It kept him in suspense for several weeks forcing his exit to Atlético de Madrid and there are those who think that they were even 'erased' from a party as a measure of pressure, but Javi Gracia does not hold a grudge against Geoffrey Kondogbia, who this Saturday will return to Mestalla with Atlético de Madrid
“The time we were together with me he was good. He is a great professional, a good person and he behaved well with me“Said the technician who joins him with Kondogbia the public disappointment they both showed with President Anil Murthy.
“He is a player of the rival, he is no longer our player. As he cannot play in Europe, he may play minutes in this match but he is one more rival. If I see him I will greet him but he is another rival ”, said Gracia.
But the French midfielder was not the only protagonist of Gracia's press conference, which on Friday a public vote of confidence for Toni Lato in the face of the challenge he has in the coming weeks to replace Jose Luis Gayà on the left side. “We lose options with the absence of international players but it is not that I am calm with Lato, it is that I am very calm,” said the Navarrese coach who assured that the youth squad has already shown that he can do it. “He is very prepared.”
The coach also talked about Gonçalo Guedes With which he said he was happy and that if he plays it will be on his own merits and not because of Cheryshev's absence due to injury. He also did it, and as always with more enthusiasm from Manu Vallejo. “He has intervened much more as a replacement than at the start, but I already said last week that my confidence in him was increasing and after the last game with even more reason. He makes many merits every time he intervenes ”, he stressed.
Beyond individualities, he demanded that his team start to be much more “solid and consistent” against Atlético, especially at the beginning of the matches.
“We are not starting as well as later, in the development of the games, the team behaves. I don't like the team to improve its level when things go wrong because that way there are few options to achieve good results. I would like to be a more solid and consistent team, and we are in them, trying to improve the start of the games, not conceding so much in those first minutes but also throughout the game. It is something to improve ”, he admitted.
Atlético stressed that it is “one of the teams that is playing the best this season, that has given more signs of solidity,” he recalled that “it has not lost yet” and said that “it is a very strong team above their individualities that are very good.
“Making chances for a team that defends like Atlético is complicated, so we have one more reason to try to start the game better because we will not always have the chance to turn it around or draw. You have to try to be more solid in defense and give your rival less, not only at the beginning but throughout the game, ”stressed Gracia, who praised Diego Simeone's work in front of his rival.
Gracia also highlighted the evolution of Atlético. “We are facing a very different team from last year, with many variants in attack that make it more dominating, have more possession, be more in the opposite field and they have also conceded two goals and makes them continue in such a good defensive dynamic. . It is a super demanding match and we will try to prepare it in the best way to have a chance to win, “said Gracia, who confirmed the return of Maxi Gómez.