It has not been easy for Albert Celades to enter Valencia's locker room. The challenge of removing the shadow of Marcelino García Toral was a major one, and not only because of the objectives achieved in the last two seasons, but also because of the ability shown by the Spaniard to lead a group of players that he found to be washed out returned self-confidence. It made them better. What could the new Mr. bring you ? That is the question that the players asked themselves when the afternoon of September 11 saw him enter the locker room. A month later they already know.

Celades has exerted at this time a silent leadership that, although not yet on a regular basis, has borne fruit as the tie in the Metropolitan. Today in Lille they will look again for a victory in the Champions League that allows them to maintain options to reach the round of 16.

The Andorran strategy began by leaving the group to grieve over the dismissal of their leader, respecting the union of a wardrobe that is defined as "family" , to start very slowly the road to reforms, more with gestures that with words. "I have not come to leave a mark, just to help the team work," he said upon arrival.

The message of Celades begins to penetrate the players. Without the explosiveness of Marcelino, polvorilla in the band, they have verified how their alternatives help them to manage matches. Proof of this is the work with the ball stopped . The rehearsed plays have become a useful weapon for Valencia. Less so is his intention to modify the immovable 4-4-2 that Marcelino had attached to the team.

Celades, product of the Masia, tries to make his Valencia adapt to 4-3-3 . With that system he took a victory at Stanford Bridge, praised then but not so much when it was only worth to save a point against Leganes. The team has trouble getting together, sometimes it suffers, but in favor of the coach, he plays listening to his players . He saw himself around the locker room at the Wanda. Two or three touches in the locker room, the return to the system that gives Parejo control of the game and Valencia scared Atlético.

"The system can be changed, but the style is the same," said Celades as coach of the U21 coach. The style with which he intends to convince in Valencia is to overcome the only one but that was put to Marcelino: a greater mastery of the ball to control the game and look for the opportunity. Transform a team that damaged its rivals by speed by another that, without giving up that weapon, has extensive mastery phases.

Aligned with the players

Key so that your message of soccer cale is to have the respect of its soccer players . The players of Valencia, in addition to the initial mourning for the march of a coach they believed in, were angry, very angry with the property for leaving them out and without information about their plans. They showed him with a resounding silence before the press that provoked fines from the LaLiga and the Champions League. The dismissal of Marcelino was followed by Pablo Longoria as sports director and, in the next few days, will be that of Mateu Alemany . The three people closest to the staff are no longer in the club.

"We are entertained," the Andorran coach joked at the blunders and shouts against President Anil Murthy in the last two home games. Without entering into any public controversy - that was what the dismissal cost to his predecessor - his credibility among the players multiplied when he aligned with them. He became one of the "family" to position himself with his players to stop the dismissal of both the team's delegate , the former international Paco Camarasa, and one of the recovering physiotherapists.

The force will give Celades the results. Under the need to reach the top four ranking, in his eight games on the bench he has achieved three wins, three draws and two losses , very balanced numbers that he will have to start breaking today.

He will do it without Guedes and without Rodrigo , both injured. A victory in Lille seems essential to be able to fight with Chelsea and Ajax one of the two places that allow to continue in Champions. For this match, the coach recovers Gayà and fully Soler . The absence of the young midfielder has complicated his commitment to 4-3-3, as a tactical variant that the Andorran does not want to forget. Matter of time.

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