Paco Jémez: "If we're brave we’ll be able to achieve our goals"

'LFP.es, in-depth' was at Rayo Vallecano’s Ciudad Deportiva to talk to Paco Jémez before the important match against RC Celta in the Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday. The coach of the team from Madrid revealed his intentions for his team this season and the secrets of survival in a competition such as the Liga BBVA, the best league in the world.

LFP.es: What does Rayo Vallecano mean to Paco Jémez’s career?
Paco Jémez: It means a lot. It is a team that has given me the chance to debut in the Liga BBVA, something it also did when I was a player. So, whatever happens, I’ll always remember it. Rayo has given much more than I can ever give back and I’ll always be grateful, wherever I am.

LFP.es: You are a brave manager, something that can be seen in your team every week. Where does that come from?
Paco Jémez: I understand that a small team like us has to go all out in every match; it has to end the game with the feeling that they have left everything on the pitch. I don’t think sitting back, trying not to concede and scoring from set-pieces would work for us and we don’t have the players to play like that anyway. Every year we build a team to play how we want and I believe Rayo has more chance of achieving its goals by being brave.

"Rayo has given much more than I can ever give back and I’ll always be grateful, wherever I am"

LFP.es: All teams and managers have something that is unnegotiable. What is unnegotiable here?
Paco Jémez: Possibly, the way we do things is unnegotiable. We’re convinced, and we train for it, that it is a good way to play football, and that we can get good results that way. We need everyone to be convinced, above all during hard times, when it is necessary to overcome doubt. Conviction is what drives us forward and allows us to demonstrate that what we do is right for us.

LFP.es: The team started very well, but recently you haven’t had much luck. Has that created doubts?
Paco Jémez: There are no doubts at the moment, the team are still playing well. I think that we are still doing more things right than wrong, but we are paying dearly for any mistakes. That is where we have to find the balance so that the teams cannot score against us easily, because I think we are a team that are capable of defending better than we have been.

LFP.es: Rayo rebuilds every year but always manages to achieve its goals. Is it as easy as it looks?
Paco Jémez: No, it’s very complicated. That is more the job of Felipe Miñambres, who is responsible for picking players with a very low budget. Then we have the difficulty of bringing all the players together: this year 18 news ones came in and that is undoubtedly a handicap. This team is still a little way off its potential as a group, but when so many new people come it takes a little more time.

"I don’t think sitting back would work for us"

LFP.es: Rayo have a player that controls the tempo at will. How important is Roberto Trashorras to this club?
Paco Jémez: Everyone knows what Roberto can do when he has the ball. We’ve always had the feeling that he was a very talented player with the ball, but there was room for improvement without it. Even more so as he is a player who looks like creating something every time he has the ball; he is a unique player who is capable of dictating the rhythm of the game. When I arrived I spoke to him and I think I convinced him and he improved that.

LFP.es: Do you still think you have a lot to prove here?
Paco Jémez: There’s always something to prove, anyone who thinks they have proved everything has already taken the first step backwards. You can always do better. Rayo’s best finish with a reduced budget was eighth, so now we’re going to fight for seventh or sixth, at least that’s my ambition and I think it’s that of my players too.

LFP.es: Let’s talk about Celta. Are you surprised that Berizzo’s team are doing so well?
Paco Jémez: No because he has a very good team. Celta have signed who they had to this year and they are having a more notable start to the season with more acceptable football. For me it is a pleasant surprise. They are a very hard-working and talented team who know very well what they have to do on the pitch, so I think the clash will be very attractive for the fans, but it will be difficult to prepare for, for both Celta’s manager and me.

"Rayo's best finish with a reduced budget was eighth, so now we’re going to fight for seventh or sixth"

LFP.es: What are the keys to this match?
Paco Jémez: Use the ball well, have it more than the opposition, be defensively consistent and from there, we are a team that creates chances. We know very well that once we are capable of producing a clean sheet, we’ll start to win matches in a more acceptable way.

LFP.es: Where do you think Rayo will be at the end of the season?
Paco Jémez: I don’t know where we'll be, but I want us to be comfortable and even battling it out for something special, as we did last year. That will depend on these first few matches. If we manage to win two matches on the trot, we’ll be good to spend the whole year from the middle of the table and up, that is what we demand from the players, we’re not happy with what we have, we always demand more, that is what has earned us three years here. We won’t conform or be average, that would have negative consequences.