Ahead of his first official game in charge of Valencia CF, coach Javi Gracia spoke in a press conference previewing the derby against Levante UD.

The derby

“It’s not a question of saying who rules the city. Of course, whoever gets the result will be happier over the next few days, whilst the losing side will be a little sadder. But the most important thing is to see who controls the play and provides the show, so that our fans enjoy the game. I think that the professionals here and the two clubs have an excellent relationship, and I think that’s the way it should be -before and after the game. I would like for everybody to enjoy this game, and from my position I will do everything possible to take the three points.”

“It is sure to be a different derby to the game in preseason. As I tell the players: From now on the bullets aren’t blanks, they are real. You have to compete to the fullest, and every detail will decide games. We know it's going to be a very different game from the preseason game."

The feeling about preseason

“It’s easy to say what the feeling is: It’s good. If that wasn’t the case, then I doubt that I would say they are bad, but honestly they are good. We’ve trained well, competed well and I think that we are growing as a team. Logically this is the start of the season and we all like to start well; that revitalises and strengthens your confidence and your daily work. Let’s hope that this isn’t just a good feeling, and that from the first LaLiga game this is reflected in our play and good results.”

The focus for training

“We haven’t worked on anything specific for this difficult game against Levante UD. As for the emotional and psychological side, that’s work that we have been doing constantly and continuously from day one. If we had not had such a committed and generous dressing room, we would be in for a more difficult time.”

Young players

“Logically, with so many players from the VCF Academy joining us in our everyday work,  the chance that they will participate and have minutes increases. Given the situation we have with injuries or newly incorporated players, some need more time to work that the young talents have had. We will try to choose the best players for each game; young players are going to be important in the team, now and throughout the season.”

“We are seeing young guys like Racic, Esquerdo or Koba throughout preseason, all of whom have a great future. We work with them and I think they have great potential, but I think their future with a more experienced player alongside them would be even better.”

The formation

“More than formations, I am all about concepts. it's about finding the balance you need to compete with the players you have. Analysing the squad you have, the players had adapted more to 4-4-2 due to their characteristics, so I considered that to be our starting point and our base. This is a continuous adaptation process and we are open to other formations, with different variants.”

The squad and the transfer market

“I see the squad as weakened, as a result of the departures: Five important players have left, so logically it is weakened. I was hoping for reinforcements, which I was told would come before I arrived. None have come in yet, but I am hopeful that they will come. That is the situation we are in. I don’t want my words to be misinterpreted because I don’t want the slightest merit to be taken away from the efforts of the squad, who are working in an exemplary way, but we all see that it is necessary to reinforce the team, and do it as soon as possible.”

Following the joint press conference, Gracia and Levante UD coach Paco López posed for a photo together, supporting the #LevantemosValencia initiative to boost the city after the COVID-19 pandemic.