📺 Carlos Soler: "We're a fairly young team, eager to have a good season"

The start to the 2020/21 season has been a stop-start one for Carlos Soler, who was back in action following an injury to play in the most recent game against Real Betis. Since then, the VCF Academy product has had the international break in which to get back to full fitness, and a chat with VCF Media to talk about his aspirations for the coming fixtures.

“I came back against Betis for 10-12 minutes. That was to get my feel back. It had been a while since I'd gone out onto the pitch and played. I was really looking forward to it, because it had been a bit of a strange preseason and very different to normal, because of everything that was going on,” said Soler, who now wants to kick on and have a more consistent run of games.

“I want to get more minutes under my belt and start taking a more prominent role in the team.”

“I've had the help of the coaching staff and the physios, as well as everybody who works for the team. I've been able to recharge my batteries and come back at full fitness. I'm back available to the coach for the next game, away to Villarreal.”

That means playing wherever coach Javi Gracia sees fit, and Soler relishes the chance to show his versatility and contribute in the best way possible.

“I'm here for whatever the coach wants. We're always in contact and talking about what I can do to perform better. I talk to him, there's feedback from him, and we decide. It's important to have that relationship with your coach, and very important to know that he has confidence in you.”

The first challenge back after the international break is a regional derby against Villarreal, which is always a special occasion for a lifelong Valencia CF fan.

“It's going to be a hard fought game and we are going to try to compete and win,” warns the midfielder, who scored the last time the two teams met.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. We got the win after a run of games that wasn’t good. Things haven’t gone well for us away at Villarreal recently, for various reasons, but we’re seeing that games in LaLiga are very close. Every team can do you damage. So why shouldn’t we think that we can get the victory this weekend?"

"We're a fairly young team. We have to improve a lot, but the season is just beginning and we have a squad with room for improvement. I think that we can all give much more and have a good season."