Spanish clubs now opting for home-grown coaches

The likes of Helenio Herrera, Luis Carniglia, Rinus Michels, Milan Miljanic, Vujadin Boskov, Johan Cruyff, Leo Beenhakker, Guus Hiddink, Fabio Capello and Frank Rijkaard have monopolized the trophies in recent years - and established the tactical developments and strategic fashions.

 Indeed, La Liga has traditionally been the major league most receptive to foreign coaches, more than the German, Italian or English leagues.

 Until now, that is.

 Next season, only four Liga clubs will start the season with a foreign coach: Real Madrid (Bernd Schuster), Villarreal (Manuel Pellegrini), Atletico Madrid (Javier Aguirre) and Numancia (Sergio Kresic).

 Schuster, Pellegrini, Aguirre and Kresic have all been working in Spain for many years, to such an extent that they are almost "Spanish" in cultural and football terms.

 Spain's triumph at Euro 2008 has reinforced the pervasive sentiment that Spanish football is strong and competitive, and does not need the same quantity of foreign coaches as before.

 Another significant development is that no less than seven Liga coaches actually hail from the junior sections of the club.

 Barcelona are in the vanguard of this tendency, having promoted former captain Josep Guardiola from the nursery side to the first team.

 Crosstown neighbours Espanyol have followed suit, replacing Ernesto Valverde with club stalwart Bartolome Marquez.

 The same situation can be found down in Seville. Manolo Jimenez - promoted from the nursery side when Juande Ramos left for Tottenham last October - will continue on the Sevilla bench, and club stalwart Paco Chaparro on the Betis bench.

 Malaga have brought back old club warhorse Antonio Tapia, Recreativo Huelva are sticking by stalwart Manolo Zambrano, who - the same as Chaparro at Betis - was brought in from the shadows to save the team from relegation last spring.

 The seventh "homemade" coach is Jose Ziganda, star striker and captain of Osasuna in the 1990s and now long-standing club coach.

 All in all, La Liga will have an even stronger Spanish flavour than ever next season.

DPA