‘La lucha no se negocia’. That’s the trademark saying of Cádiz CF coach Álvaro Cervera, meaning literally ‘The fight is non-negotiable’, something along the lines of ‘The one thing we will never do is stop fighting’.
And under this railing cry Cervera has made history, ever since taking over the reins of the first team on 18 April 2016. A story that continued this weekend with Matchday 7 of the 2020/21 LaLiga Santander campaign as he reached his 200th official match in charge of Los Amarillos. The coach has taken us from the Segunda B to the Spanish top flight with a philosophy that is known far beyond our own region. It's now in our DNA. As coach of Cadiz CF, Cervera has been involved in four Group IV matches of the Segunda B and six in the LaLiga SmartBank promotion playoffs. In the Segunda, he lead the team for a total of 167 matches, which included two playoff games for promotion to LaLiga Santander.
In the top division there have been seven thus far. Add to those the 14 Copa del Rey appearances for a grand total of 200 official matches - some feat - with a record of 84 wins, 64 draws and 52 defeats. His debut came at the Carranza on 23 April 2016, with a 1-0 defeat against Mérida. From there he began to turn things around at the club, playing a vital role in the promotion playoffs that returned Cádiz to the second tier.
Those playoffs against Racing de Ferrol, Racing de Santander and Hércules have gone down in Cádiz CF’s history, forever linked with Cervera. With their clearly identifiable style, Cádiz enjoyed a great 2016/17 season in the Segunda, a campaign that brought to the fore the finest aspects of the coach's philosophy. The team managed a fifth-place finish amassing 64 points and featuring in the playoffs to the Primera. One game for the record books was the match in the Estadi Montilivi with a 1-2 victory over Girona, on 19 March 2017. After six years in the Segunda B, Cádiz had ensured they were staying up in the Segunda. And, of course, the 2-1 win over Elche in the Carranza to secure a playoff place will always be remembered. But, with Cervera at the helm, there were still so many blank pages in the Cádiz history books to be written. The 17/18 season, in which a playoff place just escaped us on the final day, would be no different. An incredible campaign with a superb first round of fixtures meant Cádiz were already safe by the beginning of March. The season will also be remembered for the 3-5 Copa del Rey victory over Real Betis in the Benito Villamarín. A glorious night that will live in the memory forever.
The confidence in the work done by the coach on a daily basis and the belief in his philosophy ensured that the team finished the 2018/19 campaign in the playoff positions, including a 5-1 victory over Elche in the Carranza that was proof of the way the team embraced the coach’s style. Once again, by March safety was assured, and the team would fight until the very end to win a promotion place to the Primera. From the very start of 2019/20 the team showed that they were going to be in with a good chance of promotion come the end of the season. And that’s exactly what happened. Álvaro Cervera crafted a side that was an almost impenetrable wall and achieved the long awaited promotion to the LaLiga Santander. Victories at home to Girona, Almeria, Oviedo, Sporting, any many others, along with away wins at the Juegos del Mediterráneo, Tartiere and La Rosaleda made the dream a reality. The triumph in Almendralejo, thanks to a goal from Choco, gave Cádiz the points needed for promotion, and the start of a glorious new chapter in our history books.
Now in the top flight, Cervera has managed to make history once again by surpassing José González as the coach with the most matches under his belt, and his philosophy continues to be reflected on the pitch. ‘La lucha no se negocia’ - the phrase has escaped from the dressing room and taken over the whole club and its fans.
200 matches in which our team have never stopped fighting. That’s the team’s approach to being in the Primera, alongside the biggest clubs in the land, and that’s the way they’ll continue.
