Baraja: “It was important to advance in the Copa del Rey”

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja gave a press conference after the victory against CP Parla Escuela-Fair Play, which began his side's participation in the Copa del Rey.

Fans unable to enter the match

“I was told about it when I came to the press conference. I don't really know what happened, but the club are in contact to try to resolve this situation. We will be in contact with them to find out what happened that meant they were unable to access the ground, and we will try to resolve it in the best way so that they do not feel harmed by what happened.”

Two consecutive victories

“We didn't have great chances, but we tried to be practical. Going ahead gave us some peace of mind, but we were living with the risk that they could equalise. We tried to be more forceful to make it 0-2 and kill the game off, but it was not a great game for us. We tried to be solid, but we lacked that punch and consistency to make a bigger difference in the scoreline. I am not happy with the game, but I am happy with the result. CP Parla Escuela had a very serious game, did a great job and made it difficult for us.”

An opportunity for players

“It is a risk, but we also have to give the young players the opportunity to participate in this type of game. They did well. We needed to reserve players for the next LALIGA game.”

Upcoming Copa del Rey games

“The Copa del Rey has to be used to give minutes to players who are not participating as much, and to give them the possibility of fighting to be in the starting XI. We will look at things based on the games. I like to try to give the young players a chance. We need to have people be very involved and this type of game helps us with this.”

Dynamics

“We are in a difficult dynamic in LALIGA and all the positives, such as beating Betis, are things that strengthen the group. We have to face these games with a lot of respect for the opposition, without giving them concessions. We didn't have any dangerous situations to deal with, but we weren't forceful enough in the opposition area to kill off the game.”

The Copa del Rey
“It is a competition that I like, and in order to advance you have to get through games like today's. The important thing was to get through, but sometimes these types of situations can be difficult. Getting through is something positive, and it adds things to the team. Now we are thinking about the next game.”

Warren Madrigal's debut

“He is in a good dynamic in the reserve team, scoring goals. He has been incisive, he had good movement and he had the chance to score. He is a young player and we have to give him his own space. He is ready to help. He came in with the energy that the game required.”