Santiago Cañizares does not have fond memories of his collaboration with Ronald Koeman. The now 51-year-old former goalkeeper worked in his last season as a professional, 2007/08, under Koeman at Valencia. It was a turbulent year for Cañizares, as in December 2007 he was ejected from the squad along with two other players. Just under fourteen years later, he calls Koeman the worst coach he has worked with in ten years at Valencia.
Koeman was appointed in October 2007 to succeed the fired Quique Sánchez Flores at Valencia, but did not have a successful employment. The club finished fourth in the Champions League group and dropped to fifteenth place in LaLiga, although Koeman did win the Copa del Rey. The shocking decision to remove three club icons from the selection in December haunted the trainer for a long time. Cañizares, Miguel Ángel Angulo and captain David Albelda were no longer in his plans.
“Tactically, Koeman was unable to provide the players with what they needed,” Cañizares, who also played for Real Madrid in his career, recalled. radio marca. “He also didn’t do well in training and the physical preparation for games. In my ten years at Valencia, he was the worst coach I worked with. He didn’t know how to handle the dressing room and what decisions to make. expelled me, Angulo and Albelda from the squad in December, when the roster consisted of 25 players, and as a result had to move on to 22 players.”
“There was no advantage to that decision. He never seemed to me to be a good coach. There are also other trainers who didn’t let me play much, but who are good, such as Fabio Capello,” concludes Cañizares. Koeman is currently under pressure at Barcelona, but according to media in Spain, he can stay on until Saturday night’s game against Atlético Madrid. However, due to a suspension, he is not in the dug-out and the honors are taken over by Alfred Schreuder.