Manchester United and England great Gary Neville has revealed that Valencia‘s defeat by Real Betis felt like a ‘punch in the face’ as the club’s winless streak continues.
Los Ches extended their run without a victory to 12 games in the league, of which nine have come since Neville replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the hotseat at the Mestalla.
The rookie coach—who has established himself as something of a tactical whizzkid following his erudite displays on Sky Sports Monday Night Football—had overseen an encouraging run in the Copa Del Rey, but a 7-0 humiliation against Barcelona in the first leg of their semi-final has extinguished any joy that could have come from a cup run.
The 40-year-old suffered another defeat at the weekend—against fellow strugglers Real Betis—and while he arrived with Valencia looking towards the European places, the Fallen Giants now find themselves edging towards the relegation zone and looking over their shoulder.
Speaking in his post-match press conference [as relayed by the Mirror], Neville has revealed that Sunday’s 1-0 defeat felt like a ‘punch in the face’.
“Every defeat feels like a punch in the face to the fans, to the players to myself… I speak to [the board] three, four, five times a week,” Neville began.
“I am comfortable with that. What I am uncomfortable about is not getting them the results they deserve.
“Conversations with the owners are between me and the owners.”
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