Baraja: “Getafe are uncomfortable opposition”

The coach of Valencia CF, Rubén Baraja, gave a press conference prior to Getafe CF vs. Valencia CF on LaLiga Matchday 16.

Absentees

Gayà’s case has been evolving well throughout the week. He won't make it in time for tomorrow's game, even though he's trying. He hasn't been able to train. He has discomfort in the abductor area and is not feeling comfortable. If all goes well, I think next week he could start working with the group.

André and Gayá are out. Then there are players with discomfort from the Copa del Rey match and we will evaluate them tomorrow.

Bordalás’ style

Our analysis of Getafe is that they are an intense team in duels, in their pressing, and they do not let you have control of the game. You have to be aware of the type of match you are going to encounter. However, I think it is totally legitimate and worth appreciating the way they work. They are getting results and that’s not just the case now. I am no one to say whether you have to play in one way or another. The only thing I know is that this Getafe are uncomfortable, difficult opponents, that at home they are very good and that they have not lost there yet. We know that tomorrow we have to have a high-level game, keeping concentration, feeling the game and not allowing them to bring out their best performance. We need to be able to compete in the game knowing that the opponents are going to make it very difficult for us.

Hugo Duro

This match is special for him for many things. This is always an extra source of motivation. I hope he can transfer it to the game and play at a high level. We need him to play well and interpret situations well. To win games, we need our forwards to score goals. Hugo is in good form now and we hope that tomorrow he will be at the level that the game demands.

Cenk

He started the season playing and then had an injury. He has tried to return to the group to get back on the pace, he went away with the national team and has not participated in the most recent part of the season, but he did do so the other day in the Copa del Rey. He needed minutes, just like other teammates who had been working hard, and he is another option that we are evaluating. On the left side, until Jesús gains rhythm and whilst José is not available, we are working with Yarek, but any of the three can occupy that position -as Yarek did in Girona, Cenk in Seville or Jesús himself. Everyone has to be prepared, available and trying to contribute things to the team. We're going to need them all.

Team motivation

When you are a Valencia CF player you must go to every gronf motivated. I don't think we can take things with the levity of not understanding that each game is fundamental. We approach this game as an important game away from home. The difference in order to be able look up in the standings or take a step forward always comes from getting points away from home.

If you can win, then it’s much better, but we always want to get points and compete. I think we just had a good game in Girona and we have to confirm that showing in tomorrow's game.

We know that the schedule is difficult, that we played two days ago, but tomorrow I hope that the team compete based on the opposition that we are going to have, that they are able to adapt to the situations that arise, because it is a different venue and different opponents. This is what really motivates me, that we are able to play in different places in the same way that we have been playing since the beginning of the season.

I want the team to have an identity, that they compete at every ground and against the opposition.

Returning to the scene of his first game in charge

The feeling I have is that we have taken a step forward compared to that moment, which was complex for the club and for me, as we arrived in a very difficult situation. During this time we have been taking steps forward in terms of improvement, in terms of demands, in terms of what we want as a club and what we want to transmit to the players. Also, on what our players have to give off as Valencia CF players, which is energy, motivation, enthusiasm for playing for this team and being part of Valencia CF. This can make us grow. There is quite a difference. My face will be quite different. I just hope to meet the goals we have set for ourselves this season. And that is to do things well in games like tomorrow's, being competitive, knowing that we play the 95-97 minutes how we have to play them, with the intelligence and determination that must be present. And, above all, I want to make the club grow on a sporting and structural level. If we manage to maintain this idea over time, we will have a good foundation for the future.

Alberto Marí

He is a player who was doing very well in preseason before he got injured. His form was very good. I think his evolution in the team was very good. The injury has left him unable to participate and now we have to get him back to his best version. This involves getting him fit, allowing him to get minutes little by little, and conserving him so that his work is positive. He is a player who gives us different alternatives to Hugo Duro and Yaremchuk. He also gives us the possibility of playing with two pure forwards. We already played with Diego and Hugo, but this would be with two different forwards. Alberto is a good option. You have to give him time to get back in form.

The game against Arosa

I don't think we have to be examining each player and making a definitive assessment when they play. This is a process, a job in which you have to perform when you have the opportunity, play good minutes for the team and then I have to choose. Some are not going to play in one competition and others in another. I don't consider playing in the Copa del Rey to be a punishment. What's more, I see it as an opportunity to pick up the pace, have minutes, show yourself, pick up concepts and be available for the team. The Copa del Rey helps us to see things and it doesn't have to be an exam. We have to give that margin of confidence to those players who come in without match rhythm, who do not have continuity.

Losing points late on

I don't think it's a question of the final minutes. The opposition have quality. If you are losing 0-1 at Mestalla, we push and the game can be turned around. If you go to Girona's ground and they are losing, we cannot expect them to not come at us, put in crosses, overwhelm us... The feeling I get is that we think it is easy to win in Girona and that they are on par with anyone, but that’s not the case. Nobody has won there except Real Madrid. Sometimes we lose perspective a little. The team competed and interpreted the game plan well. In the last minutes, fatigue and two actions in which we got things wrong led us to lose the game. But what I can't do is throw away 80 minutes for ten in which we didn’t do well. We have worked on things and variants so that this type of situation does not occur. I must work, grind and value the positives. There are things that, logically, we have to continue learning. We must play better in the last minutes if we are winning and manage those last situations to take points. But the opposition also play.

Reasons to be proud

The most important thing is that in every game the fans are enthusiastic. People identify when they see the team competing in terms of what we are looking for and what we want. We are doing it with very young players. The team have an identity, energy and rhythm. We are capable of playing games at difficult grounds and putting in good performances. We played a good game in Seville, in Bilbao we competed well and the other day in Girona we had a good game except for the final stages. Now we are going to Getafe to try to have continuity. What I like most is that a change in expectations has been generated and that is due to the work of the players and believing in each game until the end. Our fans believe in our players, they are filling Mestalla, they are excited to see the team compete and they are excited that players from here, young people, from the VCF Academy, are representing Valencia CF. This has a lot of value for me. Our fans are our best asset.

Opening the matchday

This week is a bit tight, because we have played Saturday, Tuesday and now Friday. Other times we have had more days of rest. It depends on how the calendar goes, but it doesn't worry me too much.