Maffeo: “Aguirre knows what we need. He is demanding, motivating, and connects with the player”

The Valencia CF defender spoke to VCF Media Radio’s news program about his reunion with the Mexican coach.

Personality and experience

“He’s an intense person who knows exactly what he wants, but he’s also a genuinely good guy. He’s very approachable, and there’s a reason he’s had such a successful career. He always tells us, ‘You play the way you train,’ and he has plenty of other sayings, like, ‘Without technique, there’s no tactics.’ He’s a great coach who surrounds himself with people who complement him, and vice versa. He’s the coach who pulled me out of a really difficult place. With confidence and motivation, he brings out the best in us. If he sees that you’re struggling off the pitch, he’ll talk to you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing more or less—he needs you, and he’s made that clear to us. He needs the whole team, because when we’re all together, things become much easier.”

Intensity

“He demands a lot from you, but he does it with the best intentions. He really connects with the players on a personal level, too, so as a result, the players are willing to give even more for him.”

Turning the situation around

“He’s been through every kind of situation. He knows exactly what we need. At RCD Mallorca, we’ll never forget a team talk he gave us at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. We were in a really bad place at the time. This season at Valencia CF, we’re in a difficult situation, but we’re going to turn it around—no one inside the club has any doubts about that. The great thing about Aguirre is that he always knows exactly what to say.”

Experience with Aguirre

“I was in the under-16s, in my second year, and I was training with the youth team when I made my debut for RCD Espanyol B. He was the one who brought me up to the first team. He knows me inside out. He knows I’ve been through some really difficult times, and now he sees me happy to be here. I know I’m not going to play simply because he had me at RCD Mallorca. I’m the one who has to work the hardest and prove that, just as I did when he gave me the opportunity at RCD Mallorca, I’m still eager for that chance and I’m going to run as hard as anyone.”

International break

“It’s the first time the break has been this long, so we’ve had the chance to adapt to what he wants from us. The team is in a good place. I can see it on everyone’s faces—you can see the desire, the happiness, and a different feeling. It all starts with the boss, with the talks he gives us. Even the younger players are getting stuck in, and that makes all of us better.”