Who has been the most successful Spanish head coach in ISL?

Several coaches from Spain have tried to leave their mark on Indian football.

The Indian Super League (ISL) has grown over the years into a competition where clubs try to play an intricate passing style of gameplay. This has been heavily implemented by the many Spanish coaches that have plied their trade in India over the past editions of the league.

In the current 2020/21 campaign alone, there are seven Spanish head coaches in the ISL, trying to get their teams success and recognition. A common trait between Spanish coaches of yesterday and today is their approach to the sport.

Staying true to their roots, managers from Spain have instilled a style of football that has flair, focuses on passing and puts emphasis on maintaining possession. This strategy has resonated well with the Indian players who may not be physically the strongest as individuals, but have the tenacity to play as a unit.

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Keeping in mind the influence the Spanish coaches have had in the ISL over the years, here is a look at coaches from the past and an analysis of who among them has achieved most success with their respective clubs.

Antonio Lopes Habas is a veteran in the ISL. He has been a part of the league since 2014 and won it twice with ATK. He started his journey with ATK in the first edition, when he guided them to the trophy and followed up with their second triumph in the 2019/20 campaign.

The Spaniard also spent a season with FC Pune City in 2016, but left his position after a difference of opinion with the club’s hierarchy. The tactician came back to the subcontinent with ATK in 2019 and now presides over ATK Mohun Bagan since the club merged with Mohun Bagan. Barring the current campaign, the head coach has a win percentage of 44.77% after winning 30 out of 67 games.

In 2016, for one season, Habas was replaced as ATK’s head coach by countryman Jose Francisco Molina. He also managed to secure the ISL title with the club that year, losing only twice in the whole season. Despite the success, he managed only six victories overall with the club, out of 17 overall games, of which nine games were draws.

In 2017, now defunct Delhi Dynamos FC also decided to put their faith in a Spanish head coach, as they appointed former Real Valladolid manager, Miguel Angel Portugal. However, the results were not as expected for the capital-based club, as under the new tactician, the club only managed five victories in 19 games, finishing in eighth place.

The coach moved to FC Pune City the following year, but was sacked merely after three games that ended in a draw and two losses. Portugal’s winning percentage of 22.72% is among the lowest of any Spanish coach in the ISL.

Sergio Lobera entered the ISL fray in 2017, when FC Goa appointed him in place of the outgoing Zico. From that point onward, Lobera won a lot of hearts thanks to his attacking gameplay, propelling FC Goa to become one of the most feared teams around. He won the Super Cup with the outfit and also guided them to a historic AFC Champions League group stage spot, after finishing top of the league standings in the 2019/20 season.

The Spaniard managed the Gaurs for 59 games before moving to Mumbai City FC, where he won 33 games with a win percentage of 55.93%.

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Bengaluru FC joined the ISL in the 2017/18 season, which was Albert Roca’s second with the outfit. Having led them to success in the I-League, this was the first taste of ISL football for the Spaniard. Regarded as one of the best coaches to have come to India, Roca’s stats speak for themselves.

In the one season he headed BFC in the ISL, the tactician won 14 out of the 21 games, finishing at the top of the league standings, but failed at the last hurdle in the playoffs. Regardless, his win percentage of 66.66% remains a massive benchmark for any head coach to match. He chose to become the fitness coach at FC Barcelona after having been appointed as Hyderabad FC’s head coach for the 2020/21 season.

Albert Roca was replaced by another Spaniard in Carles Cuadrat, who was assistant manager under him at BFC. The tactician finally guided the Blues to their first-ever ISL title in 2018/19. Now in his third season with the club, the expectations have only got higher. In the two seasons prior to the ongoing third, Cuadrat took charge of 49 games of which he won 23, with a win percentage of 46.93%.

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Josep Gombau spent two years in India and headed both Delhi Dynamos and Odisha FC after the club changed its base of operations. The tactician was particularly known for playing a possession-based type of football, inspired from his days at FC Barcelona’s academy.

The coach stuck to his philosophy, despite the team enduring many defeats in the process. He got the team to play his preferred style a bit too late, as the tactician only managed 11 wins out of the 39 total games, resulting in a win percentage of 28.20%. He left his position ahead of the 2020/21 campaign citing personal reasons.

Cesar Ferrando was appointed by Jamshedpur FC in 2018/19, ahead of their second season in the ISL. The Spaniard had previously coached teams like Atletico Madrid and Albacete in Spain. In the one year he was at the club, the tactician took charge of 20 games out of which he only managed six victories and 10 draws, with a win percentage of 30%.

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