Caparrós quickly finding his feet

By Andy Hall

Taking over at a new club is never easy, but filling the hole left by the most successful coach in a club's history must be especially daunting. With Javier Irureta's seven-year reign at RC Deportivo La Coruña ending in May, the responsibility of building a new era at the Riazor has fallen to Joaquín Caparrós.

'Warm welcome'
The Utrera-born trainer certainly has the pedigree to make an impact in La Coruna, having enjoyed his fair share of success at Sevilla FC and RC Recreativo de Huelva. He spoke to uefa.com on completion of his first month in charge, and says he has been touched by the "warm welcome" he has received in Galicia. "My first impressions have been very good," he said. "When the players themselves receive you with open arms then the job is much easier.

New circumstances
"Every job is different - different fans, different city," the 49-year-old continued. "The only common denominator is the players who are professionals wherever they are. I have come to Depor after five years at Sevilla and the players here know we will be spending a lot of time together, so it's in everyone's interests that we get along well."

Quality on show
Caparrós could scarcely have had a better start as Deportivo overcame FK Buducnost Podgorica of Serbia and Montenegro 4-2 on aggregate in the UEFA Intertoto Cup second round to earn a meeting with Croatia's NK Slaven Koprivnica - although he is quick to point out the strength of the side he has inherited. "It's the start of a new era. Irureta clearly achieved a lot over the last seven years and has left me a team with a lot of class, one that is technically and tactically very good. The quality is here. Now I must take all those positive ingredients and try to carry on the good work.

Entertainment value
"Depor have always been a great side to watch," he added. "I have told the players how much I have enjoyed watching them. What we need to do now is get a sense of togetherness. Every coach has his own concepts and methods that he must transmit to his players. I would like to see a little more aggression in defence and a collective mentality. I have noticed that the players are very committed and when you have that, you have something of great value."

Youth policy
At Sevilla, Caparrós nurtured talented tyros such as José Antonio Reyes, Sergio Ramos and Jesús Navas, and having already blooded 20-year-old striker Iván Carril against Buducnost, he is keen to instil a similar approach at the Riazor. "I have always been in favour of bringing young players into the first team," he said. "Young players only need someone to give them a chance. Carril is ready and has now made his debut but there are others who will get their chance in the future."

Villarreal example
Deportivo finished a disappointing eighth in the Primera División in 2004/05, and Caparrós is keen for his charges to follow the example of Villarreal CF who went on to impress in the UEFA Cup having won the Intertoto Cup in the summers of 2003 and 2004.

'Maximum excitement'
"Villarreal did superbly in the Intertoto and UEFA Cups without having an extensive squad," he said. "Their players showed a great desire and bags of commitment. I hope ours show the same sacrifice and will to win. We are going into our Intertoto games with maximum excitement and maximum respect for the teams that cross our path."