Barcelona — Espanyol coach Rubi has transformed the fortunes of the often underachieving Catalan club and galvanised hopes ahead of Saturday’s city derby at home to La Liga champions Barcelona. Victory for seventh-placed Espanyol would move them to within four points of leaders Barca and further enhance the reputation of their coach, who spent a season at the Nou Camp working as an assistant. Rubi began his coaching career in the lower leagues of Spanish football, with sides such as Hospitalet and Espanyol’s reserve team, winning promotion to the third tier of Spanish football with the latter. He stood out in these typically gritty surroundings for having an attacking outlook and insisting that his teams dominate possession. His success and reputation led to him striking up a friendship with Tito Vilanova, assistant to Pep Guardiola during his trophy-laden period as boss of Barca. Guardiola is reported to have asked Rubi to join his staff at Bayern Munich when he began working with ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.