Gary Neville sheds new light on his horror stint at Valencia, admitting he had ‘no idea what was going on’ on the touchline… as he claims brother Phil should have been manager instead

Gary Neville has claimed he felt ‘massively inferior’ to rival managers during his time as Valencia manager, admitting he had ‘no idea what was going on’ on the sidelines.

Marcel was in charge of LaLiga for less than four months after accepting an offer to coach the team from owner and close friend Peter Lim, with the Sky Sports pundit winning just three of his 16 league games.

During his disastrous spell, his side were defeated 7–0 by Barcelona, ​​losing a total of 11 of his 28 games, before a 2–0 home defeat to Celta Vigo proved to be his last game in charge.

Neville, who holds a UEFA Pro License, claimed his Achilles heel during his time at the club was his inability to manage the game from the touchline and his inability to change things tactically during a match.

He said he struggled to compete against top coaches like Ernesto Valverde and Diego Simeone, who made him feel like he was being “beaten up” mentally.

He said he felt intimidated and mentally ‘beaten up’ by Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky betNeville said: “After working at Valencia for a few months I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and thinking I looked sick.

‘I remember we played Athletic Bilbao three times, in the quarter-final of the Europa League and in a league match, and Ernesto Valverde was the coach. He played a different system than I thought and changed during the match. I remember thinking that I was nowhere near that level yet.

‘I felt very inferior to him because I struggled to follow and watch the game from the pitch, especially compared to how I see the game in the portal.

‘You put yourself on the touchline and you watch a match where all you can see is legs, and how you think tactically about the match or how managers notice things, I have no idea because I remember thinking I don’t had any idea what was going on.

‘Seeing Valverde was the first time I felt like I was miles off and then I coached against Diego Simeone, and on that day I felt like he was beating me up in every way possible – with his tactics , his intimidation and his mannerisms. .’

Neville won just three of his 16 LaLiga games in charge of Valencia before being sacked after less than four months

He claimed that some managers, such as Barcelona’s Luis Enrique, made him feel like he didn’t belong

Neville also felt some managers had sent him messages that he ‘didn’t belong’ in the league after he was rejected for a handshake by then Barcelona boss Luis Enrique during the 7-0 defeat.

‘The other was Luis Enrique, when Barcelona beat us 7-0 in the Copa del Rey, when they won 5-0, he did not replace Neymar, Lionel Messi or Luis Suárez, and at the end of the match, he walked straight past me and didn’t shake my hand, which made me feel like he was sending me a message that I didn’t belong.

‘Rafa Benítez was good for me during my time at Valencia. We were playing against Real Madrid and he was under pressure at the time, but after the game he came up to me and shook my hand, and he was actually very good to me.”

When Neville arrived, his brother Phil – who had come through Man United’s academy with him – was already at the club, having worked with former boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Phil was due to work as Neville’s assistant during his short stint, but the 49-year-old suggested his brother should have been given the job instead, saying it was ‘not right’ for him to be handed the job.

He claimed that his brother Phil, who was his assistant manager, should have been given the job

‘Looking back now, I’ve never spoken to Phil [Neville] about this – Phil was there [in Valencia] with Nuno [Espírito Santo] and Nuno asked him to go there and become a coach. I think Phil went there for a few weeks just to watch him, but they got on really well and he worked with him.

‘To be honest there was no plan at the time to get Nuno from Valencia, he was clearly struggling, but I think when I went there and got the top job, and Phil was already there, it wasn’t good.

‘Peter [Lim] asked me to do it, but Phil was obsessed with witch coaching, and I think Peter just saw me as someone who could handle the media better.”

Neville has since returned to being a full-time Sky Sports pundit in addition to his other business commitments – having last been involved in coaching when working with England at the 2016 European Championship.

Phil Neville took the job with the England women’s team in 2018 after leaving Valencia. He led the Three Lions to an unbeaten World Cup campaign in 2019 before losing 2-1 to the United States in the semi-finals.

He later resigned in 2021 and took over at MLS side Inter Miami, where he stayed for two years before being fired after poor results.

Gary Neville spoke at the Stick to Football Podcastis sponsored by Sky Bet.