Baraja: "It's the final kilometre of a marathon"

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja talked about his side's last game of the season against Real Betis, with the team playing for their future in the top flight.

Evaluating his time in charge

We can't make evaluations right now, because we have a fundamental match tomorrow and that is what I am thinking about.

Motivation for Matchday 38

The degree of motivation is high for many reasons. We have been suffering for a long time and been low down in the standings.

We have a last chance to do our job well. We approach it with a great mentality to compete well and win. That's where we are now. We must achieve our definitive objective this Sunday and that is what we are working on.

Following the other games from the dugout

We have to focus on our game and what we have to do to compete the way that we want. We're up against a great team at their home ground and we will only be looking at our game.

The rest of the matches are important, and there are many possibilities and permutations, but we must focus on what is in our own hands. Thinking about other games takes away your energy. We will focus on Betis and doing our job, to earn a positive, definitive result.

Betis' motivation for Joaquín's last game

It is simply a game in which there is motivation for them and motivation for us. We have a motivation that couldn't be greater.

It's the final game and the final kilometre to reach our goal. We have worked to achieve our goal on this last matchday. Betis are a great team that have had a great season and it is also Joaquín's farewell after a wonderful career. They will compete.

Players' fitness

We have been working this week and they are doing well. We have to see who won't make the game. We will look for a competitive team that can give us the performance to achieve a positive result.

Facu's Uruguay callup and Gayà's absence from the Spain squad

I do not like to talk about what isn't part of the game. Gayà is our captain and he won't be part of the national team this time, but that's that. He has taken it well and is already focused on what is important. His priority is for Valencia CF to stay in LaLiga. As for Facu, I cannot give you an assessment. We're only thinking about Betis.

The strategy for the game

I believe that within a game there are many different moments and sometimes you have to defend well, at other times you have to attack, and there are transitions and set pieces to defend. The team have been competing well and are in a good dynamic, and I hope that Valencia CF are convinced of our chances of winning.

The young players coming through in defence

The season gives you opportunities and moments. Cristhian Mosquera has a great future ahead of him and there are others at the VCF Academy who also work very well to have a future here. Even though I haven't been using them, they have a magnificent future and will receive opportunities like others I have been using.

Joaquin

I was his teammate here and for Spain. He's a fantastic guy who's had a great career. He has fulfilled almost all the dreams that he had as a child when he arrived at Betis. Sometimes football doesn't give you the chance to be recognised as you should be. We are focused on having a good game and when it finishes we'll congratulate him on a great career.

His own future at Valencia CF

I'm focused on tomorrow's game. We need to focus and keep calm. It's the last of the season and we can't go crazy. You have to finish this marathon strong. We're in the final kilometre and it is important to have that calm and tranquillity. We need to be determined but calm. It's an important game, but we will have our chances to win.

The team's form since he took over

When we took charge of the team there was a very negative dynamic in every way. The team had taken 1 point from 8 games, with what was left ahead. The most optimistic scenario was for us to win three games in a row, which we did not do.

We've always been honest about saying that this was a difficult situation. Dynamics are hard to change. We would have liked to resolve this situation earlier, but here we are. Last week Espanyol went down, with several top-level players and more than 30 goals between them. Tomorrow we have to finish off the season with a great game and a positive result.

Working for the final game

What we were looking for from the first minute was performance, regardless of age or status. We wanted energy, organisation and liveliness in matches, and players whose heads never dropped.

We hope to do everything well in this game to earn the victory. The most difficult thing has been managing emotions and expectations, especially when the results don't come.

The season puts you in your place, and if you haven't achieved your aim by Matchday 38, it isn't by chance. There will be several reasons for that.

We have to accept we have not done things well and try to keep calm. It isn't easy and we've had bad runs, but we've been very insistent in what we want and how we work. Tomorrow we have the chance to show that in Seville.