Corberán: "The result was based on the commitment, effort, and dedication of the team"

Valencia CF coach, Carlos Corberán, talked to the press after his side's 1-0 win over RCD Mallorca.

His assessment of the win

It was a very important match, a very demanding game, and the result was based on the commitment, effort, and dedication of the team. Sometimes you win by dominating the game, and sometimes you win by fighting hard, sacrificing a lot, and working hard until the last second of the game, and that's what I saw from all the players.

If that effort led to fouls, or actions that the referee decided to book, for me, they were normal actions in moments when the game became very combative, with a lot of fighting. They attacked the box a lot, and we defended as best we could, with a lot of heart and a lot of commitment.

Mestalla

We know we have a lot of work ahead of us, and at the same time, Mestalla is also playing an extremely important role for us in securing the points we need to gradually bring us closer to our objective. We have a lot to do, a long way ahead of us, and I hope that the Valencia CF fans, all the people who come to Mestalla, know how important it is for us that they are here to support the team, to create the atmosphere they generate. It helps us a lot and influences the teams that come here.

A difficult game 

I honestly saw that where we were losing impact in terms of our play was in the team's attack, more than in the defensive aspect. It's true that RCD Mallorca didn't offer much of an attack in the first half, and it's true that after our goal, which came early in the second half, they started to change, they started to turn the ball around more, they started to restart play much more quickly, and they showed that offensive potential they have that allows them to achieve the objective they're fighting for. In those moments, defending is key, but for us, we have to keep growing and not stop doing what allows us to control the game more.

The defensive formation they used today, with a back five, made it difficult for us to create play like normal, and as the minutes passed, little by little, we stopped trying to insist on coming out from the back and looked for quicker attacks -and we lost control of our offensive play.

Analysis of the first and second halves

In the first half, we started well, but as the match went by, we gradually lost momentum. RCD Mallorca pressed us man-to-man with every ball the goalkeeper had, and when an opposing team press you man to man, the precision of each action can affect the chances of that move growing. We struggled with precision, and when we got through we would miss the last pass, and it was hard for us to capitalise on the few moments of advantage we managed to create.

And then, when they didn't press, but rather defended, they closed down a lot inside. It was hard for us to interpret that the advantage was more about attacking them on the outside, and forcing straight passes against a team that were very tight inside increased Mallorca's chances of winning and reduced ours.

It was a matter of interpretation, but that's part of the game, and continuing to develop those nuances is what will allow us to continue growing in terms of our game and our identity, which is what we want: To generate more attacking opportunities. That's why every game gives you options to persist with and options to correct, and we have the obligation to continue growing.

The substitutions

A coach's role is to make the decisions he believes are most appropriate. We needed height on set pieces because we knew they would pack the area and have set pieces in the final minutes, and Rafa Mir's competitive rhythm, at the moment, is superior to Hugo Duro's.

The last change I had in mind was to replace Rioja with Hugo Duro and put Rafa Mir in that 5-4-1 as a supporting left winger, with Hugo Duro up front. But Enzo's discomfort in the final minutes meant we had to hold off on that change, and in the end, due to how the game unfolded, we decided to go with a double wing-back with Jesús Vázquez, instead of Hugo Duro.

A war of attrition

There are now nine stages left in this marathon. We've already completed a few, and we have nine more to go. I assure you that no one at Valencia CF will let their guard down. I assure you, because the club and the fans have suffered a lot, and we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Knowing where we're coming from should help us be very aware of the work, the struggle, the effort, and the hard work we still have to do to achieve our goal. For me, right now, the table isn't important; what matters is the points we get and the ones we still have to continue earning.

César Tárrega

I'm delighted with César. When you single out individual players after a match, it may seem like you're playing down other performances, but I don't do that with any of them. I assure you that today's victory is the result of collective dedication and commitment. But it's true that César is a player who is giving us so much, who is growing every day when he has the ball, and who, in addition to growing with the ball, has a defensive spirit that is very necessary in today's football to help the squad be competitive.

He doesn't yet have that level of experience that comes from many years in the Primera División. He's still young, but he has a maturity and a mentality that I like.

Foulquier's yellow card

I saw that Foulquier was on the ground because he had a cramp, but he intended to get up. The referee called the medical team to assist him, but I watched from the sidelines as Foulquier was getting up and that medical assistance wasn't necessary -because medical assistance means the player has to sit out the next move as soon as play is restarted. There was a stalemate in which Foulquier and I both received yellow cards. It was a move in which he was asking to come back on, but he needed a little time until, in my opinion, the muscle injury he had was gone.

Diego López

I see Diego as a player with a lot of potential, where, like many players, they set their own limit based on how hard they keep trying, how much they keep sacrificing, and how much ambition they have to keep growing and giving their best. I don't see a ceiling for him; he's a winger with a striking instinct, and that instinct to get into the box and finish moves is helping us a lot to achieve positive results.

Perhaps that decision to leave him out against Atletico Madrid motivated each of us more; the coach's decisions affect players in one way or another. It's true that in the two games prior to that, he didn't have the impact he's had since then.

They're young players who still have a long way to go. I don't see much of a limit for them, but I do see plenty of room for growth, and I'm fine. I can see that they have the mentality I like to see in footballers.