Gattuso: “The team are incredible and are playing completely different football to last year”

Valencia CF coach Gennaro Gattuso spoke to the media after his team’s 2-1 win against Atalanta BC in the Trofeo Naranja.

We would like you to explain the situation with Guedes. What can you tell us?

Miguel Corona called me this morning. He explained the situation to me. An English club have made an offer, and that’s it. It’s a lot of money. I don’t know the exact figure, but we have to accept it and we will do something to improve the team.

Have you accepted that Guedes is gone? Do you have the promise of signings arriving before the start of the LaLiga season?

I don’t have any promise, but the club know very well that we have to complete the team. I hope that we are going to sign 2 or 3 players.

How do you see the situation with Arthur?

In this case we’re talking about a player with a prohibitive salary for us. We don’t have the economic possibility of signing these types of players.

Are you happy with how the market activity has moved along? Castillejo said that you found a team who were scared of playing. Is that the case?

I think that I can only talk positively about my team. This is a team who are giving their all in training. The team are incredible. They are playing completely different football to last year. It isn’t easy to change everything radically in the space of a few months, but I am seeing good things. I’m proud of my team because of the way that they work.

With the departure of Guedes, is signing a centre-back or a defensive midfielder more urgent?

If Guedes leaves, we have to sign players. I can't say who will come in and who won’t. If we talk about players, we are talking about players and money. I would like functional players. Right now, when I talk to Layhoon, Sean or Miguel, I know. The club know what we have to do to complete the team. I'm not talking about whether we have to sign a striker or a defensive midfielder. We have to complete the team and this is the priority.

How do you assess the performance of the three midfielders who played 90 minutes?

We are talking about players born in 2003 or 2004, who have experienced little on the pitch. Two days ago, against CD Castellón, we saw some difficulties. I don’t care about age, I want to give opportunities. Sometimes we make it difficult when we demand a lot.

It has been a difficult summer for Soler and Gayà. Do you see them as being 100% committed?

They are an example for the dressing room, because of how they train, how they speak in the dressing room, and how they behave on the pitch. It is very easy to coach these players who have the mentality, desire and work ethic. I think that they are the strength of the dressing room. Jesús is also very important for us.

Is there anything solid about the futures of Maxi Gómez and Marcos André?

I know little. Maxi Gómez has had a problem with his fifth metatarsal since last season. Marcos has a small infection in his Achilles tendon. The only player we have with a slight discomfort is Gabriel Paulista.

Was this the ideal Valencia CF starting lineup for this season?

Now we can say that it is, but we hope that some players will arrive to improve this squad. We are all hoping for that.

You seem angry in the press conference. Why is that?

I'm angry because, whilst I understand you asking me about everything, after a game that we've played against a great team, I think it's not correct to talk only about Guedes. We should talk about Soler, Gayà, Vázquez, about the whole team. With the money that the other club are going to pay, it was not possible for the club to keep Guedes. I am angry about us talking only about Guedes for fifteen minutes. I think we have to bring in players because LaLiga is tough and long. We have the team, and we have 18 players to cover for injuries.

Is the number 9 spot covered by Hugo Duro?

Today I am very happy with him. But I am also happy with Marcos André. I am very happy with the forward line we have. When the striker plays with a team that produce a lot of chances, it is normal for them to be able to score. I am happy with what we have. I hope to recover all three. I am very happy with them. The team have to play well to create scoring chances.

How do you approach the start of LaLiga after the win today?

This victory is in a friendly match. We have to work hard because our way of playing is not easy and we have to go game-by-game. Now we have a match against a team with an offensive mentality, with many new players. We have to think about Girona and then we'll talk about something else.

What are the virtues of this team?

The team have shown that they are good. We played the game that we had to play. We did what we prepared. I don't know if we will get Gabriel Paulista back in time. We must not risk a player who last year had 3 or 4 injuries. We have to watch this, and then we will see what happens.

How do you analyse Valencia CF’s preseason?

It was said that we came into this off the back of an uncertain period. I don’t think that’s the case. What interests me is how the players play. The players have worked hard. Everything has happened thanks to them. We will see what happens now, but we will work in the same way. I want to thank the fans. It's nice to have 30,000 fans at the stadium, because if you come here in this heat it is because you love Valencia CF.