Analysing the new coach with those who know him

To get to know new Valencia CF coach Javi Gracia a little better, VCF Media Radio talked to two men who are familiar with his work. Raúl Albentosa and Patxi Puñal called in to speak about the coach whose appointment was announced on Monday.

Raúl Albentosa:

 “He’s crazy about football. He likes analysing everything very thoroughly and he’s a very good coach in both facets: Attack and defence. He can give stability to the team.”

“In his first year at Malaga we finished eighth and were the team with the third fewest goals conceded in LaLiga, behind Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona. We knew that when the goals came, we were going to win, because we had a very well defined system, clear ideas and a coach who was a leader.”

“He’s a coach who likes to talk to the players and find out how they feel, which boosts the players and gets the best out of them. He’s very demanding; one moment he can be fine with you, and the next he is telling you off to get you to raise your game. He makes you feel comfortable, whether you are playing or not.”

“In a renewed Valencia CF, with players who identify with the club, he’s going to do very well. There will be unity.”

Patxi Puñal:

“He has everything. He’s a great analyst and has a lot of desire. Valencia CF have signed a hard working coach who dedicates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to his job. He loves it and analyses every detail. He always sees something that can be improved.”

 “I am sure that Javi will get 200% from the players that he has in the squad, and we will see great performance from them. He is going to play the way that he thinks gives the most chance of achieving the objective. The difference between a good coach and a mediocre one is knowing how to get attacking mechanisms going, and Javi Gracia knows how to do that without unbalancing the team. I think that Valencia CF have got it right with his appointment.”