Once again, Javi Gracia has been speaking to the Spanish media, and once again at least half the questions were about Chelsea.
The Watford manager has been hugely in demand from Spanish newspapers because of his side’s victory over Chelsea, and everyone wants to know his opinion on Barcelona’s Champions League tie against the English champions.
The latest interview is with Mundo Deportivo and aside from the Chelsea questions, Gracia was asked about Gerard Deulofeu and Kiko Femenia, who both spent time at Barcelona: “Kiko is training and soon will be available. When we arrived we found twelve injured players, another handicap, and we had to pull from the sub-23 team. You have to recover players.
“Gerard, for his part, adapted quickly and the next day he played in Stoke. I have high hopes placed in him and I hope that he will serve us and serve him to achieve our goals.”
Naturally, the Watford manager was then asked if Deulofeu continues well, whether the Premier League club will look to sign him permanently in the summer: “We will see. Now is the time to try to give everything so that’s he’s comfortable and can develop as a player and get good results.
“I am very happy with his presence here from the first day. The most interesting thing for everyone is these eleven games and doing things well. Let’s see what’s decided and what can be done.”
This time Gracia wasn’t asked about Elton John, a favourite topic for the Spanish media when covering Watford. Should Chelsea versus Barcelona still be tight after the first match, then the Spanish manager can expect some more telephone calls from his home country’s media.
