Valencia CF coach Gennaro Gattuso gave an in-depth analysis of the performance from his side against Athletic Club, and began by apologising to the supporters for the exit from the Copa del Rey.

Apologising to the fans

First of all, I want to apologise to the 45,000 fans who have come to Mestalla for the team playing badly -all of us. We played with fear and when a team plays like this, the only thing left to do is ask for forgiveness and then take full responsibility. When you have a Copa del Rey quarterfinal and you play like this, the first person to take responsibility is me. Today we played with fear in everything we did, and it is very difficult when you play like that. We have to analyse well what is happening. After a match like today's, it's hard to talk.

Analysing the game

After the game it was not correct to talk to the team, but we have to talk, listen to what is happening and find out why at this moment we are afraid, because when we prepare things, we prepare them well, but then at the first sign of difficulties we all fail. Tomorrow I definitely have to find out what is happening.

Responsibility

In the second half we played long balls more, but if you're not used to playing a certain type of game you can't change the mentality of the team in 45 minutes.

We work on long ball strategy and on other things. The team are lacking in desire when we press and battle for the ball... we are lacking this. Today, after 15/20 minutes, Mestalla was pressuring us because they didn't like us coming out from the back, and we didn't have the ability to play long. We are missing those little things. If at this moment I have to take things in another direction, I don't have that inside, and that's the reality. What we are doing is not enough and I have to solve it, but for me it is difficult to change everything we have worked on over these 4/5 months 100%.

Signings

I don't want to make excuses for why things are not going well. If Nico is injured, then it is normal that something has to be done in the transfer market because we have one less player. We are waiting, as I have already said these past few weeks. However, I am not the club and I have to work. The responsibility is down to me, because I decide who goes out onto the pitch. I have to listen and think carefully about what is happening. I am clear about what is happening. It is a question of mentality, of fear; I don’t like that word, but the reality is that we are very afraid. We equalised and they scored again within a minute. We have to improve this.

Substituting Cavani

It was a game that we weren't controlling and we wanted to give some new energy in attack. Also, on Sunday in Valladolid we have another final.

Mentality

In today's game we hit rock bottom. When we play a quarter final and we have the chance to reach the semi finals, and we play like today, it's normal for the fans to batter us and be angry because we didn’t do anything. Athletic Club deserved to win easily.

Fear

I speak of fear because for a long time the opposition have created damage with very little. When it happens once or twice it might be a coincidence, but it has happened to us many times. At the first sign of difficulty the team have no energy, neither physical nor mental strength, nor technique to continue in the same way that we started.

That's why we talk about fear. It’s normal. If we look at the table, at today's game... eleven times we’ve gone ahead and not won. It’s normal to have to look at what is happening and the things that are not going well.

The future

Honestly, at the moment the priority is the history of the club. Gattuso is not the priority. I have to think how to get through this situation. I'm not thinking about whether I'm leaving or not. I'm thinking about tomorrow, about how to prepare for Sunday's game and how to help the team in this moment of difficulty.

The objective

The objective at this moment is to improve a league position that is not good. This is the reality. The objective is to seek for the team to recover its mental strength, to get out of the situation we are in at the moment.

Convincing the squad

I have the strength to change the group, but I also have to listen to why this is happening. You can't radically change everything in 2 or 3 days. I have to know what is happening and why the team don’t react to the first difficulty. Today we didn’t have a chance to play or score. If I have to play only with long balls, it's difficult for me. We have to talk tomorrow, because I also see that the team gave everything they had, but we played a game without quality. It seemed like it was the first game they had played together.

Ilaix and Almeida

Almeida was not one hundred percent fit the other day and we wanted to share the minutes with Yunus, also looking at the game on Sunday.

Direct football

We played more long balls because the team was in difficulty and Mestalla pressured us when we played the ball out from the back -and I didn't want to put more pressure on the team. We tried to do something different so as not to put more pressure on the team, but if you don't train that way and it's not your style, it's difficult to get that done in 45 minutes. How many second balls did we win? None. We changed because at the break I saw that the players were worried and we tried to play differently.

Possible resignation

It's very simple. In this difficult time, leaving is not part of my style. I have to talk to my team because I trust them a lot, I have to listen carefully to what they think. It would be easy to say that if no signings arrive I'll leave, but I have a lot of respect for the team I'm coaching.

The season

The goal is to score 40 points. That is our reality. We are in a not good situation and I have to think about how to improve the situation for the team.

Returning to 4-3-3

We were playing against a team that play with a 4-2-3-1, that have fast players and I did not want to break the line of 4, but rather have a pivot to be able to move out and keep an eye on Athletic Club's No.10 -and have one more midfielder when we had the ball.

Protests from the fans

This can happen because when you play a quarter final with 45,000 people, you have to respect what people think, but I also have to respect my philosophy and what we have done well for 4 or 5 months. It's normal that I'm not happy and I have to accept it. It's a feeling I have to respect, but I didn't like it.

Long balls

It was because in the first half we were afraid. The team did not have confidence, the fans pressured us in the final part of the first half when we brought the ball out from the back, and when I saw the faces of the players I thought I had to do it.

Hard work and professionalism

We are not magicians nor do we do magic. I can only guarantee professionalism. I will work as we have been doing and in football nothing can be guaranteed. We are going to work 14/15 hours a day as we are doing now.

Focusing on LaLiga

It would be easy to say that we had been focusing on the league, but after this game we had the chance of a semi final. It would have been better to qualify for the semi final.