My name is Xavier Tamarit Gimeno and I have been asked to reflect on the first week of my tenure here at Chur. I am not usually someone who writes personal reflections like this – normally my notebooks are full of positional structures, training progressions and individual player notes – but this feels like the right moment to document the start of something new.

I am 57 years old. At this stage you don’t move unless something really interests you.

Firstly, I was asked to interview after being told that Ivan Madrano was taking up a post at Grasshoppers. Honestly, I jumped at the chance. Not because I was unhappy where I was, but because in football you sometimes see a project that feels intellectually stimulating. This was one of those moments. However, it was also the most intense and strategic meeting I have sat in across my entire time as an assistant manager. And that includes some very serious football environments.

People sometimes assume assistants just follow managers around. My career has never really been like that. I started as a scout at Valencia, then moved into youth coaching, then became an assistant under Quique Hernández in Greece before beginning a very long working relationship with Mauricio Pellegrini. That took me across Spain, Argentina, Chile and even England. I have probably packed and unpacked more times than most players.

The funny thing is my biggest opportunity originally came because of a book.

Years ago I wrote a technical book about tactical periodisation – partly inspired by Mourinho’s work, but, later, I’ve been more influenced by Bielsa’s detail and Emery’s structure. Mauricio read it and contacted me. That changed my life. Football is strange like that. You spend years studying alone and suddenly someone gives you a chance.

What attracted me here was something similar. I had watched Iñaki Arriola’s Chur from a distance. Coaches always watch other coaches. We all steal ideas from each other – anyone who says otherwise is lying. I had followed how his positional ideas connected to Basque football identity and I was curious how that had been transplanted into Switzerland.

So when the opportunity came, I knew already this was not just another job.

The interview that didn’t feel like an interview

The interview lasted the entire day. Literally. I think I knew before I even reached the car afterwards that I wanted the job, regardless of whether they chose me. Most interviews are formal. This was not. This was football.

We sat together – Iñaki, Mikel Martija [Director of Football], Albert Puigdollers [Technical Director] – and talked for hours. Video clips, presentations, recruitment discussions, youth structures, long-term planning. At one point we were discussing five-year projections like it was a Champions League club rather than a Swiss side still building its European identity. There was also food. Always a good sign. Football conversations are always better with food. It felt more like a long technical debate than a job interview. Iñaki led most of it. That was obvious very quickly. His attention to detail is honestly frightening in the best possible way. He reminds me of the obsessive coaches – the Bielsa types – but with a warmth that makes people want to follow him.

He asked me one question that stayed with me:

“Why Chur?”

Simple question. Dangerous question. I told him the truth. At 57 you stop giving diplomatic answers. I told him I wanted to test myself somewhere intellectually honest. Somewhere where football ideas actually mattered. Somewhere where development wasn’t just a word used in presentations. I also told him I already knew quite a lot about what they were doing. That seemed to surprise him. He admitted later he didn’t expect me to have analysed their structure in such detail already. But this is who I am. I am a perfectionist. If I go somewhere, I prepare properly. What surprised me most though was how transparent they were with me. Particularly about transfers.

That was probably the moment I knew I really wanted to be part of this.

Football honesty still exists

We spent a long time talking about recruitment. Not just names and fees, but the thinking behind every decision. That always tells you how serious a club really is. Anyone can list transfers. The interesting part is whether they can explain why they happened.

The club hadn’t gone crazy financially this summer, which I actually liked. No panic spending, no emotional reactions to one bad result or one missed objective. Instead they had moved early and quietly, bringing in three players before I even walked through the door: Alberto Arroyo from Lazio for around €800k, Petar Nedeljković on a free from Radnički Niš, and Ruben Gonzalez, also on a free, from União Leiria.

What struck me immediately was that every single one of these signings had a very clear football logic behind them.

We started with Arroyo because, honestly, he is the one everyone gets a little excited about when they talk. He had already been here on loan in the second half of last season and clearly left a big impression. They told me very directly: “This is exactly the kind of player Iñaki loves.” When they started describing him – technical, agile, unpredictable, brave in one-versus-one situations, but also productive – I immediately understood the profile.

What I liked was that they weren’t just talking about his highlights. They showed me clips of his off-ball work, how he connects phases, how he reacts when possession is lost. That always tells you if a recruitment department really understands their own model or if they just like nice dribbling clips. It also didn’t surprise me to hear he had become the club’s record signing after the loan. Sometimes when a loan works you hesitate because of price. Here they didn’t hesitate because they already knew how he fit culturally and tactically. That kind of conviction is important. If he continues where he left off, I can see why they think he could become a reference player in this system.

Then we spoke about Petar, which was a completely different type of conversation. Less excitement maybe, but just as much respect. The way they described him was almost like talking about a structural reinforcement rather than a flashy signing. Ten years building a career in Serbia, coming back to Switzerland with experience, maturity and understanding of what it takes to be a professional every day. They told me they saw his return almost as a small coup because experienced players willing to buy into a collective project are not always easy to find. I got the impression they see him as someone who can stabilise things across a long season rather than someone who needs headlines. Every good squad needs those players who give you a guaranteed 7/10 when things get complicated in February.

Ruben Gonzalez was probably the most analytical discussion. Very data-driven. Lots of statistical profiles, finishing maps, expected goals conversations. I quite enjoy those conversations because when used properly data just sharpens what your football eyes already see. He had scored double figures in three of his last four seasons in Portugal’s second division and in the one where he didn’t, the staff were very clear that his underlying numbers suggested he probably should have. His xG suggested underperformance rather than decline, which is always an interesting distinction. But what I liked most was how they described his profile in simple football terms after all the numbers:

“He knows where the goal is.”

