When Villarreal travelled to Bilbao for a La Liga clash with a rejuvenated Athletic Club side in February, it wasn’t lost on Unai Emery that, after just a month under Marcelino Garcia Toral, the Basque giants were already a team transformed.
In Marcelino’s second game at the helm, Athletic defeated Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final. In his third, it was Barcelona who were ran ragged, going down 3-2 in a dramatic Spanish Super Cup final.
Inside just a fortnight, Athletic had a trophy to celebrate under their new manager. Perhaps even more importantly, they had a style of play to be proud of, with Marcelino’s uber-intense and high-octane style, revolving around relentless wing-play and quick transitions, rejuvenating a side who, until his arrival, had struggled to score or even look like scoring.
“The change of coach has meant (Athletic) maintaining their DNA, with things added by Marcelino that make them a very reliable and competitive team,” Emery said ahead of February’s 1-1 draw, via AS.
“A team that is fully confident, they have already won a title, and are growing in the league as they look strong.
“My experience with Marcelino… they are always very demanding matches. It forces you to work against a very strong rival in defence, teams that are very hard-working and a team that always demands a lot from you in 90 minutes.”
This was not the first time Emery had faced off against Marcelino. It’s not the first time he had praised his fellow Spaniard to the hilt either. Ahead of a Europa League clash between Arsenal and Valencia in 2019, Emery described his compatriot as a ‘great coach’.
With the Athletic reporting that Tottenham have now made contact with Marcelino two days after Daniel Levy sacked Jose Mourinho, Spurs fans will be hoping that the 55-year-old can do a better job in North London than Emery did.
The immediate impact Marcelino has made at San Mames would certainly bode well if he was to make a sudden switch to Spurs, especially with Carabao Cup glory and Champions League qualification on the line.
If Mourinho’s yawn-inducing style was one of the nails in his Tottenham coffin, Levy should not have the same concerns about Marcelino. His Valencia and Villarreal sides were two of the most exciting in La Liga and it’s not hard to imagine Heung Min-Son, Sergio Reguilon, even Steven Bergwijn, going from strength to strength under him.
Marcelino is intense, almost to a fault, never afraid to criticise his owners or risk burning out his players with his ever-demanding approach to man-management and tactics.
But Spurs fans should not be fearful of another Mourinho. Marcelino has a lot more in common with the man who came before: a certain Mauricio Pochettino.
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