Éder Sarabia directed his first training session as Espanyol head coach on Sunday at the Dani Jarque training complex in Sant Adrià de Besós, five days after signing his contract with the club.
The Basque coach (Bilbao, 1981) arrived at the session smiling, dressed in black and wearing a cap, with a pen in his right hand. His appointment followed a rapid sequence of events: Espanyol dismissed Manolo González on Tuesday night, announced Sarabia on Wednesday, and Sergio García took charge of the team for Friday's victory over Villarreal, a result that has gained further weight after the rest of the round's matches.
With almost a week before the next fixture, Sarabia is beginning to pass on his tactical ideas, which are strongly defined and faithful to the philosophy he has applied throughout his career: a fondness for the ball and high defensive lines. Those ideas differ from what had prevailed at Cornellà in recent years and will require time to settle.
His debut in the dugout will have to wait. On Saturday, Espanyol host Deportivo at the RCD Stadium at 16:15, the second and final match of the suspension he carries over from his spell at Elche. The club has not said who will occupy the bench, but the expectation is that Jon López, Sarabia's first assistant, will direct the team following the new coach's instructions. Sarabia's first match on the bench is expected after the international break, on 20 November, when Espanyol visit San Mamés, a stadium he holds dear.
Meanwhile, Sergio García returns to the reserve team after his work with the first team. The filial, coached by Ramón Ferrer, won in Logroño and continues to perform strongly, with García watching from the stands because regulations did not allow him to sit on the bench.
Sources: La Vanguardia.