Guillem Balague says he is 'surprised' by Gary Neville's sacking at Valencia
Wednesday 30 March 2016 23:16, UK
Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes the timing of Gary Neville's sacking at Valencia is "strange", but feels there was massive pressure on the Englishman.
The former Manchester United defender's turbulent spell at the Mestalla was cut short on Wednesday, just 119 days after his surprise appointment in December.
Neville leaves the club languishing in 14th position in La Liga having posted the lowest win percentage of any Valencia boss in La Liga history - 18.8%.
That record during his 17-week tenure infuriated sections of the Valencia support, who took exception with the clubs gamble on the unproven Neville.
And, while expressing his personal surprise at the timing of the decision, Balague feels the pressure from both the media and fans would have given Neville a clear indication as to how his first managerial venture would ultimately end.
Gary would admit himself that he had no more friends in Valencia. It was clear that the media had decided he was not good enough and the fans had decided that he had to go.
"I am surprised in a way," Balague told Sky Sports News HQ. "Gary knew things weren't right but he thought he would have until the end of the season to put it right.
"Gary would admit himself that he had no more friends in Valencia. It was clear that the media had decided he was not good enough for Valencia, and that the fans had decided that he had to go.
"The pressure on [Valencia chairman] Peter Lim was massive, let's not forget Valencia are one of the top 10 clubs in the world. Perhaps the fans expected too much from Valencia this season - many expected them to challenge for La Liga.
"They felt cheated that Neville was given the job over an experienced coach. That's not to say Gary couldn't have done a job, it's just the expectations were so high from the beginning.
"There were question marks over whether he could do the job, whether he understood what the job meant and whether he was able to communicate well enough with the players.
"There was a lot of focus and emphasis on the negatives from the start."
The decision to sack Neville comes with just eight games of the Primera Division season remaining, with Los Che just six points clear of the relegation places.
Neville's self-appointed assistant, Pako Ayestaran, has been given the reins until the end of the season and could take the club into the next campaign.
And Balague believes the decision speaks volumes, adding: "There was no synergy between the interests of Valencia and Gary Neville.
"Peter Lim is miles away but his chairman listens to the Valencia fans, spends most of the time in the city and has, for a while, noticed that things were not working.
"It feels a little bit strange that this is taking place now, why didn't it happen earlier if it was identified earlier? Why now when then there really are no targets left for the rest of the season or many games left?
"Clearly it seems like they've stopped listening to Gary and they have moved on to somebody that came in as an assistant, who was doing a lot of the job already."
