Javi Varas: "We're capable of returning to the Liga BBVA"

He is responsible for guarding the Real Valladolid CF goal this season and, for the time being, it has gone pretty well. The team is third and has the best defensive record in the division. Javi Varas (b. Sevilla, 1982) talks to LFP.es during a tough week of training to explain how he sees the team on and off the field.

LFP.es: Fourteen points, four wins, two draws and just one defeat. Valladolid have hit cruising speed in the early stages of the season.

Javi Varas: It's still too early to draw conclusions, but being at the top of the league has given us more confidence in ourselves. When you start the championship well, everyone’s optimistic about the future, but we mustn’t think beyond the next match, so we stay focused.

LFP.es: Is the objective promotion or survival?

Javi Varas: Valladolid is a team that’s capable of going up and that’s the sole objective we have in mind. We don't consider anything else. We're aware that the competition is long and there are many points at stake, plus the play-off. That makes it more demanding, but the secret is to be consistent because all the teams are going to have something to play for from the midway point.

LFP.es: Along with Recre and Llagostera, you have the best defensive record in the championship. Do you feel responsible for this success?

Javi Varas: We're all responsible. Clearly, the more times you have a clean sheet, the better, but the credit goes to the team. We have plenty of possession; we have managed to build a strong defence and teams don't get many chances against us. The basis of a good team is its defence and I'm certain that, if we continue achieving these stats, we'll be close to our objective.

LFP.es: But some of the credit does belong to you.

Javi Varas: Personally, it gives me confidence; it stops me from relaxing and motivates me to keep going as I am.

"It's healthy competition between the two of us which forces us to stay alert and give the best of ourselves"

LFP.es: Rotation in goal is fashionable now. How does your manager 'Rubí' share the starting berth between Dani Hernández and you?

Javi Varas: I arrived at Valladolid with two matchdays already played and, as a result of my sending off, I missed another round. But now it's the boss who decides and we have to make it difficult for him because that increases the competition in the team. It's healthy competition between the two of us which forces us to stay alert and give the best of ourselves.

LFP.es: You have spent time at Sevilla FC, RC Celta and now Real Valladolid CF. What did you learn at each of these teams to become the goalkeeper you are now at Valladolid?

Javi Varas: I'm nothing like the Javi Varas of a few years ago; I'm a completely different keeper. Each club has given me different things. At Sevilla we were fighting for big things like the European competitions, but in Vigo I learned what it means to suffer until the end. That has made me tougher and from each team, each manager and each goalkeeping coach I have learned things that, aside from playing, have helped me mature.

LFP.es: And now?

Javi Varas: Now I handle situations calmly and enjoy myself more in my position. I'm not affected by things as much as I was when I was younger.

LFP.es: Who has been the most dangerous striker you have faced, or the one that has surprised you the most when you have had him in front of you?

Javi Varas: When I played against him at Barcelona I thought he was incredible. Everything about him surprised me: his charisma, the pressure he exerted on the field and his effectiveness as a striker. I faced him in his prime.

"I didn't know the Liga Adelante well, so I try to study during the week to learn more about my opponents"

LFP.es: Now that you mention FC Barcelona, your big night was at the Camp Nou. What are your memories of that day?

Javi Varas: It's a nice moment that stays with me, but it was still just another game. There are people who only remember you for that and they ignore a career of so many years, but I understand the impact of deciding a match in the last minute.

LFP.es: You are well known on the field, but not much is known about you off it. How do you prepare for matches? Are you a keeper that studies players’ shots and penalties?

Javi Varas: I'm not superstitious and I don't have any particular obsessions, but I must admit that I try to learn during the week and watch some games to find out more about my opponents, because having played in the Liga BBVA all these years, I have been away from the Liga Adelante.