Corberán: "We have to go to San Sebastian looking for the three points"

Carlos Corberán talked to the media in his pre-match press conference before the game against Real Sociedad, which takes place this Sunday.  

His squad for Matchday 37

The players who came off in the last game due to injury will not be available. Gayà and Saravia are undergoing tests today; both are ruled out for tomorrow's match.

The end of the season

We never play a game with the aim being just to avoid defeat. We play with determination; it's our responsibility. We have two important games ahead. We have to go to San Sebastian to try to get the three points. We need them, we want them, and it's our responsibility to get them.

The team’s performance

Our numbers from the first half of the season were lower than those from the second half. We competed better in the second half of the year. We were able to convey what we wanted in some matches. When we didn't, self-criticism was always present, and we accept any outside criticism. In the second half of the season, we managed to dominate our opponents more often than in the first half and impose our strengths.

Analysis of the season

Assessments of a season should be made at the end of the campaign. One must always focus on the next match. I share the conclusions from each match with the team to know what to focus on and what to correct. Tomorrow we have a very demanding and important game ahead of us.

Continuity in his lineups

When choosing a lineup, what matters is the performance you had in the previous match, the team's form, the opposition, the players we have available, their fitness. Sometimes you want to repeat the same lineup because you liked what you saw, but you can't due to fitness issues. There's a high level of confidence in all the players; I believe in this squad. We're self-critical; we could have done things better. We have six points up for grabs in order to finish the season stronger, and that's what we want to do.

Europe and survival

This season has been very demanding, with a lot of parity among all of the teams, which means you could say that qualifying for Europe is “cheap” and staying up is “costly.” The parity among a large number of teams is extremely high. There are details that make a big difference. We're finding it difficult to maintain our momentum, and that's affected the season.

Lucas Beltrán

He's still doubtful for tomorrow; it's difficult but not impossible that we will have him available. We'll see how he responds to the treatment he's undergoing. If he feels good in a fitness test, he'll travel with the team.

Real Sociedad

They're a good team. They struggled to have a good first half of the season, but they improved their performances in the second half of the campaign and managed to win a trophy. It's going to be a demanding match. They have players with a past at Valencia CF. We're focused on giving our all.

The progress made this season

I'm someone who, for better or for worse, never creates expectations, because they can be misleading. The reality of things always shows you the way. You have to face whatever happens. It's been a demanding, difficult season, where we've had to show maturity, persevere, and show resistance, and tomorrow we have an important game to try and get three points that would be very valuable for us.

His starting XI 

Whether or not you field the same starting XI depends not only on your intentions, but also on the available options, the schedule and injuries. Repeating the same starting XI is impossible tomorrow, because some of our players are injured.