Barcelona goalkeeper Victor
Valdes has hailed his side's start
to life under new boss Gerardo
Martino.
The Argentine coach took charge
of his first competitive fixture
since taking the reins from Tito
Vilanova on Sunday, as the
Catalan club began the defence
of their La Liga crown with a 7-0
victory against Levante.
And Valdes has expressed delight
with Barca's performance in the
rout, citing their relentless
pressing as key to the win.
"It has been one of the best
starts. You can see the team is
intense, defending much higher
to recover the ball and moving
quickly to the opposition goal. It
was what the coach wanted," he
said.
The 31-year-old also revealed his
belief that Barca have regained
their identity following a difficult
2012-13 campaign in which
Vilanova's health was a constant
source of worry.
"Last year was unusual with the
illness of the coach and certain
aspects could not work because of
what happened with Tito," he
added.
"To begin in this way is good. We
have recovered aspects of the
past and we hope that it will
continue this way."
Valdes went on to discuss Real
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti's
decision to omit Iker Casillas from
his starting line-up for the
opening game of the season -
with Diego Lopez starting in his
place.
"It surprises me. In the
Confederations Cup we saw how
good and focused he is," he
continued.
"I have seen him make saves that
I did not think possible. For me,
he is the best, but I cannot say
more because it is not my
squad."