Meanwhile, in Spain: criticism of coach Juanjo Gutierrez intensifies

The attacks against Juanjo Gutiérrez, coach of the Spanish padel team, are increasingly felt. His management of the last two world championships, especially this year's in Qatar, is at the center of the debates.

There are many criticisms, and we present the main points to you:

Why play on the right a player who has only played on the left for 6 months?

This is the question that many fans and even journalists are asking themselves. Against all expectations, the Spanish captain surprises by lining up Juan Lebrón right alongsideAle Galán. While these two players obviously know each other very well, and Lebrón, talented and versatile, can adapt, was Spain really forced into this choice? This decision has raised questions about the lack of other strategic options.

But for others, like us, we thought it was a good move on Juanjo's part. It was very close to tipping the scales in Spain's favor.

A controversial strategy to deceive Argentina

It appears that the captain deliberately leaked information to the press to sow doubt among the opponents, Argentina. This strategy may have caught the pair off guard. Tapia/Chingotto, who had not anticipated finding Lebron/Galan in front of her. But for some observers, this manipulation was superfluous, especially since Spain was the favorite on paper.

Juanjo Gutiérrez
FIP Credit

Juanjo Gutiérrez loses tactical battle against Gaby Reca / Rodri Olvide

Here, more than a criticism, it is an observation. For a team that was supposed to dominate, Spain seems to have been destabilized by Argentina's choice of pairs. The Argentine coach, with simpler strategies, was able to take advantage of his status as an outsider and impose himself against Spanish tactics. Of course, Spain could have closed this final with a 2 - 0 without going to the third decisive match and we would not have had this debate.

Did Juanjo Gutiérrez want to “cover himself in glory”?

Some fans, disappointed by the defeat, make this criticism. However, it is important to qualify this point of view. The choice to align Lebron and Galan was not as bold as it may seem at first glance. Let us recall that this pair has long dominated the world rankings, showing an exceptional complicity and level of play. Juanjo Gutiérrez's calculation was therefore not so unrealistic. Juan Lebrón, one of the most talented, if not the most talented of his generation, lining up alongside Galán, seemed like a reasonable bet.

The real strategic issue lay in the position of the pair Lebron/Galan as number 2 against Chingotto/Tapia. If this Spanish pair had been opposed to From Nenno/Stupa ou Libaak/Augsburger, the match would probably have taken a completely different turn.

Translation of the post by “El Padel “It’s Asia”:

“Juanjo Gutiérrez, the Benito Floro of padel, lines up Lebrón on the right for the final against Argentina, after six months without training or playing on that side.

Lebrón is a genius and can do well, but it seems to me to be a lack of respect for the other drive players, for the backhand players who were not called up, and for Spanish padel, with a selection and false statements made with the sole aim of deceiving the opponent and covering themselves in glory with this idea.

Spain doesn't need this to win. I hope Spain wins and Juanjo leaves."

Translation of the post by “Padel Break”:

“I don’t question Juanjo’s strategy: it was risky, and he exposed himself to that. If he won, he would have been seen as a visionary; if he lost, it would have been a disaster. I absolutely do not share this opinion. He would have worked on the comeback. He took a risk: it didn’t work, while the duo Coki-Coello, he was impeccable. But it is obvious that…

In both defeats, Spain lacked ideas, variations and solutions to counter the excellent play of its opponents. It gradually collapsed, without the possibility of remedying the situation. This also happened to Iciar. On the bench, in terms of strategy, game plan, variations, Gaby-Rodri won a landslide victory.”

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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