He arrived in San Sebastián in January 2008 to help Real return to the First Division. The objective of José Luis Martí, then a sought-after midfielder, was snatched from him by Sporting de Preciado, who finally finished third and rose to the top flight, leaving the Basques in the Second Division for another year. The Spaniard, who only played half a season as a txuri-urdin, returns to Anoeta the day after tomorrow to face Sanse who has become Sporting’s coach. “Pep was hard-working, very professional and a bit of a coach on the pitch. It is not surprising to see him have taken that path, ”say Xabi Prieto, Carlos Martínez and Borja Viguera about his former partner.
The signing of Martí came in full relief on the Real Sociedad bench. Chris Coleman left his place to the subsidiary coach Eizmendi. He lasted eleven games and was replaced by Juanma Lillo. Along the way, the people of San Sebastian had been reinforced in January with more people than Martí. Fran Mérida, Víctor Casadesús and Nacho joined a fearsome squad in the category. “We were surprised that Pep came to the Second Division to play for Real. He was an important player at Sevilla, where he had won almost everything”, says Xabi Prieto, one of the important players in that dressing room. “Apart from his technical qualities, he understood football very well. He was smart and also a joker. He related more to the veterans, but he was an open person with all his teammates”, points out who has worn the txuri-urdin shirt more than 500 times.
“He was a leader. A serious player at work and who was seen to love football, ”says Carlos Martínez, right back of that Royal Society. “He had experience, he corrected a lot on the field and he always tried to help us youngsters”, he expands. Among those youngsters, a striker who came from the subsidiary and years later would sign for Sporting: Borja Viguera. “He was as he is now and has been his entire career: a very professional guy who knew what he had to do at all times,” says the man from La Rioja. Viguera continues to be active alongside Carmona in the ranks of Intercity, leader of his group in the Second RFEF. They will follow the game from Alicante.
“Carlos (Carmona) and I watch all the Sporting games we can. With the arrival of Jony, Jordi (Calavera) and the new coach, changes will be noticed quickly, ”says Viguera. Carlos Martínez, who is still aware of that Real defeat against Alavés that paved the way for Preciado’s promotion to Sporting, defines the state of Sanse and Sporting as “very different on an emotional level. The subsidiary of the Real comes from winning two games in a row, the last against Oviedo and after a penalty saved at the end. Sporting, on the contrary, after losing in discount. Sanse play football very well, but they have the typical mistakes of a reserve team”. Everyone agrees that the rojiblancos will not find an affordable match in Anoeta. “In Zubieta, work is being done in a spectacular way and Sanse also has a very good coach like Xabi Alonso,” says Borja Viguera.
“Both have been midfielders, they see 360 degrees of football, it’s going to be a very close game,” says Carlos Martínez about the confrontation between Xabi Alonso and Pep, as his former teammates call José Luis Martí. “We have a very good relationship, from time to time we send each other messages”, discovers Xabi Prieto. “We haven’t spoken this week because I think that in the end I won’t be able to go to Anoeta to see him as it’s Monday’s game, but I hope that Sanse manages to save himself and that Martí does very well at Sporting. It is already known that the arrival of a new coach always changes the tables and hopefully it will be possible at the end of the season”, concludes Xabi Prieto.
Noé Calleja, with the Balearic in Mareo
The Sporting training session held yesterday by Sporting in Mareo was attended by Noé Calleja. The rojiblanco technical secretary took the place that Javi Rico, sporting director of Sporting, has been absent in recent days. He was seen chatting with the coach at the beginning of a training session held on the grass of field number 1. Calleja is taking the sports director course in Madrid, a task that has led him to be seen less frequently in Mareo. The estrangement that he has lived with Javi Rico for months is another reason why it is more difficult to see them together in a first team session.
