Anil Murthy: "The most important thing now is the team, us coming together and getting behind the coach to win games"

Before Valencia CF's game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge,  president Anil Murthy spoke to Spanish television station 'Movistar Liga de Campeones' to send out a message of unity for a new phase for the club under coach Albert Celades.

Q: What have you told the players?
A: "The most important thing now is the team, us coming together and getting behind the coach to win games. We have to prioritise. Sacking Marcelino was a shock for many people, but the priority now is to return to normality, keeping calm and putting the focus on the team moving forward under Celades and winning games. We have to handle the process and prioritise. The priority for me is the team, the players, the coach and everything returning to normal, so that they can get through this by winning games."

Q: "What were the reasons for Marcelino's dismissal?"
A: "We are very close to playing our first Champions League game of the season; I want to talk about the game, and I will talk about the reasons shortly. Today isn't a day to distract the players, nor the coach, by talking about what happened. The players won the Copa del Rey and qualified for the Champions League twice with Marcelino, but then some important things happened this summer and we are convinced that the decision to change coaches was good for the project in the medium and long term. We have a sustainable Valencia CF. I said it in Celades' presentation. The VCF Academy is the present and future of this club, and for us this coach, Albert Celaders, is the best man for the job."

Q: "Will you hold a press conference soon?"
A: "I'm going to speak soon. We have a lot of games and they are the priority. From what I saw yesterday and what I've seen today, the team are in good shape, want to win and are fully behind the coach. They are professional footballers; they've seen managerial changes before and I don't think that they have problems with the decision to change our coach. It's always a shock after two good seasons, but they are professionals. I spoke with them yesterday -and again today-, and the players want to win. I think that this season is also important for them, ahead of the European Championships."

Q: "What is the future for Mateu Alemany? Has he asked to leave?"
A: "We've never talked about him leaving. Mateu is the director general of Valencia CF. Every day we talk about important things for this club."

Q: "Did you apologise to the players on behalf of Peter Lim, as some media outlets have reported?"
A: "Today I've learned what the term 'gutter press' means. For weeks, during the entire summer, the fans have been the victims of some of the members of the press. It's nothing new in Valencia and we're used to it. For the past two years, the club have wanted to transmit their own messages, with our own voice to speak directly to the fans. We can't count on some journalists who want to understand things -and tell them- in a way that is for their own benefit and not that of the club. The most important thing is winning games and gaining confidence. We are going to return to normality and the fans are going to appreciate it."

Q: "How has the criticism for the sacking of Marcelino been received?"
A: "I'm an employee of Valencia CF. It might be fun or easy to talk about a Valencia CF that is 'Singapore', 'Spain' or 'Meriton.' I don't care. The important thing is that we have a team in which we have complete confidence to win games. I also want to add that we have been here for five years: We've had two years with protests, three playing in the Champions League, and last year we won the Copa del Rey. We have project with big ambitions. We are used to the fans being disappointed when the ball doesn't go in. That's football. If the ball goes in, then things change. We have to have patience and we're going to play football."