17/06/2014 - 19:23

Julio Velázquez is already in Sevilla. The new manager of Real Betis Balompié arrived in Sevilla from Murcia this afternoon to get to work on the configuration of the Betis team for the 2014/15 season. His aim is to return to the First Division as soon as possible. Vélazquez who will be presented at a press conference tomorrow at 1.00 pm, was shown around the facilities of the Benito Villamarín Stadium accompanied by the technical secretary, Alexis Trujillo.

Those who know Velázquez define him as an ambitious manager, obsessed with football and having an innate ability to get to grips with the ins and outs of all the players. The continuous demand of the payers is one of the main cards he has up his sleeve. It is the case with Álex Martínez, who in reference to the work ethics of the new Real Betis manager emphasises his seriousness: “He's a manager who is eager to learn and to do well. You can not relax with him for a second. If you do you know you won't be selected for the match on Sunday. It has worked for him so far. Here, he created a team in which we have all worked hard and he has gained our trust. He doesn't lack enthusiasm and drive. He puts 100% into his work. He's a very sociable person, someone you can count on and talk to at any time. You can talk to him about any problem you may have and he will help out”.

The apprentice, who has shared a wonderful adventure at Real Murcia with Velázquez, highlights the amazing adaptability of the Castilian manager. A variety of playing styles aimed at success which are hard to stop: “I think every manager has to adapt to the players he has. He did a very god job at it in Murcia with what he had in the team. The foundations of the team were to defend well and seize the opportunity to a counterattack. Depending on the team you have you can vary your style of play. With him you have to make a great effort, run more than your opponent, defend well and try not to concede a goal. He also likes to play a passing game so, as you can see he is a manager who can adapt to anything”.

Álex will return to Sevilla in three weeks time to work for a spot in the first Heliopolitan team. Having completed an excellent season on loan to Murcia, the left-footed player only has words of praise for Velázquez: “He had confidence in me right from the start. I'm really grateful to him for that, he has been fantastic and he has demonstrated his trust in me at all times. He is one of the most important managers I've had in my career so far”.

The link between the two will, without a doubt, help Álex Martínez to progress next season when he will participate in the objective of returning Betis to the elite of Spanish football: “I was looking forward to coming back even before I heard the news that Julio had signed for Betis. I'm really pleased about his signing. He already knows me and he knows how enthusiastic I am, but I'm not going to let that lead to any complacency. If I do, I won't play. I don't think about being a starter in any team, I train hard every day in order to be selected and to get better".

He has some excellent statistics under the management of Velázquez. However, the condition of being a permanent fixture in the starting 11 does not make the 24-year-old winger relax, who only wants to show Velázquez what he's capable of in each training session with pure hard work: “The first objective was to save the team and we did so with 10 matches left in the season. Nobody thought it was possible for us to get so high up in the standings. We have become like a family and we have helped each other both on and off the pitch. I have improved in many defensive aspects and I have learnt a lot from Julio Velázquez. At the end of each match he told me about all the errors that needed correcting and a football player is always grateful for that information”.

Someone with the same feelings as Álex Martínez was Casto Espinosa. He was a goalkeeper at Real Betis Balompié for five seasons and he endorses the arrival of Julio Velázquez on the Betis bench. “He is a hard-working manager, ambitious and with a great desire to grow. Despite his youth he has been training for some years now, and that is why he is more than able to do well at Betis. I'm sure the players will also want to see Betis back in the First Division, and with him they will”.

His career has been styled on his passion for football and his strictness which means his teams work like clockwork. Velázquez knows how to multiply his players performance. “His demands on the players is what I would highlight the most about him. He is a very intense person and not just in the matches, he has the same attitude in the training sessions; furthermore, he likes to work hard and likes his players to look after themselves and to be professional”.

Whilst the young manager adapts his play-book to the characteristics of each team, his preferred option is combinative football: “He likes to start with the passing game keeping the ball close to the ground, and that is the type of football that is appreciated in Seville. Here in Murcia we had a humble team, so we to adapt to the players that he had and implement a plan B. He adapted various styles although his preferred one was a passing game”.

The former green-and-white goalkeeper described the human side of the new Betis manager, an important aspect in his management style: “At first he tries to keep his distance. In the end you realise how close he is got to you, he calls you and takes an interest in you. He always deals with things related to football as well as things that are not related to the game. He is a person who is always looking for a way to make things go well for a player”.

In a magnificent season at Real Murcia, in which despite the obstacles encountered last summer he fought for promotion to the First Division and Velázquez orchestrated a team full of unbridled optimism: “There is a lot of merit in doing what he has done in a club with so many difficulties. When we got there last summer there were only about eight players. From there, getting Murcia well-placed in the standings deserves praise, and it is for that reason he leaves the town satisfied with the work he has done”.