Instead of taking the rains down in Africa, it’s Vigo these days for Toto. Toto Berizzo, that is.
Celta Vigo’s triumph over two legs against Real Madrid was another indication of the progress the club has made in recent years. While the signings have been astute, it’s the coaching appointments that have been ever more so.
Berizzo is the third coach to oversee a change in direction at Celta in recent seasons. The ambitious project started with Paco Herrera, before moving on to Luis Enrique, and now it rests with Eduardo ‘Toto’ Berizzo.
The Argentinean coach is continuing to mastermind Celta’s quiet rise in La Liga, establishing themselves as one of the key teams in the chasing pack outside the usual trio. Celta, while with little to no chance of challenging Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, instead form part of the core that makes La Liga such a strong league these days.
Their qualification to the Europa League through a sixth place finish was the culmination of hard work at the club, an attempt to steer them in the right direction on the most modest of means. Celta remain, principally, a selling club. This means the stars they create by purchasing low, and also those that can come through the successful cantera, are moved on at a reasonably high price. It keeps the club afloat and their finances secure after years of mismanagement in an old regime.
This, however, does not negate their ambition or progress as a club. If a player leaves, they are replaced by someone with high levels of potential to match the departed player, or ideally exceed it. Nolito, Augusto Fernandez and Michael Krohn-Dehli all saw their careers elsewhere, for the bigger and better. Celta, rather than dwell upon those exits, moved on too.
Berizzo has had to deal with the consequences of all those sales. Rather than moan about it, or go about demanding signings, he has rebuilt the squad admirably. As with each coach that has been appointed through Herrera and Luis Enrique, the 47-year-old has left his own mark.
Herrera brought style and expansive attacking play. But they lacked steel, and toughness. Luis Enrique applied that soon enough, and by the time he left Celta were a more rounded outfit. He helped young players find their place in the team, and created a stronger work ethic. Berizzo has built on both superbly, rounding off the edges of both regimes. He now has Celta believing more, grasping ambition. Celta’s fight is taken to the door of the big teams.
It was Atleti who were dispatched of in the Copa del Rey last season, and Real Madrid’s turn this time around. In the league meanwhile, Celta have also triumphed over Barcelona - including one sparkling attacking display at Balaidos.
That's the big three, all feeling the full force of the Galicians’ ambition and progress over recent years. Celta also manage to maintain their level against smaller opponents, another nod to Berizzo’s demands and tireless work to achieve consistency.
It has brought about comparisons to his countryman Diego Simeone. Some are understandable. There’s meticulous work put in on the defensive end of the field, and a hardline approach off it. Plus of course, those demands. But Berizzo’s a more attacking minded coach, certainly, and while he’s not on Jorge Sampaoli’s level in that regard, he does profess that players express themselves when in possession.
Celta, against Real Madrid, showed they can use the ball efficiently. Whereas most teams just like to get rid of it, and batten down the hatches against big sides, Berizzo insists they stayed true to themselves. Indeed, in some fragile moments, Celta kept the ball and removed pressure.
So while Simeone has already achieved great things, and Sampaoli is on a quest to do so while being the most en-vogue coach around, you’d be wise not to ignore Berizzo.
