Gattuso: "We have to be focused and have a great mentality against CA Osasuna"

Valencia CF coach Gennaro Gattuso held a press conference ahead of the game against CA Osasuna, which takes place on Friday.

How are Samu Castillejo and Yunus Musah doing?

Musah is fine. The analytics data is very good and he is available for the match tomorrow. Castillejo has only done running training. We'll see tomorrow, but I don’t think he can play. Tomorrow we will do a fitness test to find out if he can, but this week he has not trained with us.

What kind of game do you expect against CA Osasuna?

We will be playing against a team who are very tough. All LaLiga matches are difficult, especially away from home. The home field factor in Spain is still important. We think we have prepared well. We know that we have to play for 95 minutes with great attention and respect for the opponents. They are an attacking team, with quality and focus. We have to have a great game.

Could this be Kluivert's first game as a starter?

He is training well. He has the quality to play better. He must get more consistency in his play. He has played 20-25 minutes and I would like to see him a little more in the game. He plays five minutes and then doesn’t touch the ball much. He has to do better. He has quality, he has speed and I think he can play better.

Away from home you gave two wake-up calls after the games against Rayo and Espanyol. What can you do during the week so that it doesn't happen again?

Theory and practice. Talking and watching. You can't buy 20 euros of experience. We have to work as we have been, with the video and on the pitch. It is a process that we have to go through. When I played, when I was 23-24 years old, when I had difficulties, the oldest players in the squad helped me. In times of difficulty, I hope that the more experienced players will speak a little more. Because in a game you can have 10 bad minutes and I want us to talk more in those moments. We talk, we listen to our teammates, we play together, we suffer together. We have to do that.

What can be bought are players with more experience, right? Are you thinking about the winter transfer market?

We have eight games before then. We have to see what we have to improve. I don't think about January. I can't think about the January transfer market. I have to think about Osasuna, Elche and all the opponents we have before the World Cup.

What do you think about Guillamón's renewal? Might you announce another renewal, like Gayà?

I’m very happy with Guillamón's renewal. We are working to renew Gayà, Lato and Diakhaby. The club are clear about this and now it’s up to the players’ side. We have to respect what the player wants and make sure that their agent thinks that it is all good. We know the direction we want to go.

Arrasate has said that Valencia CF are going to go further. What do you think about that?

Osasuna play very attacking and focused. We have to do everything to the fullest. We have to be focused because otherwise it will be very difficult. Tomorrow we have to play with a great mentality. It may be the case that we have difficulties, but we have to think when we have the ball.

Can you give us an assessment of the defence in the first matchdays of the season?

Tell me how many chances Espanyol had. If Espanyol didn't score the first goal last weekend, we wouldn't have the feeling that they could score. I like our defence. Sure, the match against Espanyol had a moment in which we could have killed it off, we didn’t do that and we had some difficulty. But I don’t just like our defence: I like the whole team. We have to pay a lot of attention on the second and third ball. We have to improve that.

Have you talked to Diakhaby about his renewal?

I talk every day with all my players.

What do you think about Jesús Vázquez?

He hasn't had minutes because he has Gayà and Toni Lato ahead of him. He is a player born in 2003. He has to train and improve. He has to work, work, work. His time will come. Right now, he has high level players ahead of him. He has to improve. He's fine and he’s in the squad. It may happen that he plays.

I understand that you are aware of the controversy surrounding the new stadium. Would you like to coach at the Nuevo Mestalla?

I like the Mestalla where we play now. I love it. Now the priority is the new stadium, but I love the atmosphere of Mestalla. It is better to have a new stadium. For Valencia, it is better to finish the new stadium. It's not nice to see it like this now. I hope to coach at the Nuevo Mestalla. But I hope to win the games there, not just coach. A coach has to win. I hope to win games and be here for many years.

Do you see anger from the players in a Champions League week? Do you see yourselves playing in the Champions League next year?

I don't have time to look at that. I look at Osasuna, I look at my job, what we have to do and what we have to improve. I watch highlights at night and I saw the last minutes of Inter vs. Barcelona. I prefer to look at things that affect us. I have a goal in my head, which is to reach 40 points as soon as possible. Then we will see what will happen.

Darder said that goals are easily scored against Valencia CF. Do you have that feeling?

No, I do not have that feeling.

You have a positive problem in having many midfielders available, who have all played at a good level. How do you handle this? Because they can't all play...

I like it when I have to choose the game for them to play in. I don't like it when there are injuries. I think that in midfield I have players with very precise characteristics. I will choose and I hope to do well. I’m happy that Musah has trained well for the last four days. He is a very important player because his runs are very good. When we break away, he is very important. I'm very happy. I’m also happy with Nico and with Almeida. I hope to decide in the best way.

Marcos André is not available, but Hugo Duro is. How is he doing? Is Cavani just lacking a goal to gain confidence?

I haven't met a striker who doesn't suffer when he doesn't score. His job is to score and he has always scored, throughout his career. I am happy with how he is playing and with his mentality. He has helped the team and has run to help his teammates. I hope he gets the goal because he lives for that. Hugo has been training 5-6 days continuously this week, but he has had discomfort in the last month.

Do you have a clear idea of ​​the starting centre-back pairing?

It’s the same as the situation with the midfield. I will decide match by match.