Baraja: “We have to perform at our best”

 Valencia CF coach, Rubén Baraja, gave a press conference before the second round of the Copa del Rey, in which the team play against SD Ejea at the Estadio de Luchán.

Foulquier and Rafa Mir

“Dmitri felt some discomfort in the match against Mallorca and we are going to be careful with him. We will see how any possible discomfort goes. Rafa is going to join the squad for the Copa del Rey.”

The state of the team

“Our objective is to try to go through, aware that in order to advance we have to have a lot of energy, intensity and bring out our best.”

A demanding schedule

“We are going game by game and tomorrow is the Copa del Rey, then we'll rest. We have to play against everyone and these games are going to be important, like all of them. Earning points makes you change your perspective.”

Statements from his agent, García Quilón

“When you know people, as is the case with my agent, these statements are intended to defend my work. Everyone can have their opinion and can express it and he has not said anything that could bother anyone. He has simply given an opinion regarding the assessment of my work. We have to put ourselves in the background of how we have evolved because sometimes things are forgotten. We came here in a critical situation, we managed to save that ‘match ball’. Last season we performed above the expectations and the objective that the club had and this season when the results are not coming, he intends to defend my work.”

His mindset

“I have to be aware a little that in the end, when there is a difficult situation, the most important thing is to remain calm, to have the mental strength to withstand the pressure or to be in the spotlight. But it is not at all strange for any coach. The best coaches in the world are questioned.”

An important moment of the season

“There is a world ahead, many games. The fact that you haven't started the season well doesn't mean that you can't finish it better and this is the will, the spirit and the feeling that I have that we can do it. From an objective point of view, I see things in the team that I can draw on, and we're going to try to make the next objective to win in the Copa del Rey, then we'll talk about Rayo. We have to go step by step."

Players who are decisive

"There is neither an 'A' nor a 'B' team. We are a team that have to meet objectives and we are on that path. Tomorrow we have the Copa del Rey and those who participate will try to do things well, do a good job so that the coach values them and gives them the possibility of being important to the team in the next match."

Support from the club

"I have already said it several times. Things are demonstrated with facts and the reality is that the confidence is there because they consider that I am a capable, responsible, hard-working person, who is here to contribute, grow and build, and who adapts at times to the economic circumstances that the club have and the possibilities that we have. We must not forget the work that we are doing. There is a fantastic job being done in many things: Taking a chance on young players, shaping the identity of a team, managing an extremely difficult situation... Valencia CF, or the people who consider that they have to make an assessment of me, are positive because I am still here. I am still here because they trust in my work, believe in what I do and in the squad. I have that energy and enthusiasm."

The squad

"It is about trying to improve those things that can make us win games. You cannot question their commitment or involvement, as it is beyond all doubt."

Rafa Mir

"He is a player who came here with the intention of reinforcing the attack. He has been out for a long time and we have to get him into that process of overcoming the injury. Tomorrow he will be called up and little by little he will get on the pace and can contribute goals."

SD Ejea

"At home, they are very aggressive, they will push us and they will want to do a good job. I was with their coach at Zaragoza, he was in charge of the reserve team, he had done a very good job with the youth team and when I was sacked he took over the team.”

The evolution of the team

“Just as there are things that you improve in a process, immediacy is what marks everything, but those situations are often reflected by an error or a detail and you have to live with it. We have to improve and correct the moments of each game, and we are working on that. Since the beginning of the season, we have tried to improve them. Last year I came here to a press conference and you told me that we did not score goals from set pieces, and this year we have scored 6-7-8 goals from dead balls -and nobody reminds me of that. The dynamics also influence things."