JIM: I know Levante well, but…

Juan Ignacio Martinez has commented on the changes he has seen at Levante since he left, as he assures his return this Tuesday is ‘a beautiful moment’.

Martinez left Los Granotes as Coach in the summer on uneasy terms, with the club deciding against extending his contract.

However, in preparing to return to the club this Week 6 with Real Valladolid, the 49-year-old is remembering only the positives from his time in Valencia, which included Levante’s first ever foray into Europe.

“It’s a beautiful moment. Levante gave me the opportunity to train in the Primera Division,” reflected Martinez on his return, to reporters today.

“We had two wonderful years where milestones were reached that no-one had either thought of or dreamt of and we enjoyed our time in La Liga without fear of relegation.”

Both Levante and Valladolid will be searching for a second League win of the season this midweek.

“It will be a game similar to that [in Week 4] against Elche. When two teams meet in the League with the target of survival, things are always tight and things can be decided in a detail. We will have every precaution to try to make as few mistakes as possible.

“Levante come into this after the comeback against Almeria and they are on an important run of results. They lost at the Camp Nou and that has strengthened the resolve of the group.

“Of course we know the difficulty of this game. I know Levante well, but the team has changed for the additions made and the starting XI has changed too.

“Our lack of goals this season? It is true that we generating too few chances with our play, but it is also true that against Getafe and Elche we kept a clean sheet, and that’s positive.”

Tags JIM Juan Ignacio Martinez
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