Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Valencia's Gary Neville: I've not seen my players in panic in dressing room

Valencia coach Gary Neville says he is happy to be able to count on fit-again Paco Alcacer and Enzo Perez and he hopes their return will bring a change of luck in Saturday evening's La Liga home game against also struggling Espanyol.

Spain striker Alcacer has 11 club goals so far this term in all competitions, but has not played since injuring an ankle on Jan. 21 , while Argentina international Perez has also missed Valencia's last three games with a fractured cheek-bone.

Both have been missed as Valencia's run without a La Liga win has stretched to 12 games in all, nine since Neville arrived last December, while the team has also exited the Copa del Rey 8-1 on aggregate to Barcelona.

The former Manchester United defender told his pregame news conference that he hoped the pair's return would lead to a change in fortune for his side.

"They can help, it is good to have them back," Neville said. "I see games and ask myself how we have not won, how we have not taken our chances, that we must have better luck. It is good that Alvaro [Negredo] has scored seven goals, but it is good to have Paco Alcacer back. Enzo is a key player for us, he will play with a mask to protect the injury. He is willing to take the risk and that is also very important."

Neville said he was confident that the good work done at training would finally bring a win against an Espanyol side which has taken only two points from their last seven games, and were beaten 5-0 at home by Real Sociedad last weekend.

"We will have experienced players, who understand the intensity of Mestalla, who can play in the eye of the hurricane," he said. "I have not seen my players in panic in the dressing room. We have not changed our way of working, we believe in ourselves, we think this will change, we cannot keep having such bad luck in front of goal. If we keep playing and making this effort the results will come."

The recent poor run of results has led to a dismayed mood among many Los Che fans and pundits, with former players David Albelda and Santi Canizares in particular being very critical of Neville's coaching of the team and attitude when facing the media.

The official Valencia CF Footballers Association has been more positive however -- holding a news conference on Thursday with the aim, said a club statement, "to show support for the club and the players in the current squad in the tough current situation."

"Valencia CF is not dead, but we need help from everyone to turn this situation around," the association's president Fernando Giner said.

"We have experienced similar situations and the players need to be calm right now. We will be giving them our full support in Saturday's game, because they are the ones to take us forward."

^ Back to Top ^