Celta Vigo‘s new Argentine coach Eduardo Coudet has been faced with his first big decision since taking charge in Galicia – who will wear the captain’s armband. Usually, Celta’s players choose their captain each pre-season, with the last four being homegrown players – Hugo Mallo, Iago Aspas, Sergio Alvarez and Ruben Blanco.
Two weeks ago, however, outgoing coach Oscar Garcia took the armband away from Mallo, believing he didn’t behave in a manner that was worthy of a captain. In his stead, Garcia appointed Aspas who, despite being close to Mallo personally, accepted the decision taken by his coach. Coudet’s first game in charge of Celta will be against Sevilla on November 21st, and the question is who he chooses as his captain.
The feeling in the dressing room according to Marca is that Aspas is the team’s leader and the most decisive player in the squad, but Mallo is said to be the preferred choice of the board at Celta, and they’ve asked Coudet to reconsider his predecessor’s decision. Coudet and his team plan to begin working this weekend to bring serenity to a team that has been living in chaos these past few months.
A former midfielder, the Argentine had a brief spell at the Galician club during his playing career back in 2002 but was most well-known for his stints at Argentine giants San Lorenzo, River Plate and Rosario Central. The 46-year-old has managed clubs across South America since 2015 and guided Racing Club to the Argentine league title in 2019 – only their third since 1966. He left the club at the end of that year and was appointed at Brazilian club Internacional, whom he guided to 23 victories in 43 matches while at the helm.
The Galicians are currently 17th in LaLiga having lost three of their previous five matches. Next up for them following the international break is an Andalusian double-header – they face Sevilla in Seville before hosting high-flying Granada at Balaidos.
Featured image courtesy of El Intra Sports.
