Bogotá. Coach Efraín Juárez said on Thursday that he is prepared and ready to face the challenge of managing Atlético Nacional, the most successful club in Colombia with 17 local titles.
Juárez, 36, who replaces Uruguayan Pablo Repetto, will have his first experience as a coach after his time as assistant coach at New York City in the MLS, and at Belgian clubs Standard Liège and Bruges.
“I’m ready for the challenge. I think there are a lot of doubts and that’s normal, but I can tell you that I’m quite prepared and ready, I know where I am, I’m not an improviser. There are no time frames or excuses here, it’s a team that demands from you from day one and for me that’s an important challenge, I’m made for that,” said Juárez in his presentation.
“It would be very disrespectful to commit myself and say that we are going to win the championship, but I know the demands of this club and I am not just here to pass the time. I did not leave my family 12,000 kilometres away to see what happens here, I came with the hope of leaving my mark,” he added.
In addition to the 17 local titles, Atlético Nacional has been champion of the Copa Libertadores on two occasions.
As a player, Juárez played for Mexican clubs Pumas UNAM, América and Monterrey. He also played for Celtic in Scotland, Real Zaragoza in Spain, Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS and Valerenga in Norway.
He played in the 2010 World Cup with the Mexican national team. In 2005, he was part of the U-17 team that won the World Cup in that category.
“I’m fulfilling a dream with my arrival at Nacional, which is the best team in Colombia and one of the best on the continent, it’s a dream come true,” said Juárez.
“The raw material is there, you have to adapt to the best squad in this country, I can’t complain, I have to be grateful because they give me all those elements, and my job and responsibility is to enhance the talent of each of those players to take them to the maximum and for them to perform on the field,” said the coach.
Juárez will make its debut on Saturday when Atlético Nacional faces Jaguares in the eighth round of the local Colombian league.
