Julio Velázquez: "Goals are achieved in June, not in September"

Real Betis have been one of the standout teams so far in the 2014/15 Liga Adelante. Julio Velázquez (Salamanca, 5 October 1981) has come to the Verdiblancos' dugout to take the reins of a club that this season has its sights set on promotion and a return to the Spanish topflight. Despite being one of the youngest managers in the competition, Velázquez is aiming for the top and revealed his objectives for the new season in an exclusive interview with LFP.es.

LFP.es A new team for a new season in which the goal is promotion. How have your first months at Betis been?

Julio Velázquez: Very good, I'm really content and happy. We have a wonderful group of people that are working very well and trying to bring the best results possible knowing that it is a long season. You have to have a lot of peace of mind because the important thing is that at the end of the road, in June, we achieve our goal.

LFP.es: The objectives are clear, what do you think are the keys to achieving them?

Julio Velázquez: The most important thing is to have a good squad. From there you have to work properly every week, focusing on every match, without thinking any further ahead. This is a very close, very demanding and very long division in which you can beat anyone or lose to anyone and you have to be aware that the goals are achieved in June, not in September or November. You have to approach each match with a mentality that suits the demands on you.

LFP.es: What can you take from last year’s experience, when you were close to winning promotion?

Julio Velázquez: It is like everything in life. Last season was wonderful, we were on the verge of promotion when the goal was to stay in the division. In the end you accumulate experiences, both in football and in life and all of them help in the present. However, there are no two equal moments in life and every situation is completely different, with completely different contexts.

"We have a wonderful group of people that are working very well and trying to bring the best results possible knowing that it is a long season".

LFP.es: This week you face the leaders in the Benito Villamarín. What are you expecting from the match?

Julio Velázquez: It is going to be a great match against Las Palmas. We are facing a team that also has its sights set on promotion at the end of the season, that have a very good squad and that last year were very close to going up. I think they have brought some good players in, they have one of the best squads in the division and I think it will be a very attractive, demanding and difficult game.

LFP.es: That team has Sergio Araujo, who is firing on all cylinders, but you seem to have found the form of Rubén Castro, who is scoring for fun at the moment…

Julio Velázquez: Araujo is a great player, he is in very good form, but Rubén Castro is a really great player who is giving us so much, not just through his goals, but in every sense. We are very happy to have him. We hope that the run continues for as long as possible.

"You have to be aware that the goals are achieved in June, not in September or November".

LFP.es: Last year was a very tough, close and hard-fought competition. Do you think it will be the same this year or is it clearer which teams will be going for promotion?

Julio Velázquez: It's going to be the same. There are a lot of teams bidding to go up and until January or February it won't be clear who has the best chance of achieving it.

LFP.es: For such a young manager you are very close to your 100th match in the Liga Adelante. Has that time gone quickly?

Julio Velázquez: I'm not really one for numbers, but I am happy to keep racking up matches. That means that you are working, that you are doing whatever is your passion, your life, and I’m very happy to accumulate matches because it means I am working, which is the most important thing.

"Rubén Castro is a really great player who is giving us so much, not just through his goals, but in every sense"

LFP.es: Do you have a thorn in your side early this season. Any unfinished business?

Julio Velázquez: We are looking for permanent improvement and to find it as soon as possible, but there is no thorn in our side. Obviously our hardest day, when things didn't go right, was against SD Ponferradina, but I like to be positive and optimistic and I see a lot of good things in the team. Right now, the group is taking small steps forward, we have improved in defence, we’ve got seven points from the last nine available and we’re moving forwards.

LFP.es: How would Julio Velázquez describe himself as a coach?

Julio Velázquez: I think those who are with you day in and day out are those who should describe you, but I try to be as professional as possible and to make sure the group believes in what we are doing.

LFP.es: What do Betis have to do in order to keep their fans excited?

Julio Velázquez: Keep working and improving things that have to be improved. We have to keep working and keep moving forward so that the group continues to produce and between us all we can take the club to its objective at the end of the year.