Baraja: “There are 10 games remaining and we are going to compete, work hard and try to score enough points to change the situation”

Rubén Baraja gave a press conference after the 2-1 defeat to UD Almeria at the Power Horse Stadium.

Assessing the result

Today I am very angry about what happened in the match. We had a first half in which there were chances and situations to go ahead, we weren’t successful from them, and then what happened at the start of the second half cannot be allowed. That cannot happen to us, regardless of whether we are down to 10 men or have a player on the sidelines. We have to close off that move.

At the beginning of the first and second half is when we sometimes struggle to get into things, and the game becomes more difficult. That, as well as the move for them to make it 2-0, makes me very angry, because we work a lot on the details of games -and two details made us lose a game in which we had done many things well. We reacted and made it 2-1, but today I am tremendously unhappy, because today we wanted to change the dynamic away from home and we wanted to dedicate the victory to all the fans who came along -and those who could not be here as well.

It's a difficult day because we wanted to score points and it wasn’t to be, but we can't give in to despair or think that it is all over. There are 10 games remaining and we are going to compete, work hard and try to score enough points to change the situation.

10 matchdays remaining

I understand there may be some drastic opinions, especially when we have opportunities to score points and create chances to win, whilst two details that we didn't handle well turned the game against us. You leave very angry with those situations, but we can't give up, nor think that this cannot be improved.

Injured players

We have to try to recover as well as possible. With Justin we think it’s a muscular problem and we'll see the medical team’s assessment, but it seems he'll be out for a while. Nico had a knock to his ankle, like the other day. These are circumstances that are happening that don't help when you are in a negative dynamic, because they are players that give you goals like Justin does, and balance like Nico. On top of that, when Nico was off the pitch they made it 1-0.

These are things that should not deviate us from our path, which is to minimise mistakes, because if we don't minimise them it will be much more difficult to win.

Dead ball situations

We have been working on set pieces. Today we weren’t attentive to a move and Giorgi didn’t come out well, leading to a goal.

These are actions that need concentration, intensity and for you to deny the opposition shots. We work and we persist. We had improved in this facet and today we made that mistake that made a lot of difference in a game that UD Almería had not deserved to lead 2-0. That’s football: If you don't score when you have your moments and as soon as you make a mistake they punish you, the game becomes very difficult.

Cavani

We had already used up two substitution windows and we couldn't use up all of them with half an hour to go, because the game was open and many things can happen, be they injuries or sendings off. You can't play with 10 men with the game open at 2-1. We wanted to use the last 15-20 minutes to have two forwards in the area and look for crosses and we had two chances for Cavani and Hugo Duro, but we were unsuccessful from them. Sometimes things don't work out and things happened today that made the game very difficult. We are self-critical and we think that if we improve these things we will be closer to winning.

Attitude and quality

It is not a question of a lack of attitude or quality. The team work hard, have desire and hope that this situation will change. You have to see how they suffer and how difficult it is to be in this situation on a team as big as Valencia CF. Players feel this a lot and also the need to earn points. Doing this quickly is not easy, but there is a process.

Reasons to believe

I fully trust that with hard work, insisting on looking for more security to score points, that the team can get out of this situation.

I focus on hard work, to the fans who are going to support us against Sevilla to earn the three points and to the fact that hope comes from being brave. It's difficult, that’s clear, but there are 10 games ahead and why can't the situation change? We play direct rivals in the coming games, and with these players and the fans we can change the situation.

I am optimistic and positive. Today I'm angry about those things that don't have to happen, but I also believe that one day our hard work will come through.

Kluivert’s penalty appeal

It seemed like a penalty to me because when he chipped the goalkeeper he was brought down. For me it was a penalty and a sending off. But it is the same as always: VAR decides and they will have seen that move.

But it changed everything. It was the end of the first half, a chance to make it 0-1 and reducing Almeria to 10 men. Then in the second half they went 1-0 up and the whole game turned on its head. It was a differential action in terms of the consequences for the game, but it isn’t down to us. We can show our anger that we are not happy, thinking that the referee should have made another decision, but we cannot do any more.

His message to the fans

This is a fight we need them to be with us in. It is a difficult situation and with them we are stronger and we can change the situation.

There are 10 games left and 30 points at stake. Despite the two things that could be greatly improved today, the team have improved and had chances to go ahead. We have to keep working and believing that we can turn it around.

We want the fans to continue with us and continue to believe in us. We thank the fans who came to this game, with a lot at stake, and whom we were not able to make happy.

We have to hold on to the positives, to our hard work, to our fans and keep believing.