MEET THE PROFESSOR – new LCL boss Eder Maestre speaks

Mid-season, mid-table, London City Lionesses are already exceeding expectations, so new head coach Eder Maestre arrives in a sweet spot for the WSL newbies. 39-year-old Maestre is full of ambition, having left Tenerife for South London in the winter break, and his CV also includes working under Natalia Arroyo at Real Sociedad, plus positions at Zalla, Sestao River and SD Eibar.

Maestre describes himself as easy-going and bringing good vibes, but also admits he’s a perfectionist. Coming from the Basque region of Spain, he feels a strong connection with England and English football, and you can sense his excitement, even as he speaks of taking everything step by step.

Having been offered lots of options of clubs he could have joined, Maestre chose LCL as “the best option in female football”, and tells Helen M Jerome about his plans…

What do you see as the difference between La Liga F and the WSL in terms of style and standard?

I’m a professor in football and when I have students and ask for the game model of different countries, maybe the weather could be a guide to understand how they play.

So maybe the Spanish League is more calm; down with the ball, trying to be more indirect attacking, and English football is more direct.

I think in England, people have the idea to overcome lines fast, in emotional playing.

So I love it. I love attacking situations. I love creating an attacking environment.

Obviously, in my bag, I have Spanish experience, in that good treatment of the ball, trying to use the ball to move adversaries and take advantage of the spaces that they are leaving.

So we are going to be in that mix, but I think Spanish is more calm, in possession situations, compared to English football.

And okay, and out of possession maybe I think closer than in possession game models.

Presumably you’ve got to know the squad fairly well this week. Can you see any gaps, any places where you need to maybe get some more players in?

It’s my first week here, so too much stuff.

I am completely focused on Liverpool.

Yeah, I’m very happy with the players that I have.

We have most of them available to be in the squad list, so it’s very important to me now.

And those gaps are something that maybe we are going to debate in the future.

When you decided to join the club, did Michele [Kang] set you a specific target where she wanted the club to finish in the league?

Yes, the club targets, when we have these kind of resources is going to be in the top level. It’s something that’s easy to know and we need to be connected to that energy.

Being ambitious is not excluding being humble too, because if you want to win, the first step or the first pillar is being humble, respecting the opponent that you face.

I can repeat, I’m very aligned with that ambition.

I’m here, very far from my family because I am that ambitious.

I want to be a piece in that new building.. trying to make this club a top-level club in the world.

So Michele didn’t say you have to finish second, third or fourth in the league?

For me, my only proposal is winning each game that I’m going to prepare every week.

So that’s the goal, then.

Let’s see what happens!

Photos: Nina Farooqi, Helen M Jerome