The last three weeks have seen new and interesting ways to ask Julen Lopetegui about his future at Wolves. ‘So, have you come away from talks reassured or concerned? Are you going into them open minded? Do the issues have to be 100 per cent resolved or would 80 per cent do?’ Frustratingly, the manager, once he had detonated the actual news about talks with the owners and his spending concerns, has stuck to pretty much the same line ever since. He admits he doesn’t recognise himself on the touchline,
Julen Lopetegui said: “I am sometimes aware when I see myself I don’t like me. I think, ‘he is crazy, he is mad’. Sometimes I think that but then the next match I am the same! Sorry, it is me.”
Lopetegui’s ability and game-day intensity has worked pretty well so far. In terms of man management, he says being honest with players is essential.
Julen Lopetegui said: “Each person has their character. I always ‘show my face’. Each coach has his way. I try to be honest and direct with the players and don’t ever lie. For me, that is important in life. I can make mistakes but you can never tell me I lie to you. All these codes in the dressing room are important. I was a player and the worst thing I could live with as a player was if anyone lied to me. Sometimes the truth is not good for me but it is the truth.”
Hard work helps too. He admits he doesn’t have too much time for hobbies but has been learning to play the piano with his daughter. He also loves food and owns a restaurant having grown up in a family business.
Julen Lopetegui added: “My family owns a restaurant and me, my father, my mother, all my brothers, my auntie, all of us work in the restaurant at different times. Before we could go to school we had to work – if not you can’t go to school! They were different times. Now my father and mother would be in jail! All of us worked in the family business and afterwards if you wanted to go and play football, first you had to finish your homework … not the school homework …in the restaurant! One day the restaurant was full so we had maybe 25 steaks, grilling over the flames. A friend of mine came with a ball. My job was to attend the flames on the grill, my father told me to watch 25 big steaks. So, I’m looking after the fire and saying, it will be ok, I’ll play football for a few seconds but it was more like 10 minutes and when my father came in all the steaks were on fire! It was the equivalent of one week’s wages, all gone! It was my fault, can you imagine?”
Julen was the only member of his family who actually liked football growing up in Asteasu in the Basque country of northern Spain. They had an athletic background though because dad Jose Antonio was a champion strongman in the traditional sport of stone lifting. That success has also meant sacrifice.
Julen Lopetegui added: “My life is here. We come here at 8am and we go home at 9pm, it depends. My wife respects me. They know the kind of life I have chosen. My family is very important to me and they respect my choice and they encourage me and support me. It is not easy to be a wife, son or daughter of a coach. In England or in Spain the bad responsibility is always for you. Sometimes it is not fair on them.”
His son Daniel is part of the backroom team at Wolves as a performance analyst.
Julen Lopetegui adds: “My son wants to do different work. He wants the power of the sporting director, he wants to go this way and he studied in a university in London.”
So could he follow him into management?
Julen Lopetegui said: “It’s forbidden! No, no, he will become what he wants. I don’t know, his way is different. I think he would prefer to wear a tie and sack the manager!”
