Baraja: "The team were committed and gave their all"

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja spoke in a press conference about his team's 0-0 draw against RC Celta on Matchday 14 of the LaLiga season.

A valuable point

We understand that our fans came out in large numbers to support their team and didn't see a great game in terms of what we expected. We also wanted to have more clarity and fluidity, especially with the ball, because the game was going to demand that. Celta are a team that sit back and let you start moves. But in front of us we had a team who were very tough, tricky, organised, closed off and did not allow any movement. It was complicated. Our expectation was to win the game, but Celta also did a great job. In a hard match like today's, positive conclusions must be drawn. We have taken another point and we kept a clean sheet at home. We must also consider the difficulty of this competition and our objective. I would like to think about looking up the table, about ambition, about the team improving, about scoring a lot of points, but then the games come and today's was very difficult. We could equally have won or lost. It is a point that must be given value.

Keeping picking up points

We tried. You can't reproach the players for anything about attitude, desire or their push to win. We weren't as precise as on other days, but the opponents also retreated well and didn't leave any spaces, they were pressing and were consistent. It is not easy to attack a team that puts pressure on you like Celta do. The opponents play too, they make things difficult for you and we didn't have our best day in terms of ball circulation; we were also imprecise. This is also generated by the expectation regarding the consequence of the result. The most important thing is being able to win so that there is that consequence later. But sometimes this influences things. It is normal that there is that excitement in around the team, that people want more, but when the games are close and there are no opportunities it is good to continue gaining points.

Rafa Benitez

We were talking after the game and I considered the draw a fair result, and I think the team competed very well. He was very excited to return to Mestalla and what we felt was very emotional. He is a coach who gave us so much, with whom we won trophies and coincidences had meant that he had not come back to Mestalla, and he was able to feel the affection of the Valencia CF fans, who made him feel at home.

The players giving everything

I don't think the team lacked attitude. We tried to do the things we had worked on, have more continuity with the ball, set ourselves up well against a very dangerous team on the counterattack. We were good in the first half, but in the second half things broke down. I think we modified to control things and in the final part of the game we had chances to win. I think that in the mini games that there are in each match, we tried to manage things as best as possible. Sometimes, if you can't win, a point is positive. This does not mean that we do not have the ambition to win, but that the games lead you to this. Our goal is to take points. And when you come off a game with such an adverse result, the most important thing is not to lose again. We must internalise this -not only ourselves, but also our fans. This is a long season. It is a very difficult competition and the players are giving everything they have, they are very committed and involved, and this must be valued.

José Luis Gayà

He has had discomfort in his knee since the game at the Bernabéu, and with the national team he had discomfort. We opted for him at the start, since when a player has discomfort it is better for him to start -just in case he has a bad feeling and you can modify things so that another teammate comes in. But, more than in the knee, he felt something in his abductor. Maybe it was strong pressure or he has been compensating a little for not having a good knee. He ended up straining it at the end of the first half. We hope it's nothing major. For us he is a definitive player in that position. He gives us depth and attacks. We hope it's nothing.

Tough opponents

Defensively, it was a difficult game. Celta had scored 10-11 goals away from home. They scored 2 against Barcelona and 3 against Athletic, which are tough grounds. Girona beat them in stoppage time. Keeping it 0-0 is not easy. They are a more dangerous team away than at home. They have a tremendous counter because they have fast players and good passers like Aspas, players on the outside who can break through. I think that the two things we had to take great care of were having good distances between players and always being prepared for a turnover, so that they wouldn't catch us on transitions. We did very well in the first half, but in the second we had 7-8 minutes in which it was a bit difficult for us. Because of our losses of possession they have counterattacked with danger. That is where I felt that we could have had a different result. Then, we changed things and the team had more control, and it gave us the possibility for them to no longer attack high up, whilst we have some opportunities. It was a tough match, which could have gone either way.

Maximum effort

What I take away is the team's attitude. The fans saw that the team were committed and gave their all. It wasn't enough to win, but I think they will have left satisfied because of what the Valencia CF fans - which I am too - ask of our players, which is maximum effort and to compete until the end. There will be days when we are more successful and others less successful, but it is valuable that the team compete and today we did so against a good team. Celta are a good side and their position in the table is not what they deserve. When these games get like this and you don't have your day, you have to highlight things. The attitude of the team and the clean sheet are positive and give us confidence. In this competition, if you are strong at the back, you will always have a chance to win the game. It makes us think that if we compete like this we can match any team.

Staying on the right track

The evolution is being seen in terms of maturity and our interpretation of matches with 18-19 year old players. Cristhian had a very complete game. Yarek did too. There are established players, but they have 15-20 games in the Primera División. Sometimes, we forget the moment we are in. We have to be aware that each point has a lot of value, that the team give everything and that when you can't score three points, a point brings us closer to what we want. The goal for this season is not to suffer as much as last year.

Jesús Vázquez

Jesus has gone through a difficult process, he still lacks match pace and we have to look at his development. He's much better and it was a possibility to bring him on. He was warming up, but we tried to change things a little to have continuity and also be prepared for losses of possession. Sometimes, with Gayà we were much higher up and they had that opening on the left side. We tried to compensate for that a little bit with Yarek to always have three players to run back. He has given us stability. Jesús is a player who will participate soon and we expect a lot from him.