‘I was nowhere near that level’ – Gary Neville reveals how three La Liga bosses left him humiliated at Valencia
GARY NEVILLE has admitted he was “nowhere near” the level of three La Liga bosses during his time as Valencia manager.
The former Manchester United defender spent four underwhelming months with Los Ches during the 2015/16 season.
It remains his only managerial role, alongside coaching jobs with United and England since he retired.
Neville has now revealed he felt inferior to the other managers in La Liga during his time in Spain.
He singled out his struggles against Ernesto Valverde, Diego Simeone and Luis Enrique as well as highlighting his interactions with Rafa Benitez.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, he explained: “After a couple months into the job at Valencia, I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and thinking that I looked ill.
“I remember we played three times against Athletic Bilbao, in the Europa League quarter-final and in a league game, and Ernesto Valverde was the coach – he played a different system that I thought he would and then he changed during the game, and I remember thinking that I was nowhere near that level.
“I felt massively inferior to him because I struggled to manage and watch the game from pitch level, especially compared to how I see the game in the gantry.
“You put yourself on the touchline and you’re watching a game where all you can see is legs, and how you think of the game tactically or how managers spot things, I have no idea because I remember thinking that I had no idea what was going on.
“Seeing Valverde was the first time that I felt that I was miles off and then I coached against Diego Simeone, and on that day, I felt like he was beating me up in every way – with his tactics, his intimidation, and his mannerisms.
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“The other one was Luis Enrique, when Barcelona beat us 7-0 in the Copa del Rey, when they were winning 5-0, he didn’t substitute Neymar, Lionel Messi, or Luis Suarez, and at the end of the game, he walked straight past me and didn’t shake my hand, which I felt that he was sending me a message that I didn’t belong.
“Rafa Benitez was good to me during my time at Valencia.
“We played Real Madrid, and he was under pressure at the time but after the game he came over to me and shook my hand, and he was actually very good with me.”
Neville took charge of 28 matches during his Valencia tenure, winning 10, drawing seven and losing 11.
However, he had to wait until his 10th La Liga match for a league victory as the side dropped from eighth to 14th before he was dismissed.
I coached against Diego Simeone and, on that day, I felt like he was beating me up in every way – with his tactics, his intimidation, and his mannerisms.
Gary Neville
Valencia also dropped out of the Champions League into the Europa League, where they were knocked out by Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao.
Meanwhile, Enrique oversaw a 7-0 demolition of Neville’s side in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg at the Camp Nou.
Although the second leg ended 1-1 at home, Valencia were dumped out 8-1 on aggregate by Barcelona.
Gary Neville's coaching experience
- Appointed as England assistant coach in May 2012.
- Euros in 2012 where they were knocked out by Italy in the quarter-final.
- World Cup in 2014 where England were knocked out in the group stages for first time since 1958.
- Appointed head coach of Valencia in December 2015 but was sacked three months later with a win rate of 35%.
- Rejoined England as head coach for Euro 2016 where they were knocked out in the last 16 by Iceland.
- Left England coaching role with a 59% win rate, partially due to the poor standard of opposition.