Sporting de Gijón, which just a month ago occupied the lower-middle zone of the table and had not entirely straightened its course, has given a 180-degree turn to its season and clings to the visit of Glorioso as the opportunity to get closer to the playoff positions. And it is that the Asturian team is one of the teams in the best form of the category. This run of eight points out of the last possible twelve has given wings to Miguel Ángel Ramírez’s men, who took over from Abelardo in January.
Ramírez, who made his debut in Segunda after taking charge of the rojiblanco team in the middle of the season, has provided balance to a squad that has been frightened by relegation for a good part of the championship. The Canarian coach has recovered the illusion of the Molinón after achieving a meritorious victory against Granada, in which he beat the odds, and another recent one in his visit to Ibiza, where he stretched the gap from relegation.
At 38 years of age, Ramírez is considered one of the most promising Spanish coaches. Forged in Las Palmas youth academy and with a brief spell at Alavés youth team in 2012, the Canarian established himself in South American football. In 2019 he became Independiente del Valle coach after being the club’s youth football director. In addition, he was champion with the Ecuadorian squad in the Copa Sudamericana.
This milestone put him on the radar of many European teams. However, his adventure continued in Brazil and, later, in the United States. In the 2020-21 campaign, he landed on the International bench, leading the Rio de Janeiro team for 24 games.
In them, their record was 11 wins, five draws and eight losses, an insufficient background for one of the most successful teams in Brazilian football.
Then Ramírez set course for MLS in the 2021-22 season. The North American competition, in full expansion and with the entry of new franchises, became a good scenario for the canary to continue his career as a coach. He was the first manager in Charlotte’s history as a new MLS franchise. During that course, the team’s first contact with the category, he had five wins, one draw and eight losses.
