Gattuso: “I’m very happy with how the team played, with and without the ball”

Coach Gennaro Gattuso analysed the performance from Valencia CF in their victory against Girona in his post-match press conference.

I want to ask about the refereeing. We were hurt by Gayà’s case. The referees are being very strict with Valencia CF.

I want to talk about the game. I'm very happy with how the team played in the first half. I think that the red card for Cömert was correct. I don't like to talk about the referee. I am very happy with how the team played. We had a very good first half. We had good pressure and excellent play. Then, when we were a man down, we played with heart and with the support of the fans.

They say that Mestalla wins matches. Do you think the same after today's game?

We have to work hard, and hope that match after match the fans like how we play and our mentality. The team play with heart, with a style of football that the fans like. The fans at this stadium can achieve important things for us.

How do you rate the performance of the three new signings?

Very good. Lino worked well with and without the ball. Castillejo did as well. Nico came on and did very well. I think the whole team had a great game. I have to give many, many thanks to all the players. They played the way that they trained and we have to continue on this path.

Míchel said that his team suffered with the pressure that Valencia CF exerted. Are you glad to hear this?

Very. Girona FC played in the Segunda División and I think you didn't see them play much. They were a team that liked to have the ball. Míchel has a similar methodology to mine and it wasn't easy because they have a very particular style. I liked the team a lot with the ball and without the ball.

Do you need a central defender even more now, after Gabriel Paulista's injury and Cömert's sending off?

We are talking and I think that this week we have to work both on and off the pitch. I also hope that Gabriel can train with us next week.

Did you like the style of play in today's game?

This is the way to go for my team. Did you see the game today? Did you like it? Me too. We have to do some things better and we have to work a lot, but that's fine. We have to improve day after day.

Last week when you announced that Guedes was leaving, you said that you were going to sign three players. Only Nico has arrived. Would you settle for just two signings?

I hope that we have the chance to complete the squad. I think we have to sign 2-3 players to be competitive and have solutions. I think the most important thing is to take a good look at things and also look at the salaries. The problem is that the players have to be functional and you also have to look at their salary. I think we are going to solve things and work to complete the squad.

What positions do you think need to be strengthened?

I'm not talking about positions. You know very well the positions we are looking at. It is not correct to talk about the transfer market after a game like this. Today I have to talk about the players, who gave everything on the pitch. Today the correct thing is to talk about the players. I think 2-3 players will arrive, but let’s stay calm. When I was a player, when I saw a coach who talked about something other than how we had played, it didn't seem right to me. I think we have to talk about Lato, Vázquez, Mosquera... I understand that you like the transfer market, but I think I have a duty to talk about what we did on the pitch.

Do you fear that there will be another departure?

I don’t know. At the moment I hope that we are going to sign 2-3 players. I hope we don't have players leaving. I hope we sign, not that we have departures.

Did you expect that there would be 40,000 people here today? To what extent is it important that Gayà and Soler stay?

In these 50 days I knew that Guedes had options to leave, but I have never talked about a departure for Gayà or Carlos. We are working with Layhoon, Miguel and Sean. We are talking with Carlos and José to see if we have any possibility of a contract renewal for them. We have never talked about them leaving. We are talking about finding a solution. We have to continue and look for a great mentality. Today there were 40,000 fans and I hope that in the next game there will be 42,000. We have the objective of getting more people to come, but it depends on them.

The players made a big effort with one man down. Is any player hurt?

Everything's fine. There are no injuries. It is normal that after a game like this the players have discomfort. When the game ended, I changed the planning. The team will not train tomorrow and will come back on Tuesday.