Baraja: “We want the players to show that the league position doesn’t befit their quality”

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja previewed his debut in the dugout for the club, against Getafe CF at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, in his pre-match press conference.

The mood in the squad

The players seem to have a good predisposition. The feeling they give me is that they are a group that is willing to work, to quickly assimilate the things that we want for tomorrow's game. They look willing, eager, and keen to change. At the moment, the most important thing is that the stimulus generated inside the dressing room has a powerful response. They believe in what we are going to do and feel that it is the way to improve.

Players out injured

Thierry Correia ended the week training in different parts of the session. You have to be careful with these types of injuries. I wasn't comfortable about including him in the squad list. If he is available, you always want to have him in there. Next week he will complete a week of training and will be able to participate in the game on Saturday.

The role of the defence

We have worked all week based on concepts. We want to make things automatic in the defensive line. Central defenders are very important, but I have focused on the collective. In our situation we want to work as a team that can manage the distances between us well on the pitch, that play together and are competitive.

Getafe coach Quique Sánchez Flores

Quique has a long history in Spanish football. During his time at Valencia CF, when I was a player, we qualified for the Champions League twice. He had a way of working and watching football that has continued over time and he is now at Getafe after accumulating a lot of experience.

Getafe’s playing style

This year sometimes they have played 5-3-2 or 5-4-1, sometimes 4-4-2. It has varied depending on the situation, but he is a coach who has similar concepts of what he wants from a team. He wants a team that doesn’t concede, that is competitive, that manage the game when they have the ball.

His forward line

The most important thing for me is not who will play tomorrow, nor how we are going to play, but rather how the team behave collectively with the ball and without it. We have to not give the opposition chances, press together and not make mistakes, which is one of the keys to winning the game.

Using tactical and emotional aspects for change

Everything has an influence. Everything is important. When you analyse a situation of this type, in which you want to generate a change for the better, there are two or three fundamental things.

First, you want to convey to the players what your plan is. What we have been working on these days is that. Then you have to find a credible objective, work and generate a work process so that they have that improvement. The third thing is to motivate them; they are at a great club with very high demands and I hope they compete well tomorrow and compete to win. We are playing against a team that is in the same situation as us and the game will be defined by details and small situations that we have to treat to as if they were the most important thing. That is more of an emotional theme.

His impressions of the squad

Nothing negative has surprised me. I don't know if it's because I have come here with a smile and positive energy or not. All that we have wanted to convey have been simple things, direct messages. In football, everything is about details, and because of someone else's mistake you can win because you take advantage of it.

It is key that the players bring out their character, pride and personality to show everyone that the situation that the team is in in the table doesn’t correspond to their quality.

The schedule

We have to accept the situation, but we are only thinking about Monday's game. I don't think beyond that. I am focused on tomorrow's game, in which we want to compete, since there are points at stake and, if we manage to win, we can improve the situation in terms of confidence and calmness.

We are not going to get out of this in one or two games. It is going to be a long process, in which we will have to be prepared to suffer, to face moments of difficulty and have the mental strength to take on this situation. You won’t magically win 5 games in a row and all this changes.

If in 22 games you have only won 5, you have to understand that this is not going to be easy. The important thing is the path we are on. Our fans will be with us and this will help us.

Expectations

We are Valencia CF and we have to go out there to win at any ground. Our approach is always to win; however we see the game, we always think about winning. There may be circumstances during the game that occur, and taking points is always good, but what we want is to change the dynamics of the team in terms of results, confidence and getting the best from individuals, which will make us stronger as a collective. That happens through daily work and making the team believe and compete.

Boosting morale

The most important thing when you want to generate a stimulus or a change, it is to send a very clear message. We have provided a very clear message of what the demand is. The most important thing for this situation to improve is that the players are willing and feel good.

We hope that all this will translate into a response tomorrow in the match, as a team and collective. Tomorrow there will be 11 players on the pitch but we want the 23 called up to be ready to go out there and contribute. We give them the keys, but the goal is for them to think that they can improve the situation.

Fear about the game

We can't play with fear. In life there are few things to be afraid of beyond poor health or family issues. It is a football match that is important, but we cannot enter into a dynamic that means treating each game as life-or-death. You have to face things with a cool head and clarity to be able to execute them well and be yourself. If we go in there with hot heads, we will have bad decision making. Tomorrow we need to show what we have worked on. We need calmness and coldness and to look at the situation with perspective and not act hastily, but with confidence and attitude to achieve the objectives.

Improving

Keeping a clean sheet is vital. If you want to be in the game and be competitive, you have to avoid making mistakes that the opposition can take advantage of. We have to make things easy, simple and try to be a team that doesn't concede. Being powerful in defence and being organised and compact is essential. If you don't concede and you're strong defensively, and everyone works for the team, you have a good chance of winning because you'll have the opportunity to create chances and score.