Miguel Ángel Lotina
Miguel Ángel Lotina Oruechebarría (; born 18 June 1957) is a Spanish professional manager and former footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the head coach of J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Playing career. Born in Meñaka, Biscay, Lotina started playing football with local Gernika Club, representing CD Castellón from 1981 to 1983. In his only season in La Liga he scored three goals in 21 games for the Valencians, who ranked 18th and last. In summer 1983, Lotina signed with CD Logroñés. After netting 22 goals over two Segunda División seasons with the Riojan side  – also representing them in Segunda División B – he contributed two in 14 matches in the 1986–87 campaign as the team promoted to the top flight for the first time ever, after finishing second to champions Valencia CF; he retired from the game in 1988 at the age of 31, without having appeared in the main division with his main club. Coaching career. After starting coaching with Logroñés' reserves, Lotina managed the club in two separate stints in the 90s (12 games). In 1995–96, whilst in charge of CD Numancia, he helped the third-tier team reach the quarter-finals of  the Copa del Rey after ousting top-flight sides Real Sociedad, Racing de Santander and Sporting de Gijón before bowing out to eventual finalists FC Barcelona 5–3 on aggregate. After his debut in the top division with Logroñés in the 1996–97 season, being one of five managers as they finished in 22nd and last position, Lotina's next years were spent in division two with CD Badajoz, Numancia and CA Osasuna, helping the second promote to the top flight for the first time ever in 1999 and the third achieve the same feat the following year after a six-year  absence. He remained with the Navarrese for two further campaigns, as they consecutively retained their status. Lotina led RC Celta de Vigo to their first participation in the UEFA Champions League in 2002–03 as the Galicians finished fourth. The following season, however, even though the team progressed through the group stage by notably defeating A.C. Milan 2–1 at the San Siro, he was sacked after 21 rounds in an eventual relegation. In 2004–05, Lotina coached RCD Espanyol to qualification to the UEFA Cup after finishing fifth. The year 2006 brought him his first football trophy, as the team won the  domestic cup against Real Zaragoza (4–1) in the manager's second season. In the 2006–07 campaign, he returned to his native region after replacing the dismissed José Mari Bakero at the helm of 20th-placed Real Sociedad, but the Basques were relegated from the first division for the first time in 40 years after ranking second-bottom. For 2007–08, Lotina returned to Galicia and joined Deportivo de La Coruña. After a poor start, he more often than not switched to a 5–3–2 formation, going on to finish the year comfortably placed in mid-table and reach the UEFA Intertoto Cup , but being eventually relegated in 2011 as the club also struggled financially; "Depor" only managed to score nine goals away from home all year, being doomed in the last round after a 0–2 home loss against Valencia. On 23 May of that year, he announced his departure. Lotina became Villarreal CF's third coach of the season on 19 March 2012, replacing José Francisco Molina following a 1–0 away defeat to Levante UD, with the team dangerously close to the relegation zone (17th), and eventually relegated as 18th, which meant that the reserves, which competed in the second tier, were  also forced to drop down a level in June. On 21 June 2014, after a brief spell in the Cypriot First Division, Lotina was appointed head coach of newly promoted Qatar Stars League side Al-Shahania SC. Subsequently, he worked in Japan with Tokyo Verdy, Cerezo Osaka, Shimizu S-Pulse and Vissel Kobe. Honours. Espanyol Deportivo