Gracia: "We have a unit that promises to produce"

An ambitious undertaking with renowned players has given way to a period of change based on academy players and the ambition to start from scratch with enthusiasm from day one. Javi Gracia (Pamplona, 01/05/1970) is the man at the helm of the brand new Andalusian outfit, who he has led to their best ever start, with six victories, three draws and two defeats, and to sixth place, which is one of the European spots.

LFP.es: What is the recipe for Málaga's best ever start?
Gracia: It is a number of things, but basically it is the result of the hard work we have put in since the first day of the preseason and, above all, being able to rely on players who are driven and willing to listen.

LFP.es: The confidence you have given the young players may be one of the keys to your success. Why is it usually so difficult to bring in unexperienced players?
Gracia: Every case is different, but I have always like to give young players an opportunity. But I don’t take the decision lightly; they are only given an opportunity if I think they are ready, and at Málaga there are quite a few in that position. It also helps that they are surrounded by those that aren’t so young but still have a young spirit, the veterans, because they create a favourable environment for them to settle in the first team.

"We have a lot of young guys who can go as far as they want"

LFP.es: Samu Castillejo has perhaps been one of the biggest surprise packages this season. How far do you think the under-21 international can go?
Gracia: There are good young players in the team. Juanpi, Juanmi, Ricardo Horta...We have a lot who can go as far as they want. At the moment they are demonstrating great maturity for their age, and if they continue in that way then they can aim very high.

LFP.es: Could they be the foundations for the future?
Gracia: We have a good present and it is possible that we have an even better near future. Málaga’s future, with the renewals, of Sergio Darder for example, another Spain international, is formed by a great unit who promise to produce great things in a short space of time.

LFP.es: You have said that you want them to be the stars of the matches. How would you define your brand of football?
Gracia: There are always two sides to football; intentions and reality. Our idea is to play well, trying to score goals, being a balanced team, which we’re achieving so far. The idea is to entertain the fans. We like to stand out, but the opponent is always there and sometimes things don’t go as planned.

"It is possible to entertain the fans and be well-placed in the table at the same time. We are doing that, although we know it will be a tough year"

LFP.es: How difficult has it been to start from scratch knowing that before it was a 'Supermálaga'?
Gracia: It would have been more difficult at another time. Currently, we are seeing that there was a different era in Spain and in recent times you have to adjust, in a lot of situations in life, and football is no exception. In our case, we have to find balance, while trying to be as competitive as possible. It is possible to entertain the fans and be well-placed in the table at the same time. We are doing that, although we know it will be a tough year.

LFP.es: You are currently in the European zone, what do you think is the limit for this Málaga?
Gracia: We've got 21 points from eleven games and we really value that return because we know what we’ve had to put in to get it. Despite the fact that we have strung five wins together, we also know that it will be tough to get enough points to stay up. At the moment we are aware of that, as I think it is the best way to keep your place in the division and then we can see if we do it at a time that allows us to aspire to more or if we have to settle for that.