The La Liga innovator out to prove his old club wrong

After 2 years extracurricular Spain's apical flight, Elche sealed their automatic return to La Liga pinch a thumping 4-0 triumph astatine Deportivo successful June.

As nan 3rd largest metropolis successful nan Comunidad Valenciana and nan 20th largest successful nan full of Spain, Elche could hardly beryllium classified arsenic 1 of those clubs pundits for illustration to picture arsenic "punching supra their weight".

That did not extremity astir pundits from granting them nan dubious favoritism of being - on pinch Real Oviedo - favourites to driblet consecutive backmost into nan 2nd tier.

So acold - truthful wrong. With much than a 4th of nan play played, Eder Sarabia's broadside spell into Sunday's crippled astatine Barcelona eighth successful La Liga aft 10 games - pinch 3 wins, 5 draws and conscionable 2 defeats.

It will beryllium a poignant juncture for nan Bilbao-born coach, who returns to nan Catalan nine for nan first clip since an eventful seven-and-a-half period stint arsenic adjunct to Quique Setien successful 2020.

I met pinch Sarabia to talk astir his indifferent playing career, his celebrated begetter and his return to La Liga.

They opportunity nan pome ne'er falls acold from nan tree, though successful nan lawsuit of Eder Sarabia nan skills he inherited were different to those possessed by his begetter Manu.

Manu is simply a fable astatine his beloved Athletic Club aft winning backmost to-back titles betwixt 1982 and 1984, including a convention and cup double successful 1983-84.

Eder ne'er came adjacent to matching his father's footballing prowess a subordinate and did not play immoderate higher than nan 3rd section - though not for a deficiency of trying.

"I thought I was going to beryllium a footballer, but it didn't activity out," he says. "I ended up arsenic an amateur - I started coaching and felt fulfilled from nan start. I've kept going successful that guidance and I'm very happy.

"My parents were acrophobic that not fulfilling that dream would traumatise me, but they were relieved to spot that coaching suited me."

However, it was not each plain sailing erstwhile it became clear he was not going to scope nan playing heights achieved by his father.

For that he has his mother to convey - who persuaded him to study engineering erstwhile possibly a people successful beingness acquisition mightiness person seemed much logical.

"We lacked for thing but erstwhile I wanted to bargain a car I had to activity difficult earlier I could bargain it," he says.

"When I wanted to do a master's grade aft I vanished engineering my parents told maine to get a job."

It led to him moving successful a Bilbao supermarket, first arsenic a support stacker and past successful complaint of nan consequence counter.

Looking backmost connected those times, he says: "It's each astir valuing things, knowing what they really cost, and learning from what happens to you successful life."

Sarabia brought nan curtain down connected his playing profession aged conscionable 24, knowing heavy down he could not scope nan heights he had hoped to.

Instead, he began to thatch youngsters astatine Cruces, earlier heading to nan younker conception of Danok Bat - 1 of nan Basque country's main feeder clubs that helps create players for nan region's elder sides.

In 2011, Sarabia moved to Villarreal, and aft stints pinch various younker sides, he was named arsenic head of their C squad successful October 2013.

Crucial to his improvement was his gathering pinch Setien - nan man he would walk nan adjacent 5 years moving pinch and who had played alongside Sarabia elder astatine Logrones.

The effect Setien had connected nan younger Sarabia was profound.

"My begetter and Quique were my 2 footballing fathers," he tells me.

"I met Quique erstwhile I was 8 years aged and he was astir apt my father's champion friend successful football, truthful we were adjacent for a agelong time."

While astatine Villarreal he was successful interaction pinch Setien - who was coach astatine Lugo - making suggestions astir really he could amended things.

Setien, successful turn, had seen Sarabia's Villarreal younker squad play, liked what he saw and promised him a occupation whenever he near nan Galician club.

True to his word, arsenic Setien joined Las Palmas successful October 2015 1 of his first calls was to nan past 34-year-old Sarabia, offering him nan domiciled of assistant.

When Setien received a telephone from Real Betis 17 months later - and again from Barcelona successful January 2020 - Sarabia followed him connected some occasions.

It was astatine a Lionel Messi-led Barcelona wherever Sarabia discovered successful nary uncertain position what it would consciousness for illustration to beryllium extracurricular of his comfortableness zone.

Cited by nan media arsenic nan main logic for a rift betwixt nan dressing room and nan coaching unit astatine nan club, highlighted during a lucifer against Celta Vigo erstwhile Messi was seen to openly disregard him, he would later admit to an statement betwixt squad and unit aft nan game.

These days nevertheless he has only affirmative things to opportunity astir his clip pinch nan Blaugrana - and Messi successful particular.

He says of nan Argentine genius: "Leo isn't conscionable nan champion of each clip - he's astir apt nan 1 who understands [football] champion of each time. He understood things incredibly well.

"He's a awesome winner. He'd get angry if you whistled thing against his squad successful training aliases if they lost, and we had our ups and downs.

"But he wanted to beryllium amended and for nan squad to beryllium better, for nan communal bully and because he wanted to support winning. He had nan dream of winning different Champions League."

Setien was sacked 7 months aft his arrival, and though Sarabia's clip astatine Barca was short, he looks backmost connected it arsenic a "learning curve".

After 3 seasons astatine Gerard Pique's FC Andorra, Eder joined second-tier Elche connected an first one-year deal.

The nine won promotion backmost to La Liga aft a two-year hiatus, earning him a statement hold until June 2027.

Despite a caller blip that has seen his broadside suffer 2 and tie 1 of their past three, Sarabia's Elche broadside person shown their innovative, adaptive, attacking style should beryllium much than capable to enactment up.

The inclination of immoderate promoted clubs is to group retired defensively successful endurance mode alternatively than going for it. But that is not going to hap pinch Elche.

If they are to spell consecutive backmost down - which astatine nan infinitesimal seems improbable - they will astatine slightest spell down swinging, playing their ain marque of football, remaining existent to Sarabia's ethos: making fans happy.

He says: "We person a wide thought and a model, but we ne'er play nan aforesaid way."

Fundamental to his ideology is simply a non-negotiable request that players should beryllium honorable successful nan measurement they compete.

He explains: "In Basque, there's a connection 'jatorra'. There's nary nonstop translation, but it's for illustration being a bully person, honest, doing it nan correct way.

"Not everything goes arsenic agelong arsenic you win. That's a hallmark and thing my begetter instilled successful maine - shot is for clever people, but not for cheats."

Sarabia believes shot should beryllium astir much than conscionable results, wins, aliases dealings successful nan transportation marketplace - and attraction alternatively connected nan wellbeing of a club.

"I deliberation astir nan club's maturation successful nan short and agelong term," he says.

"If I enactment for life, great, but if it's six months aliases 3 years I want to time off a bequest truthful nan nine continues to turn and improve."