Profiles - Adrian Lopez 'Piscu'
ADRIAN LOPEZ RODRiGUEZ 'PISCU'
Squad Number 10/11: 25
Date of Birth: 25 February, 1987
Place of Birth: As Pontes (Galicia)
Nationality: Spain
Contract: 2008 - 2010
Transfer: Zero cost-transfer (promoted from Deportivo B)
Career: Deportivo (2008-now), Deportivo B (2006-2008), Deportivo Juvenil A (2004-2006), As Pontes (2002-2004)
Buy-out Clause: ?
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Position: Defender (central)
Former Deportivo B player ADRIAN LOPEZ became the first defender since the early nineties to came out of the youth system and to make an impact in the first team. Caparrós already used the Galician in two Copa matches during the season 2006/2007, but it was Lotina who gave him the chance to make his breakthrough at the start of the season 2007/2008. With tasks to mark strikers like Raúl Tamudo, Kanouté, Morientes and Van Nistelrooy, the defender stayed cool and impressed all. Now he has earned a spot in the first squad and searches for a place in Lotina’s preferences.
The village of As Pontes, at a one-hour car drive to the east of La Coruña, could become an important name in the history of Deportivo. David Rochela, considered one of Depor’s biggest youth talents, was born there. But so was Adrián López back in 1987. Both players know each other and Adrián López used to play at As Pontes with David Rochela’s brother, a central defender too.
After a couple of years with Juvenil A, defender Adrián Lopéz was promoted by Deportivo B coach Tito Ramallo to Depor’s second team (2006). After this all went fast. Adrián López played some friendly matches with the first team and participated in some training sessions. On January 10th 2007, he played twelve minutes in the Copa match at Mallorca (1-2 win) by replacing the other Adrián, the Asturian striker, in Depor’s squad (it confused the stadium speaker). Striker Adrián scored his first official goal in the shirt of Deportivo that match while defender Adrián López was placed in midfield, to help out Sergio and to defend Depor’s lead after Juan Rodríguez was sent off. Coach Caparrós expressed his satisfaction after the match and said that “he did an important job and helped Sergio to clear the midfield”. As a reward, Adrián López was given another entry in the return match against Mallorca one week later (1-1). When defender Arbeloa was sold to Liverpool two weeks after it, Caparrós was quick with promoting Adrián López to the first squad and he became the second in the Caparrós era after Iago.
Deportivo B achieved the promotion to Segunda B in 2007 while the club sold Jorge Andrade (to Juventus) and also saw Juanma (out of contract) leaving. When the season 2007/2008 went underway, with Lotina as new coach, it quickly became clear the team was short on central defenders. Lopo and Coloccini were the starters, but injuries of Lopo and first replacement Pablo Amo caused the debut of new signing Aythami against Recreativo (0-2). His unlucky match against the Andalusians was the reason why Adrián López started the Primera match at Espanyol on September 30th 2007.
Probably the youngest team ever in the history of Deportivo impressed at the Montjuic and only gave away a few opportunities, but the inexperience and lack of efficiency upfront were the reasons why the match was lost 1-0. There were compliments to Adrián López, who was given another opportunity at Sevilla one week later. This time the team were more mature with the result (0-1 win) and a striker like Kanouté failed to score against the Galicians. Valencia and Real Madrid did score seven goals against Depor’s defence in the matches after it, but in the next 180 minutes, with Adrian López in defence, the team leaked just one goal. It seems that Deportivo have found their local reference at defence.
As a player, Adrián López is a calm, concentrated and hard-working type with two feet on the ground. After he was moved by Caparrós to the first squad, he said: “In the world of football one can go from Tercera to Primera in just one year, but it can also happen in the opposite direction. One can go down as fast as one can reach the top”. As examples to follow he gave the names of Jorge Andrade and Lopo: “Two great players and I learn a lot from them. Looking in Depor’s history I also liked Naybet and Djukic. And I still have that image on my mind of Djukic missing that penalty…”. As Adrián López was seven-year old back then, a new generation really seems to have arrived.
About the issue related to his name used in the world of football, striker Adrián López Álvarez was first at Depor’s squad and with it is called Adrián. However, defender Adrián López Rodríguez shares the first two names with the striker but nevertheless is referred to as Adrián López. It’s a personal wish of the player who is also known as Piscu, a nickname given to him by someone in the crowd. “But if you ask my friends about Piscu, nobody will know that person”, defender Adrián López said about the topic. However fans still calling him ‘Piscu’ and the journalists always use this short name during the match reports.
When both Lopo and Pablo Amo finally returned from their injury cases, the Galician young defender disappeared from the first squad line-ups, however he fulfilled fifteen caps in official matches, magic number that earned him a professional contract and a spot at the first squad for the following season, a usual clause used by the club in order to support the work of young players. Despite his promotion was an ‘obligation’, he was always on Lotina’s mind.
During the last matches of the liga campaign 2007/2008, together with Fabril’s team mate Chapi, it was normal to see his name in the list of called players as a back-up for the trio of central defenders Coloccini-Lopo-Pablo Amo. The reason was simple: Lotina was training the player for the following season, campaign in which he debuted as a first team member. On June 24th 2008, the As Pontes-born player signed his professional contract with Deportivo, this contract was for three years, but the deal included the season 2007/2008, therefore it ends in 2010. An interesting thing about his surprising appearance at the first squad is related to his origin, because ‘Piscu’ is the first Galician defender that fulfills at least 15 liga games with the first team since Lugo-born Antonio Docel completed 28 during the years 1991-1993, although this last one did it as a right-back defender.
The exit of Coloccini opened a door at the first squad, but it was immediately covered by Diego Colotto, while Zé Castro was also arriving to La Coruña. The presence of Lopo and even Pablo Amo left Adrián without too many choices to play, actually he only completed eight appearances in liga for the season 2008/2009, plus three games in Copa Del Rey and seven in Europe (Intertoto/UEFA). At least he scored his first professional goal on February 22nd, 2009, it was in liga against Valencia and it meant a point for the team (1-1). In some of those games Piscu performed as a right-back, something that was analysed by the defender during an interview, “The true is that I am not used to it. I play wherever they put me, and each time I go out to the field is to learn something. I still have to learn a lot at the centre and as side defender, which is not my position, so even more.”
In that same interview, Piscu analysed the coaches he had throughout his career “Tito (the coach at Fabril) and Devesa (coach of Juvenil A) are the coaches that have marked me the most. I am thankful with Devesa, because he had much confidence in me. When I was at Cadetes, he was picking me to Juveniles. And if it wasn’t for Tito, I would not be here today, because he was putting me at Fabril. Then there are the coaches of Endesa -Vilaboy and Billy- and Agulló, the Galician national coach, which led me to the senior squad.” Now Adrián López hopes to find more participation during the season 2009/2010, campaign in which he, once again, will face a tough competition for one place at the centre of the defence.
NUMBERS AT DEPORTIVO
LIGA
| Season | Games played | Games as starter | minutes | yellow cards | red cards | goals |
| 2007-2008 | 15 | 15 | 1,350 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-2009 | 8 | 7 | 638 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 23 | 22 | 1,988 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
COPA
| Season | games played | games as starter | minutes | yellow cards | red cards | goals |
| 2006-2007 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007-2008 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-2009 | 3 | 3 | 270 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 6 | 4 | 373 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
EUROPE
|
Season |
Comp |
Games played |
games as starter |
minutes |
yellow cards |
red cards |
goals |
|
2008-2009 |
UEFA/Int |
10 |
9 |
794 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
|
10 |
9 |
795 |
2 |
0 |
0 |