Gattuso: “Nothing worked out for us today”

Gennaro Gattuso spoke following the 2-1 loss to Rayo Vallecano on LaLiga Matchday 5, and gave his analysis of the game.

What did Gattuso get wrong today?

Everything. The responsibility falls on me. When a team concedes two goals from set pieces and your team have 10 minutes with the ball, when a coach watches a game like that, the responsibility is theirs. We have worked very well this week but today Rayo Vallecano deserved to win 3-0 or 4-0.

Are the team maybe struggling with how you want to play?

We already knew how Rayo Vallecano played, that it would be hot and that the pitch was small. We've been working on this for a week and we can't be surprised by it. I didn’t see anything from us today. The main people responsible are me and my coaching staff. A coach has to worry about why this happens. Now we return to Valencia with our minds focused on working and seeing what happened today, because it didn't go well at all. We were very bad today.

What errors have you detected?

There were a few times in which we tried to play, but it wasn’t enough. If you play well for 10 minutes out of 90, it is not possible. Rayo won the duels, they were always eager, and we never were. When I talk about responsibility, I am telling the truth. It is not an excuse to protect the players. Everyone has seen that we did not look like the same team. It is difficult to talk about this game because Rayo beat us in everything.

You’ve suffered two away losses in two games. What is happening to the team away from home?

Today was a totally different match. At San Mamés we played with a great mentality. We can’t compare that to today. It's two away losses, but this loss is totally different.

Both goals were conceded from set pieces. Was it a tactical or concentration problem?

Everything. We changed. We were marking man-to-man. We had worked for two days on set pieces.

What can you tell us about the possible signing of Herrerín?

I am certain that from tomorrow he will be with us for a week, and then we will see if he is okay to stay until the end of the season.

What did you think of Gayà and Kluivert?

They were good. Kluivert played as a second striker. He has speed and we tried to play with two strikers. Gayà played his game. It had been four months since he had played an official match. He played friendlies in the summer but that is different. I think he was good.

There was euphoria after the victory against Getafe CF. Do you think the team weren't that good then, but also not that bad now?

I think that the problem today must be looked at carefully. We had the space to play, but Rayo played with a lot of intensity -more than us. When you don't have intensity, it's very difficult. Our problem was that. It was the difference. When you go for the second ball, it's difficult. In the first half we were soft, and many players stopped still, and it is difficult to play with little movement.

Was the key to the first half the pressing from Rayo?

I’m sure that the key was that, the intensity. They were always strong. We had difficulty playing. We lost many balls and we were always under pressure. We’re very lucky that the first half ended with us only 1-0 down.