Paulista: "We have to get stronger and stronger"

At the Valencia CF training camp in Switzerland, Gabriel Paulista talked to VCF Media about what he expects from the summer and from the start of the LaLiga campaign.

How is preseason going?
Very good. The facilities are perfect and we have a lot of desire. There are many young players and it is also a great responsibility for me, in the sense of being able to help those who come up from the youth ranks. We have a good feeling and we have to continue like this, accumulating training sessions, getting stronger and stronger and preparing for the start of the LaLiga season.

Helping the younger players out
We have more experience and we have to transmit everything that is positive to the youngsters. There is a time for everything: To be focused on work and also to joke around. We can explain everything we have experienced in our careers so far to the young players, so that they can take advantage of the moment and enjoy football, which is incredible.

Starting the season well
We have to start out doing things right to have a good start to the season. This year, along with the coach, we are having very good preparation for everything he asks of us. We highly respect the decisions of the coaching staff and we are trying to adapt as quickly as possible to be in good shape.

What does Baraja ask of you?
He asks us, above all, to show a lot of responsibility. We need the desire to show what Valencia CF means and what the fans want... We do a lot of training both with the ball and without the ball, and we have been adapting for two weeks now, but we have to keep it going to be in good shape when the season starts.

Working hard
There is no doubt that working hard is what we have to do, and transmit to the fans that we are looking forward to LaLiga starting and representing the club -which is the most important thing.

A good feeling
The first game is tough during the first few minutes and in terms of playing with the ball, because we have been doing a lot of fitness work. In the first 45 minutes that we were able to play, every player had a good feeling and we are adapting better every day. In the second game we were a little better and more dynamic. We have to keep improving every day.

Defensive security

The most important thing for me as a defender is to keep a clean sheet, which is essential for us. If we are stable defensively, we have players up top who can decide a match. A clean sheet gives you confidence in every game, reduces doubts and makes you feel better.
Diakhaby doesn't speak much off the pitch, but he transmits a lot of confidence on it. Cenk had some very good games in his first season, and we also have Cristhian (Mosquera), César (Tárrega), and (Rubén) Iranzo who are young  players with a bright future ahead of them.

The start of the season against Sevilla
It will be a very difficult game, away from home against a very good team. They are strong at home, but we will be very well prepared for the game and we will look for a positive result.

Players from the VCF Academy
I always tell them that they have to take advantage of their opportunities. If they are here, it is because the coach trusts them. Javi Guerra, Diego López and Alberto Marí were able to do that last year.

The coming season
This season we want to suffer less. We have a very young squad, but we are going to start the season with a little more experience and with more training sessions under our belts. I'm sure that this campaign will be better than last season.