Revista De La Liga may be in the can for another week, but this is an opportunity to push Graham into extra-time.
In the second part of ‘post-match Revista’, he reflects on the burgeoning career of young Scot Ian Cathro, currently the assistant to Nuno Espírito Santo at Valencia, who was interviewed by Sky’s Charles Paterson for this week’s show.
Ian Cathro is a 28-year-old Scot who has never played professional football but is the assistant manager at Valencia. Is this the right club at which to advance his career?
Ian is there because of Nuno. Nuno is there because of Jorge Mendes. Jorge Mendes is there because of Peter Lim. There’s a hierarchy which means that he is not just a 28-year-old Scot who is learning Spanish from Portuguese. There is a clear line of importance from manager’s consigliere, part of the personal regime of Jorge Mendes – the world’s most important football agent, who has been Peter Lim’s consigliere as he tries to buy the club. Although the documents aren’t signed yet, it’s close.
There’s been a healthy sprinkling of footballers who have been brought in – and are as new as Ian, and therefore not sitting at the Mestalla saying ‘show us your medals’ and all that kind of rubbish. Those new players owe their presence at Valencia to Nuno, Peter Lim, Mendes or a combination of all of them. And, therefore, Ian Cathro – talent aside – is an extension of the regime and, as such, there is a collegiate feel to it. It’s far less hierarchical or sniffy, and that is a platform in which I expect somebody of talent to be able to express himself.
Nuno is very much a frontline, on-the-training-ground guy. His man-management, his ability to inspire people, is probably his biggest calling card. That, rather than the way in which Paul Clement at Real Madrid has been asked to take sessions so that Ancelotti can observe, is what gives Ian Cathro more room to be the guy giving wise words to Nuno: ‘This player’s on form, this player needs to be taught this or that’. His input is probably more vital at this stage to the manager than maybe his one-on-one work with the players. That’s my impression, but it is one that I hope to sharpen by going down and meeting the pair of them.
It’s potentially the right place for a young Scot who hasn’t been a professional footballer. However, it is a very, very critical environment. Valencia’s fans absolutely believe that they should be winning the league and should be competitive in Europe. Over the generations, they have been fed, with that. We can speak progressively and optimistically now because the displays are there, the results are there. If that were to turn over the course of five or six games then they would all find it a more testing ride. But, at the moment, there is a crest-of-the-wave feeling which goes beyond the fact that they have been recording relatively positive results.
