Baraja: "We need a lot of control, order and effectiveness to win the game"

Ahead of Valencia CF's return to LaLiga action at Mestalla against Granada CF, coach Rubén Baraja talked to the media in his pre-match press conference.

Players out injured

We are awaiting how they develop. Some are in the final stretch of their recovery and, if not for this game, maybe they could be available for the next one. It is important to get back those 4-5 players who will give us depth and options for the upcoming games.

Granada being a rival this season

Really, what worries me most about tomorrow's game is focusing on the way we play, knowing the opponents we have in front of us who are very dangerous in every sense. They score a lot of goals but they also concede many. They are able to score many goals in nearly every game, and we have to be able to play this type of game against this type of opposition, who are very attacking and will look to find spaces when we lose the ball. We need a lot of control, order and effectiveness to win the game.

Absentees up top

We have several alternatives, depending on what we see tomorrow we will evaluate who we play. Any of the three options could feature as a number 9.

Versatility in the squad

When you have the possibility of playing in one way, fitting the pieces together helps you play better. Matching player patterns in some positions also helps as well. It is difficult to repeat starting XIs when there is a suspension, an injury, something at the last minute or a tactical modification... The versatility of the squad gives you options for players who can play inside, outside, and adapt to what we ask of them. We ask for things from players based on what they are capable of doing and this helps them know how to differentiate what to do in one position or another. It gives us options. We can even modify positions during the game, depending on what we are looking for. That is the commitment and focus they have for those types of things, which happen on the fly.

Granada's scoring capacity

They have high-level individual players. They are a team that have won in many games through individual actions. Bryan, Melendo, Uzuni, Boye... anyone of their players who plays up front has quality in the final metres. We have to have a lot of concentration when on the ball, above all, and take care because when you lose it they are dangerous. We also have to think that we are at home. We have to be alert and not let them go on the counter. At home we have to dominate and manage the tempo of the game. We have to feel that we are capable of taking the three points whenever we play at home. I hope the fans help. We’ve tried to prepare with the time we’ve had, focusing on what we consider most important. The fans need to know that they will be watching a tough game, and push the team on. If it’s possible, we will try to make them enjoy what the team can do. We know that every game is very tough and it’s hard to win against any side in the Primera División.

Hugo Duro's commitment

The problem is, more than anything, about enduring pain. If you have a high pain threshold and are suffering a level that you can endure, you are closer to playing. The desire to participate is always important, and sometimes decides whether you face a game without a problem. Let's wait and see.

Is it a key moment of the season?

It's one game. It's the next one we have to play. We have to face it with that mentality. We go into this game with the objective of doing the things we need to do to get the three points. It's going to be a difficult game, like all of them. We know how we have to approach them and we are only concerned about playing well tomorrow. We are only worried about having a good game, doing the things we worked on well, based on what we’ve seen and trained over the past 2-3 days.

The complaint regarding the Copa del Rey regulations about fielding youth players

No one has told me anything about it. Like everything in life there are things that, as time passes, should be improved or consideration made. This would be about changing some rules that limit you a lot in these first rounds of the Copa del Rey, in which you have to rotate and give minutes to the young players. It is a rule that limits this situation. I think that everybody believes that this can be improved or changed, so that there is a wider berth.

Getting close to his best run as a coach

I am focused on tomorrow's game and on what it means for us as a team, trying to repeat patterns. We are working in the same way we have been doing in the last few games and getting that consistency that I want for the team to play the same way at any ground. We are up against Granada at Mestalla, and that is what motivates me. I want the team to have an identity and compete like we have been doing. That's what really motivates me: Continuity and, logically, achieving victory in front of the fans -whom you always work to make happy.