Los Che were humiliated by the Catalans in the Copa del Rey but have since put together a streak of wins, and the coach has praised his men for their comeback
Gary Neville admitted he felt "pain" he felt following Valencia's 7-0 Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona but stated he has nevertheless been thrilled with the club's turnaround in fortunes.
Neville, who was appointed coach until the end of the season in December, faced an uncertain future amid a severe mauling at the Catalans' hands earlier in February, but the Englishman has now overseen a change of fortune at the club.
Valencia completed a 10-0 aggregate win over Rapid Vienna to reach the Europa League last 16 via a 4-0 victory on Thursday, taking the club's undefeated streak to five matches in all competitions.
And as los Che set their sights on winning a third successive La Liga fixture when they meet Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, Neville believes his side have moved on from their previous struggles under his charge.
Of the fans who had called for Neville's sacking earlier this month, he told reporters: "I hope that they think I am a sincere and hard-working person.
"I want them to think that I give my all every day. When I was younger, the only thing I wanted from my team was that the players would die for the club, feel the shirt.
"That's what I want them to think when they think about me. After the 7-0 [loss against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey] I felt that pain. Now we have won four games on the trot.
"It was the players and the fans who won the Espanyol game and they are the most important people at this club.
"Obviously we are going into the game with confidence, the confidence you get from winning matches, working hard in training and preparing ourselves well," Neville continued.
"A few weeks ago, I wasn't looking at the league table, nor am I looking at it now. I think we are in a good moment."
Despite having turned around the tide, the former Manchester United captain is simply concentrated on the team's results now and not his future
"I haven't spoken to the club about my contract," Neville added. "We originally said March [for discussions] but March is almost upon us and we need to focus on the next games.
"Now's not the time. We'll leave it until April. I can assure you that there have been no discussions yet."
Valencia are 12th in the league with 31 points following back-to-back wins against Espanyol and Granada.
- Goal