“Won’t coach for much longer” – Watford manager Javi Gracia on personal impact of job

On October 8th, Javi Gracia returned to Watford to start his second spell as Hornets manager.

The Championship side’s poor start to the season convinced the Pozzo family to replace Paulo Pezzolano with the Spaniard. He spoke to Marca to discuss his return to Vicarage Road and other topics.

The Spanish newspaper asked the 55-year-old how his current spell with the English club has been so far. When responding to that, the coach explained why Watford have a struggled.

“Good. It’s not going to be an easy season in terms of staying at the top of the table,” he said.

“We’re the youngest team in the division and a club that tends to change its squad a lot, so it’s difficult to strengthen a project. We’re working on the individual improvement of the players.

“I value the fact that my return makes me feel a bit embarrassed by the chants they give me in the stadiums, both at home and away. There’s a chant that goes ‘Javi Gracia drinks sangria,’ similar to the one Liverpool used to sing to Luis García. They make me feel very loved and very welcome.”

Gracia will be very aware of the Watford managerial changes over the past decade or so. Since the start of 2015, they’ve had over a dozen permanent coaches.

The Spaniard has managed 12 league matches this season and Watford have lost three of those. They are currently 14th in the table, five points behind sixth placed Hull City.

According to the Watford boss, their goal this season is to qualify for the playoffs.

“I’m confident that in the second half of the season, as a young team, we’ll settle in and achieve better results. We’ve drawn our last two matches. We should have won, especially the home game, which ended with us having over 20 shots. It’s a long season, and it’s important to maintain consistency in this league,” Gracia explained.

He managed 66 games in his first spell at Watford between January 2018 and September 2019. The former Leeds United manager now insists he doesn’t want to continue coaching for long.

When asked about his possible return to Spain, he added: “I always say that I like to be respectful of the people who are at the clubs. I hope they stay for many years because it’s a good sign. In the future, you never know what might happen.

“I don’t know how long my career will last. I don’t think it will be much longer; I see myself enjoying family and friends from a different perspective. It’s a job I really enjoy. It’s my passion, but it’s very draining, and I have to give up a lot of things. I can’t find that balance, and I’m very involved when I’m coaching. I won’t be coaching for much longer.”