Who is East Bengal’s new head coach Manuel Diaz? Know all about the Spanish coach

Who is East Bengal’s new head coach Manuel Diaz? Know all about the Spanish coach

SC East Bengal have roped in a new head coach in Manuel Diaz for the new Hero Indian Super League season, who will take over the role from former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler. East Bengal terminated the contract of Robbie Fowler, after a disappointing season in 2020/21 which saw them finish in the 9th position among 10 teams.

The newly appointed Manuel Diaz, brings with him a lot of experience and the Kolkata-based club will look to benefit from him, especially when the coach does not have much time to make his own team and start the season. In this article, we take a look into getting to know the new head a little better.

Who is Manuel Diaz?

Manuel Diaz is a former Real Madrid Castilla coach
Manuel Diaz is a former Real Madrid Castilla coach

José Manuel ‘Manolo’ Díaz Fernández is a Spanish football coach aged 53, who started his footballing career as a manager in 2002. He was a part of the backroom staff of Real Madrid’s youth squad from 2002 to 2006 and then moved onto Mexico to start a new chapter as a professional manager. He coached Navalcarnero for a season from 2008-09 in where he won 7 matches out of the 25 he managed.

Diaz returned to Spain in 2009 and as named coach of the Real Madrid C squad by Fiorentino Perez. He was in charge of the side for 4 years and oversaw 175 matches notching up 78 victories and 45 draws.

Manuel Diaz received a promotion in 2013 when he was made the Real Madrid Castilla manager, where he brought in a number of talented players who have gone on to have successful careers at Real Madrid. The likes of Lucas Vazquez, Mariano Diaz, and Diego Llorente all received coaching from Diaz at the youth level before going on to make a name for themselves at the senior squad.

He stayed at the club for a couple of years, before moving onto another Spanish club SD Ponferradina, and took charge as head coach for a year. However, as things would have it he had to return to Real Madrid’s Castilla side in 2018 when Santiago Solari, the then Castilla coach was promoted to the senior squad’s managerial role.

The Spaniard’s most recent spell came at Hercules, where he was appointed manager in February 2021, and managed the club till September until East Bengal came calling for him. In all, Manuel Diaz has a huge wealth of experience in coaching football clubs and has managed for over 300 games.

What are Manuel Diaz’s credentials?

Although he has failed to win a title anywhere, mostly because of the clubs he managed over the years his winning rate stands at an impressive 41.77%. Overall he managed a total of 328 matches and came out with a victory in 137 of them, and a draw in another 83 matches. His sides have scored a total of 476 goals during his 12 year run as a senior manager and will instil a lot of confidence mong the East Bengal fans who are looking for a good year this year after a tumultuous time in the build-up to this year’s ISL.

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