Saturday 24 October 2015 14:55, UK
Phil Neville is loving life so much in Valencia that he cannot see himself returning home any time soon.
Neville moved to Spain in July to become Valencia boss Nuno Espirito Santo's assistant manager following the departure of Ian Cathro to Newcastle United.
And three months into his tenure at the Mestalla, Neville has settled in well and is relishing working alongside the Portuguese coach.
"You just have to seize the opportunity when it comes your way and the last few months in terms of learning have been invaluable," Neville said in an interview with Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague. "But I did not realise how difficult it is to move countries from a logistical point of view."
One of the main contrasts between working in England and Spain has been the training and preparing for games, according to the former Manchester United and England defender.
"The biggest difference when preparing for a game between Spain and England is that in Spain, teams just want to beat the opposition by playing better football, rather than worrying, say, about the physicality of the opposition," he said.
"Training is slightly different as you stay out on the training ground a lot longer because of the weather, so players have more time to practice. I am not saying it is better, just that the weather and culture make it a lot different.
"So I am learning all the time, I am new to this, I am working with a coach who has different ideas to what I am used to and hopefully it will round off my coaching experiences in the next few years."
In fact, Neville is enjoying his time in southern Spain so much that he now wants to stay there "for the foreseeable future".
"When I took this job, the short-term plan was to learn a language and enjoy a new culture in 12-18 months," said Neville. "But having been out here for three months, I love it that much that I cannot see myself coming home for the foreseeable future.
"It is just the way of life, the culture, the football - I need to master the language, I want to be a success in this country, my team to be a success and to come home and be able to do an interview in Spanish and say to people that I went there and did well. And at the moment there is still a long way to go."
What has recently made things easier for Neville is that Valencia have recovered from a slow start to the campaign, with the club now just four points off Atletico Madrid - who they face on Sunday - in fourth, while they have also won two of their opening three games in the Champions League.
"The fans here are so demanding that if they do not like what they see, they voice their opinions, which is quite normal," he said. "But on Tuesday against Gent, the fans were brilliant as we had to suffer a bit in the second half. But I think they are starting to realise that the team is slowly taking shape.
I love it that much that I cannot see myself coming home for the foreseeable future
"Something I have learnt since coming to Spain is the supporters are well in tune with the tactical side of the game. You read the local newspapers and it is all about the tactical side of the game and everyone wants to be a coach when they come to Mestalla.
"But I think at the moment they are happy with what they are seeing with the team. The young players are starting to improve, we have won four of our last five games and are really happy with where we are at the moment.
"When you have such a good season last season, the expectation levels rise and everybody knew that [Nicolas] Otamendi was going to leave the club, but we could not do anything about it until we received a bid.
"So you work all pre-season for six, seven, eight weeks and then three or four days before the biggest game in the club's recent history against Monaco, Man City come in with a bid and then all of a sudden all of that work you have done in pre-season goes out the window.
"You have to put another centre-back in place and then you have games coming up and so it was always going to be a difficult start to the season. But I think everything has now settled down, the new players are starting to integrate and the last three of four games I am starting to see the quality in the team. And it is something that I am really looking forward to seeing over the next few weeks."
One of the biggest plusses for the Englishman joining Los Che is that he is gets to work alongside one of the Continent's brightest young coaches in the 41-year-old Nuno.
"Nuno is a fantastic young manager and I look at the best young managers in Europe at the moment and he is probably at the top of the list," Neville said. "I do not see a better place for me to learn at this moment in time.
"I probably know everything about English football, I have been involved with English football for 20 years, so it is about me broadening my horizons at the minute. And if a job comes up in Spain in the future, it is definitely a place I would want to stay for the foreseeable future."
However, Neville and Valencia face a tough trip to the Spanish capital on Sunday night - a game you can see live on Sky Sports 5 HD - as they look to close the gap on Atleti in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
"The last month has been really good, we have won four out of the last five games," he said. "People think there is a mini crisis going on at Valencia, but I think we have just started to hit a bit of form.
"Sunday will be our toughest game, Atletico away in their stadium and everyone knows how Diego Simeone will set up his team, very tight, compact, and aggressive. I am really looking forward to the game, they say it is more of an English-type atmosphere in the stadium, but we are full of confidence at the moment.
"They are starting to tinker with their formation at the minute - everybody knows them as 4-4-2, but they are starting to play 4-3-3 in some games and that has surprised a few people in Spain. So we are not sure what system they are going to play on Sunday, but we know they are going to be aggressive, put pressure on the referee and Simeone will get the crowd going.
"There will be no surprises, we know what we are going to get, so it is up to us to be mentally strong on Sunday. It is going to be our toughest game of the season and I think this is our first really big test. We are going to have to put up with defending set pieces, fouls that are constantly breaking up the rhythm of our play.
"But I just get the feeling at the moment we are starting to hit a little bit of form and confidence is high."
And if Neville and Valencia can come away from the Vicente Calderon with a win on Sunday, then the club's pre-season target of a top-four finish will be starting to look that much healthier.
The target is top four this season, the club wants to continue to grow under the new ownership and so we have to finish in the top four. We have had a smell of the Champions League, we are in a good position in the Champions League and we want to be in the Champions League for the next couple of seasons at least."