Sometimes, after all the analytics, that is still the most important sentence.

They see him as a connective striker as well as a penalty box finisher. Someone who can link play, combine, occupy defenders properly and still be a goal threat. Not just someone waiting for service. That made sense to me, especially knowing how much Iñaki values functional intelligence in forwards.

The other big part of that discussion was Ilan Tomic. They were very open that last season his injuries caused real problems structurally. When he was missing, the attack apparently lost reference points and competition. That is always dangerous because intensity drops without internal pressure. So Ruben arriving wasn’t just about adding another striker. It was about restoring competitive tension in that position. Making sure nobody feels comfortable. Coaches love that.

The club also explained a couple of tough sales. Deciding that they could not justify the €3.5m fee for Daniel Moreno, they terminated his contract, instead moving for Petar Nedeljkovic. Everyone inside the club saw that this was a shorter term option but one that may pay off financially. The decision to sell two academy players was mulled over four over an hour: Nelio Cortesi and Nenad Juric moved to Westerlo and genk, respectively, for a total fee of just over €4m. Nenad has amassed just one goal and one assist last season and was deemed to be too lightweight to lead the line effectively as well as falling behind the ever impressive Xabier Iriondo and Mauro Frey out wide on the left. Nelio had been usurped by Benat Orbaiz and later Sandro Bieri and felt his playing time was too limited to sign a new deal at the club. Again, transparency, empathy but a fierce passion to make this club better.

I remember thinking during that conversation that my job would probably start immediately with integrating these profiles into development plans. The age profile of some additions maybe means my work begins faster than expected. But honestly, that is exactly the type of problem I like. What I appreciated most in all these discussions though was the lack of ego in how decisions were explained. Nobody tried to pretend every signing was guaranteed success. Nobody spoke like they had solved football. They talked about probabilities, fit, character, development potential.

And maybe that was the moment I relaxed the most in the whole interview process. Because when people inside a club can openly discuss both the strengths and risks of their decisions, you know you are dealing with serious professionals. That kind of honesty still exists in football. You just have to find the right dressing rooms.

My real job here

Eventually the conversation moved to what I will actually do.

My role is very clear: player development, particularly those on the edge of the first team. Creating the bridge between academy and senior football. Mentoring structures. Training adaptation. Monitoring progress. Honestly, this is the work I enjoy most.

At some clubs the assistant is just a session organiser. Here I feel more like a collaborator. Iñaki sees everything as collective work. No ego about ownership. Just shared responsibility. We spoke about the next generation already: Joseph Ballo, Josua Testoni, Oscar, Babović and others out on loan. Mapping their pathway is now a major part of my daily thinking. Joseph Ballo especially caught my attention immediately in training. There is something there. You see it sometimes within ten minutes. Not just talent but learning capacity. Coaches know what I mean.

The mentoring structure apparently slipped a little previously because of focus on match preparation. That gives me a clear starting point. Rebuild that bridge. Make sure senior professionals like Iriondo, Jenkinson, Bieri and Kastelic are directly connected to the next wave. One thing the club mentioned strongly is the importance of Graubünden identity. Not as marketing, but as culture. An unwritten rule that at least one local player should always feel close to the team.

Currently, the team has just three Graubunden-born players in it’s first team, a low point across the last thirteen years of the Arriola tenure, where, I think, he had at least one born there in each match day squad. As someone who spent eight years working in the Basque country, I understand that desire immediately. Football tied to place always has more meaning.

First impressions from inside

The first week has mostly been pre-season work. Lots of physical loading. Players suffering quietly like they always do in July. My first training session told me a lot. Professionalism here is extremely high. Players arrive early. Work habits are strong. Tactical discipline already exists. You can see Iñaki’s influence clearly. Passion on the pitch but very calm human environment off it. It reminded me a lot of certain Spanish dressing rooms.

I also made my first mistake. I arrived in shorts on day one.

Alpine weather quickly reminded me this is not Valencia. I have now bought proper clothing.

The facilities themselves are impressive for a Swiss club, even with construction ongoing. There is investment happening – library spaces, recovery processes, sports science integration. This is not a stagnant club. I also noticed how large the staff structure is compared to some places I have worked. More specialists. More collaboration. That requires adjustment for me after some smaller environments. Language is probably my biggest personal challenge right now. Spanish is common enough inside the group but German and Italian move around constantly. I am learning key words already. Football always has its own universal vocabulary anyway – movement, timing, distance.

The ball speaks every language.

The human side

My first real conversation with a player was with Xabier Iriondo. Club captain. He came straight over, welcomed me, asked what I needed. That tells you everything about leadership. Graf and Jenkinson also stand out as dressing room stabilisers. Beñat Orbaiz seems to be the joker. Every squad needs one. José Luis Sánchez might be the most tactically curious – always asking why, which I like very much.

We won our first pre-season match comfortably against Triesen. Watching from the stand with Iñaki was probably my favourite moment so far. Not because of the result, but because of the conversation. Coaches never stop analysing even in friendlies. I realised during that match how natural this partnership might become. Why I said yes. People sometimes ask why assistants move so much. The truth is we follow ideas more than locations. I came here because I believe in what is being built. Because the discussions were honest. Because the work is serious. Because development is real here, not just a word. And because after so many years travelling football still needs to challenge you.

I feel optimistic. Very optimistic.

There is a lot of work ahead. That is the best situation for a coach. Tomorrow I start mapping individual development plans properly. My favourite kind of work. Quiet progress that maybe nobody sees publicly but builds the future of the team. For now though, I think I made the right decision coming to Graubünden.

Even if I still need warmer clothes.