so that everyone understood what we were looking for.
You, who know the training categories very well, are you optimistic about the generations that come below?
— We must be optimistic because what comes below gives us the peace of mind of knowing that we will be very competitive. In the medium term we will pick up a very good job that is being done both from the clubs and from the 21st Century programme.
