“'What is this madman doing?' Luis Enrique was turning us into robots and I told him we weren't computers”
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Thursday, January 15, 2026 9:15 p.m. / Updated Thursday, January 15, 2026 9:39 p.m.
Augusto Fernandez, the former Argentine midfielder retired in 2021, spoke about his time at Celta Vigo, when Luis Enrique, current PSG coach, was preparing the team in the 2013/14 season. Fernandez remembers both the Spaniard's arrival and his training methods.
Luis Enrique started his coaching career with Barcelona's B team. The first experience with a senior team took place in the 2011/2012 season, in Rome. In 2013/2014, he made his debut in LaLiga at the helm of Celta Vigo, and the Galician team included Augusto Fernández, who remembered the technician's arrival.
Augusto Fernandez on Luis Enrique's training: “We were very weak”
“I had to reinvent myself when Luis Enrique came. He started using me as an attacking midfielder. I started badly. I remember methodically, in terms of understanding the game, knowing what to do, how and why, I started to interpret things much better with Luis Enrique. It was very difficult.
Augusto Fernandez, former Celta player // PHOTO: Imago Images
For a team that had just escaped relegation, it's complicated. We were very weak at the beginning and I could tell that we didn't understand the game, that everything was forced,” Fernandez said in an interview with Offsiders, revealing a discussion with the technician.
Ex-footballer reveals: “I thought 'What is this lunatic doing?'”
“I told him I didn't understand. It was like we were thinking about what we had to do on the field and we were in the relegation zone again. I was getting the ball and thinking what the other player would do and then what I should do. I spoke to him and told him he was turning us into robots and that we were not computers. He said the responsibility was his,” recalled Fernández.
That season Celta finished 9th in LaLiga and were praised for their style of play.
“It was aggressive possession of the ball, with a purpose. I began to understand the numerical advantage. He wanted to implement it starting with the goalkeeper. At first I thought: 'What is this fool doing? The goalkeeper with the ball as an extra player?'. This shows that often it is not the idea itself that matters, but the way the coach makes you believe in it. If he makes you believe, you fully commit. That is why the dialogue is so important,” he he concluded.
Who is Augusto Fernandez?
Augusto Fernandez played for River Plate, Saint-Etienne, Velez Sarsfield, Celta de Vigo, Atletico Madrid, BJ Renhe and Cadiz CF in his career. In the Celta shirt, he collected 122 matches, 10 goals and 11 assists. For Argentina's national team, Fernandez has 16 caps and has scored just one goal.
