Profiles - Lotina
MIGUEL ANGEL LOTINA ORUECHEBARRIA
Date of Birth: June 18, 1957
Place of Birth: Meñaka, Vizcaya (Spain)
Contract with Depor: 2007 - 2011
Titles conquered: Copa del Rey (2006- RCD Espanyol)
Clubs Trained: Deportivo (2007-now), Real Sociedad (January 2007-June 2007), RCD Espanyol (2004-2006), Celta (2002-2004), Osasuna (1999-2002), Numancia (1998-1999), Badajoz (1997-1998), Logroñes (1996-1997), Numancia (1993-1996), Logroñes (1993), Logroñes B (1990-1993)
With Joaquín Caparrós leaving the ship, president Lendoiro needed a replacement in order to continue with the ‘third lesson’ project. And the selected choice was Miguel Ángel Lotina; this ex-Celta trainer was very successful with Numancia and Osasuna. Later he had mixed results, he was able to put Celta in Champions League and won a Copa Del Rey trophy with Espanyol, but he failed to save Real Sociedad from relegation. After a rollercoaster first season at Depor, the Basque is now hoping to succeed in La Coruña.
MIGUEL ÁNGEL LOTINA has been linked with the world of football since the 80’s. He was born in Meñaka, a little town in Vizcaya (500 inhabitants). Lotina was the minor of eight brothers (two of his sisters are nuns), used to talk the Basque language, he learned Spanish until he was a teenager. At the age of 20, he started his career as a striker at Guernica (Tercera División) and later he joined CD Logroñes, a club that was playing at Segunda B and that reached the Spanish first division on the season 1987/1988.
After his career as a player ended, he decided to continue with a professional career as a football coach; his first experience was in the same Logroñes. He coached the B-team during three seasons (1990-1993). Suddenly and without warning, Lotina debuted in Primera División after he took control of Logroñes's first squad at the middle of the 1992/1993 campaign. He was the emergency replacement of David Vidal during two weeks, later Carlos Aimar took the job. Curiously his debut was against Deportivo, a match he lost with a 0-3 score.
A few months later, Lotina was coaching Numancia (season 1993/1994), a Segunda B club in which he made history. During the 1995/1996 campaign, Numancia eliminated three Primera clubs in copa del rey -Real Sociedad, Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón- later in the competition, his team was near to eliminate Barcelona FC, but they lost 3-1 at the Camp Nou (quarterfinals). It was the first time in which he was noticed as a coach. His team also reached the promotion stages in two opportunities, although it didn't achieve a place at Segunda División.
The secret for Lotina's success is that he has always been a humble coach working with humble squads. He always had both feet on the ground. Besides, his emotional connection with the players has helped him to transmit his ideas and desires without problems. The Meñaka-born trainer returned to Logroñes for the season 1996/1997, at the time the team was playing at Primera División. But he wasn't able to repeat his previous success. He was fired after just ten matches and after his squad suffered four straight defeats. It was his first disappointment as a coach and it won't be the last one. One year later, Lotina coached Badajoz at Segunda División, once again he was sacked, this time after just fifteen matches.
But the Basque coach returned with brightness during the season 1998/1999. He trained Numancia for the second opportunity in his career, and his team gained the promotion to Primera with a notorious third place in Segunda. Then, Lotina was hired by another Segunda club: Osasuna. For the second consecutive time the Meñaka-born trainer earned the promotion to Primera and later he spent two more seasons with Pamplona's team. Osasuna always fought for the permanence, a mission that he accomplished in two opportunities. During his last season at the club (2001/2002), his squad achieved the objective during the last game of the season, a thing that would be repeated in the future.
Decided to achieve bigger things, he signed for Depor's nemesis: Celta de Vigo. His first season (2002/2003) was successful and his team achieved an historic qualification to the Champions League. But in the following campaign, Lotina's team fell down although they reached the second round in the biggest European tournament. He was fired after his team won only 4 of 21 official matches. Celta was 17th at the time of his exit, the club's authorities were expecting this measure would be the solution in order to change the course of the situation, but it wasn't so simple. Celta ended in Segunda and many fingers were pointing to Lotina as the responsible for the catastrophe.
A lot has been commented about the quick downfall of Celta, but the true is that the same players admitted they were demotivated during the whole season, a situation caused by the lack of payment and not by the work of the Basque coach. However, Lotina was the first to be blamed for the miseries of Celta, an 'urban legend' was born, 'the two-year cycle of Lotina': one year his teams are going to the top, the following one to the bottom.
For the season 2004/2005 he signed for RCD Espanyol, and once again his 'two-year cycle' was repeated. His first season at the Catalan club was very impressive. Although his team was very humble, Espanyol ended 5th and was even close to qualify to the Champions League, but everything changed during the following season, the Catalans suffered until the last second in order to achieve the permanence, and the phrase 'last second' isn't exaggerated, because a goal from Corominas during the stoppage time of the last liga game was the factor that saved the Catalans. At least Lotina was able to conquer the Copa Del Rey, his first title as a coach. Between the victims of Espanyol was Caparrós' Deportivo, a squad that Lotina defeated in the semi-finals of the tournament. But the Basque coach was emotionally devastated for all the suffering in la liga, despite the will of Espanyol’s officials, he decided to quit and he took a year of vacations.
But the break was really short; on the season 2006/2007 Real Sociedad called him after the Basque team was at the bottom of la liga after just seven matchdays. He took control of the squad and he planned the salvation with the winter incorporations of Jesuli, Savio, Víctor López and Herrera. Lotina didn’t succeed in this new adventure, because he just added 33 points after 31 liga matches and Real Sociedad ended in Segunda after 40 years at Spain's first division. Lotina cried after the relegation was consumed and decided to quit to his job. It was one of the biggest disappointments in his career, something he later admitted.
At the time, Joaquín Caparrós was also quitting to Deportivo, Lendoiro analysed the possible replacements, the first choice was Marcelino Toral, who later signed for Racing Santander, in then end Lotina was the selected one. He signed a one-year contract on Monday June 25, 2007. A big part of the fans were worried with the arrival of the Basque trainer, because he has been described as a 'depressed person' This for his passive attitudes during the games. However, Lotina denied this when his arrival to Depor was announced: "I am not a sad person, you will know me. People who already know me can tell you that I am not like that."