Corberán: “This Valencia CF side will give everything to improve in every sense”

Valencia CF coach, Carlos Corberán, spoke to the media after the Matchday 9 game against Deportivo Alavés.

His assessment of the game

We're always going to be self-critical and demanding of ourselves and the team. We're going to push ourselves in every match. I take away the fact that, in a difficult situation, the team were able to compete and struggle through; they responded with the necessary mentality. Mentality alone isn't enough; we have to add a bit of good play, but without that mentality, we wouldn't have taken a point. This ground isn't easy for any team to visit. The positive was the team's start; then the opposition took a step forward. We weren't able to maintain the good initial actions, but I saw the team suffer through and endure difficulties. I've seen an evolution in the team's mentality, although not so much in their play.

Copete’s condition

Copete has a knock to his thigh that prevented him from continuing. We'll see if it's an injury or not; we'll find out in the coming days.

Not being satisfied with the point

For me, the team never took a step back in the second half. In attack, we weren't able to force Alavés into their own half. We're not satisfied with the point. Based on the team's strong mentality, we have to keep growing.

Valencia CF’s strong start to the game

In the opening minutes, when Alavés tried to defend in our half, we took advantage of the speed of Rioja, Danjuma, Hugo Duro and others to create danger. Then Alavés pushed us deeper into our own half, we lost possession, and we began to play in our own half. Little by little, they found ways to attack us. We weren't able to extend many of our attacks in the opponents’ half. Our level of play wasn't enough to achieve anything more, but we didn’t settle. The way to grow is through mentality, and I saw that throughout the match.

Assessment of the dynamics after Matchday 9

Mentality alone isn't enough; we have to keep growing. Without the mentality of being able to go through adversity and compete, we won't achieve improvement. A team sustains itself when the competitive mentality is the right one, and it can make the difference when combined with your ability to play. We understand the fans' disappointment. Valencia CF are going to give our all to improve in every way. Until that moment arrives, we'll keep working and persisting.

We had several chances to take the lead, but then Alavés managed to gain the upper hand. I saw the mentality of my players stand firm until the final minute of the match, and thanks to that, Valencia CF took home a point today.