Baraja: “We have to face the game at Mestalla with motivation and excitement”

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja spoke to the press ahead of Friday night’s 9:30pm CEST kickoff against UD Las Palmas -the club’s first home game of the LaLiga season.

The match against UD Las Palmas

The team gave off a very good feeling the other day and we have difficult opponents ahead of us, who link up very well and bring together many players on the ball. We have prepared during the week to keep things going at Mestalla.

The approach to the game

The team generated enough chances against Sevilla to have scored another goal. I don't think that just putting a player with those characteristics in would make us more defensive or attacking. We have to face the game with the motivation and excitement to play at Mestalla. We need the team to feel comfortable.

The fans at Mestalla

Mestalla must be fundamental, like it was last year. We have to ensure that the fans are supporting us from the beginning. We have a young team who are going to need their support and for the fans to believe in the team. They are very important to us. Everyone is aware of the importance of tomorrow's game. We have to offer hard work, solidarity... everything that this club demands of us. We must always do our best and let them see a recognisable team.

The closure of the Grada de Animación

We have to overcome all the things that are happening. We don't like this. We would like to have these young fans cheering us on and we want to get them back as soon as possible, to return to being a team that had full stands in every game. They are very important, they push us and transmit their passion to the rest of the supporters.

The demands of the club

The requirement is transmitted on a day-to-day basis. We take care of the details and we have to be a very demanding team in terms of what we can improve, to make the player aware of the daily routines and what we want to transmit to the team. All this makes you have a good dynamic that you can take into matches and win. Every detail is important.

LaLiga’s new entertainment measures

We have to adapt to the new possibilities that football offers so that spectators can see things that could not be seen before. As long as it is done with respect and knowing that there are certain moments in which the dressing room must preserve its privacy, I don't see a problem.

Effective match minutes

There will be times that you play more minutes, and times when you play or fewer. What is evident is that almost all games are more than 100 minutes long. You have to know how to manage them physically, emotionally and in terms of results. You have to stay focused until the end and keep up the pace. They are measures that are made to keep the show going, but I don't know if that will be able to be maintained throughout the season with so much physical demand.

The squad

They are very focused, motivated and redoubling their efforts to be as well prepared as possible to face the matches.

The transfer market

I cannot make assessments of something that I cannot talk about. There are operations underway and we will see what happens.

Diakhaby’s role in the formation

He can play at both centre back and in midfield. I have to manage the resources we have.

Javi Guerra

He feels good and tomorrow we will decide if he plays. There are many players who can start and my responsibility is to make decisions. Even if they don't start, they must understand that they are very important for each game. An example of this was the change to bring on Javi Guerra the other day.

Working with Giorgi Mamardashvili

We have worked on many things with him, not only collectively but also individually. He has magnificent talent and is growing with every passing game. We still don't know where his limit is and we have to work with him to improve, and for us he is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Mosquera’s involvement

He is part of the squad and is ready to be able to participate when necessary. We trust in him. He needs to play and get experience. This season he may receive more minutes than last season. If we can't give him many minutes this year, we'll see if he can have minutes somewhere else.

The aim for the season

The goal for preseason was to put together the best squad possible to start the season, and starting the campaign in the right way is important. As soon as the transfer market ends, we will have to set ourselves the objectives for this season, always knowing that the fundamental objective is to try to suffer less than last season.

Women’s World Cup Final

Sunday will be a very special day for everyone who follows women’s football. I’m one of them and I want to wish the best of luck to the whole Spanish squad. It would be an amazing achievement and I’m sure we can do it.