Javi Gracia stops being coach of Valencia. Anil Murthy and Miguel Ángel Corona informed the Navarrese coach of their dismissal and later the club issued an official statement. Valencia made official that his replacement will be, again, Voro Gonzalez, who spoke to the players in the locker room and conducted their first training session.
Valencia's president and director of football met this morning in Paterna concerned about the team's trend, which beyond the defeat against Barcelona accumulates six days without achieving victory. The last one was on March 21. Since then, three losses and three draws, that is, 3 points out of 18.
The black and white leadership understands that the team needs a stimulus for the remaining four days and that is why they first raised themselves and then decided to end Gracia's stage on the bench.. The Navarrese coach left Paterna at noon without making any statements.
Gracia is no longer coach of Valencia after 38 games, in which he has only won 11, drawn 12 and lost 15. His Valencia is the third worst in the club's history. It only surpasses the one that fell in 1986 and the one that avoided the descent on the last day of 1983.
Gracia's continuity had been in question for two previous times so far in 2021. After the Cádiz game and the day that Valencia faced Villarreal in the Mestalla. On both occasions, Gracia made the cut, once by Peter Lim's decision, who wanted to give him a margin to see if he at least reached the end of the season, and on another by a goal in added time by Guedes.
The relationship between Valencia and Gracia, as is known, has been ill-received since October, when the coach put his position at the disposal of the club due to disagreements in the preparation of the squad. But neither the club accepted his resignation nor did the coach end up presenting it for the settlement to be paid (about 3 million). Precisely the economic consideration between both parties had weighed when maintaining a relationship called divorce. But the concern for the trajectory has prevailed.
Valencia and Gracia had a clause to rescind at the end of the season and for a period of 15 days his contract, which bound him until 2022. The compensation to be paid on those dates by one of the parties was around 500,000 euros, an amount lower than his salary for the coming year. But now, after his dismissal with the season still underway, Valencia will have to pay a higher settlement to the Navarrese coach, who after what he experienced during the year and the way in which the dismissal has been communicated, does not seem that he is going to put negotiation facilities.
The decision to remove Gracia was taken by the black and white leadership after a conversation with Peter Lim and Without this time the dressing room has made force to the contrary. Both in October and January, when one wanted to leave and the others considered his dismissal, the players showed their support for the work of the coaching staff. But concern about the situation in qualifying has taken a toll on his confidence in his work.
But now, with 12 points still at stake, after six rounds without a win, with relegation stalking Valencia in the event of not beating Real Valladolid, the club meditates on Monday's matchday whether the best thing for the team is change the face of the coach or keep Gracia at least until the final on Sunday. .