Real Betis v Valencia preview: Gary Neville staying positive despite poor form

Gary Neville says he is approaching Valencia's crisis in a "positive way" and has called for hard work to stop their poor form.

Neville has yet to win a La Liga game since taking over from Nuno on December 2 and on Wednesday saw his side drubbed 7-0 by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.

It would appear a win is a necessity when Neville and his players go to Real Betis on Sunday but the former Manchester United defender was keen to express a sense of perspective at his pre-match media conference.

Neville said: "I do not think in those terms [of the game being must-win]. I'm thinking that this will change and our effort will be rewarded.

"There are no excuses and we have to win games. I have seen a reaction in the players, we must give them support and I can only think of things in positive terms."

Neville won all there was as a player with United, and regular defeats are not something he is accustomed to.

However, as a different kind of spotlight now shines on him, the 40-year-old says what he went through as a player has readied him for tests such as these.

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"I'm going through this time in a very positive way," he added, "but work is the only thing that changes things and you need faith.

"I lost in Champions League semi-finals, finals of the FA Cup and league titles in the last match and that makes you stronger for moments like this. We have to prove to everyone that we can do it."

Club great Santiago Canizares also called for the 40-year-old to apologise to the fans and resign after the defeat by Barcelona, but Neville has insisted that he is determined to change the situation.

"I'm a strange type of person," he said. "I saw the fans and all I could think was 'wow', I've never seen fans as passionate as that in my football career.

"I know it wasn't a good type of passion for us to experience, but I'm the only person who can take a positive out of an incredible negative like that.

"When I see the veins appearing in the fans' faces, and I see the passion, the anger, the fight, I can only imagine the same in reverse, when it's good, and that's all I can think about."