Julio Velázquez, Real Betis Balompié's new manager for next season was presented this morning in the pressroom at the Benito Villamarín Stadium. The Castilian coach was excited about this new stage in his career and conveyed words of hope in his first appearance before the media. He was confident in the face of the challenge of returning the team to the First Division.

The first message as the Real Betis Balompié manager: “I would like to thank the President and the Technical Secretary from the bottom of my heart for the trust they have placed in me by giving me this project. I am extremely excited and grateful. I cannot wait to start the pre-season training programme for this club. Betis is one of the most important clubs in this country and has one of the best fan bases in the world. I'm looking forward to justifying the decision taken by some people to place their trust in me. My plan is to work with the utmost seriousness and professionalism. I am very happy and looking forward to starting this journey so that between all of us we can get this club back in its rightful place”.

The implication of the players: “The idea is that everyone has the same implication and feels the same, they should feel that forming part of this club is the most important thing in the world. We must consider ourselves privileged for belonging to a club such as this. What we want is for everybody to react in the right way, and feel the same way”.

Are you worried by the pressure?: “For any professional this is the best possible pressure. I feel privileged to be able to dedicate my life to what is my passion. Managing Real Betis is a privilege for me. It is not so much pressure, more a responsibility. We have to restore confidence with hard work and results”.

Being so young could you have a problem with the team?: “Obviously that is something that is brought up quite a lot. I have been training now for 15 years at different levels. Throughout my career I have come across all kinds of professionals of different ages. The experience you have comes from the way you channel the experience that life gives you. I think drive responsibility and vocation are more important than age. The ability to empathise with the group is very important. The thermometer for any manager are the results and the players. I had the great fortune to be at Villarreal CF with players with impeccable careers, players who were older than I was. I have a magnificent relationship with all of them and I think my work was very gratifying. I have never paid any attention to the age difference even when I was 20 years old and trained teams who were in the Preferential or Third Divisions with footballers who were 32 years of age. What you have to do is be as responsible as you possibly can with your work and clearly mark what everyone's role is. In our own roles we have to be as professional as possible 24 hours a day seven days a week. We represent a club so we should be rigorous with our work both on and off the pitch. It is all about getting results and improving performance. Anything else is a mere anecdote”.

Maximum professionalism: “What I would like, and in fact that is how it should be, is that every professional that has the opportunity to work in this club should consider it a privilege to do so and see it as the best thing that has happened to them. Beyond numbers and names, what I want is that everyone who works on a daily basis at the Club does so bearing in mind the privilege that that represents. Consequently they should defend their club's colours 1000%. One has to face up to adverse situations without anxiety, but naturally. It is a long-term process during which you have to fulfil the objectives that have been set. At the beginning you have to learn to live with the realities and work as consistently as possible to get the greatest possible harmony and maximum competitiveness at the beginning of the league. Above everything else is the commitment and implication in the objectives. For me that is fundamental”.

Future signings: “As of 1st July, and in conjunction with the technical secretary, we shall try with the greatest possible harmony to create the best team to fulfil the objective and enthuse the fans. The numbers and the names are internal issues. There will be conversations but there are certain situations that I consider have to be kept under wraps”.

What kind of football will Betis play?: “I believe in a management style based on adaptation to the circumstances which surround the team at any given moment. At the end of the day everyone has to know what their role is. My mission is to manage the resources available to me to get the desired performance. We're talking about professional football and in the end our lives depend on performance. Above anything else we are professionals and we represent a great institution. And as such we should adhere to the consequences. Our work should be totally professional. Any particular moment will require a certain course of action. No two moments of the same. It is our obligation to adapt to that situation and to be able to get the best performance out of the group and out of every individual”.

Adapting to the Second Division: “I have had the opportunity to witness great matches in this stadium. The Betis fans are very passionate, coherent and intelligent. We have to provide them with sufficient grounds both on and off the pitch to connect with us. We have to live up to their expectations. Our fan base is not one that should be playing in this division. Without a shadow of doubt they are the best supporters in Spain. We must accept the reality of things. This year we have to compete in the 'Liga Adelante', the second tier of Spanish football, a league that is very long and evenly matched. In the run of any season even the slightest difference can mean that you can win or lose against any team. We must be able to discern different times and situations. Both the Club and the fans are tiptop but this year we have to play in the Second Division. Our objective is to gain promotion in October so that when the season finishes the club can play in the division where they belong. Anxiety, wanting to be in the First Division by October, is not good, we have all seen the examples of Mallorca and Zaragoza who have been teetering around the relegation zone. Being successful this season will depend on knowing what this Club and these fans mean and represent. From thereon we have to be humble enough to defend our colours 1000%. It is going to be a long hard process but we have to be together. At the end of the day we are about football so there should be a tremendous union between everyone and an unchanging desire to do well throughout the league. Promotion only comes at the end of the championship. It is a complicated category to play in but if everyone is absolutely stoked we will manage to get the club back into the First Division. If we keep calm and follow this natural process in the end we will be First Division”.

The make-up of the team: “I consider myself to be a manager that adapts to the circumstances of the club at any given time and I can empathise with them. In my view Betis is an immense Club. The Board of Directors is working in a rational and coherent way. If we are all united, we will ensure that the process is the right one to get the most competitive team possible within our limitations. By believing in everybody's work we will manage to put together the most professional team possible, that will be rigorous enough to represent the club's colours throughout the competition with absolute dignity”.

The Betis supporters are the most demanding ones: “It seems to me to be totally human and absolutely normal for supporters to be demanding. The demand placed on those of us who work for the club is necessary so that we all take on our share of the responsibility”.

If you had gained promotion with Real Murcia, would you have signed for Betis?: “I like to talk about reality, about the moment. From 1 July I will be the Real Betis manager. And until the season finished two days ago I was totally focused on Real Murcia. Or negotiations took place between the Club and my representatives. Since yesterday I have been focusing on my new job. That is my reality since yesterday. Prior to that I was working for another club who deserve my gratitude and for whom I have undertaken my work with the greatest of responsibility. Now that the competition is finished I am happy to be where I am".

Pre-season preparation at San Pedro del Pinatar:  “I was never there in my time at Real Murcia. Circumstances didn't allow it, however we did compete in friendly matches and training sessions from time to time during the season. Since yesterday we have been getting up to speed in all areas such as the team itself, logistics and organisation of the pre-season programme”.

What kind of footballers will come to Betis?: “Football is all about the moment. Our obligation is to adapt to each moment to achieve the best performance. That means taking the most coherent decisions at any given time depending on the needs dictated at that time. They are decisions based both on the collective and individual improvement. I like teams to be competitive and harmonious where all the players are able to give something to the collective. I want the team to be in harmony both in number and positions”.

Will any players come from Real Murcia?: “I very much believe in teamwork. Real Betis is the signing party not Julio Velázquez. And in this case there is a technical secretary and his staff. We have been deep in conversation since yesterday and there is a great feeling. I'm really happy to be working like this”.

Confidence in the apprentices: “The doors to the first team are always going to be open for those players who have the ability to bring something to the team when it is required. But we won't be giving anything away. What is at issue here is that any player who has the necessary skills will find the doors open to him”.

To have any preference for any tactical scheme?: “Every manager has a certain affinity to a style of play. But football is not about the managers but about the players. As managers what we have to do is to build a model of play which is most appropriate to the resources that we have available to us at any given time. I like my teams to be committed and supportive. I like to prioritise the group over and above individuals. It is all about the moment. Once we have brought the team together and based upon the players that we have we shall try to build the most appropriate model to get the performance we need”.