Bordalás: "The team gave their all despite the adversity"

José Bordalás reacted to his side's 1-1 draw with Athletic Club at Mestalla in his post-match press conference.

Are you happier about the drive of the team than you are annoyed about the sending off?

What I’ll take away is the hard work. The team gave their all despite the adversity. They tried to the end and got their reward with a draw when down to ten men. We knew it was going to be a highly demanding match. I think a defeat would have been unfair. The team gave everything. It is a point that helps us emotionally after two adverse results.

Will Valencia CF take action over the sending off?

Right now, you have to be calm. It was a fast-paced ending and all sorts of things happened. It was an incident that happened in the middle of the pitch. I believe that it is not a move that cut out a clear chance for the opposition. I think that Maxi’s first card was unfair and that the club are going to appeal. Now we have to be calm and analyse what happened in the game.

Was Foulquier not completely opening up on the wing an instruction from you?

Foulquier had a very good game. He has had to work a lot defensively because Athletic look to get around the back of the defence, with players like Williams who are very fast. It required a fantastic display. Foulquier had a great game, just like Gabriel Paulista. Athletic take advantage of balls over the centre backs and set pieces. Unfortunately, they scored from a set piece, but the team showed desire and we were able to equalise.

Marcos André came on very motivated to score

He came into the game very well, very switched on, with the intention of helping the team. I congratulate him because it is a very big boost for him. He came on very motivated and had the chance in which he tried to chip the goalkeeper, plus the equaliser from a great move. We took a risk because he considered that it was what the game needed. The team went for the draw and we got it. I congratulate the team and the fans, because they helped us a lot with the equaliser.

You said that the connection with the fans was important, but today only half of the tickets were sold

I am not the person who knows the reasons why fewer people came than against Real Madrid. It is not a simple timeslot -people have not finished lunch. but those who have come cheered us on and recognised that the team gave everything. We will see how far we are able to go. The team never gave in, despite the adversities. We have to keep working to get better results.

Does the goal give a boost to Marcos André?

Obviously so. It came when a man down, at a difficult time. The sending off of Maxi was a tremendous blow. The team believed in ourselves and broke the streak of two very bad results. It certainly strengthens the team emotionally. We keep working to improve. The goal will boost Marcos André. He has struggled to get prepared. It is not easy to come to a club at the level of Valencia CF and be a starter. He helped us a lot, he was very incisive and scored the equaliser. I congratulate the players and the fans, who recognised the effort of the team despite us not getting the win..

Is Jesús Vázquez ready to start?

I am very happy for him. He came on at a difficult moment, as soon as we had conceded the goal. He was very good. He helped on defence and attack. I Congratulate him because he has been working very well, he knows that the level of demand is great, but the minutes he has had he has played well and he has helped the team a lot. He is still young, and to come on the way he did deserves congratulations.

What did you say to Marcelino?

We greeted each other. I welcomed him to Mestalla and I wished him luck. It is the usual protocol that I have with colleagues and today was no different. At the end of the game we wished each other luck. The controversies of before aren’t a big deal.

What was the reason for changing goalkeeper?

We considered that it was the right time. Giorgi has done really well. He has exceeded expectations and the demand and the responsibility was too much for him at some points in the last few games. He is a very young player with a big, future and we considered that after two losses it was time to use a more experienced goalkeeper like Jasper, who was sensational. These are decisions that are made not only for sporting reasons, but also for the state of mind of the player.

Are Guedes’ teammates looking for him too much?

He is a player who has to be decisive in this team due to his characteristics, his talent and potential. Today he lacked that success in the final metres, but he tried. He is committed and today -without being brilliant- he worked a lot. He tried in every way. That is what I demand of him. He knows it and I'm sure he will have more successful matches. He will be the determining player of this Valencia CF side.

What is your assessment of Marcelino saying that this Valencia CF are more intense?

I don't like to compare. Every season is different. This has just begun and we must think about continuing to work and grow to continue improving aspects of our game. We need to improve. I'm happy with the effort, but we have to improve defensively. We have conceded a lot of goals and we have to keep improving that facet. We will have to analyse it halfway through the season. We are still in a period of growth and right now we are thinking about the game next weekend in Cádiz.

What do you take away from this game?

I take away the attitude that the team had. We have lacked success in the final metres. We had many crosses that went long. I analyse the whole game. I take away the effort and the hard work, without forgetting aspects of the game that we must improve. We must be self-critical because otherwise it is difficult to improve. You can't blame the team for anything, but my obligation is to analyse and take stock of the game to keep improving and growing.