Baraja: "This victory is for those affected by the DANA tragedy"

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja spoke to the media after his side's LaLiga win against Real Betis at Mestalla.

THE EMOTIONS

“If it wasn't the most emotional moment of my career, it was one of the most. The emotion we felt from the moment we came out of the tunnel, which was palpable in the atmosphere, the respect shown by Mestalla. You got goosebumps seeing how we tried to pay tribute to all the victims, to all those affected, above all so that they feel that we are with them, that we are going to support them in the reconstruction process and that they feel that their team have responded to this difficult situation by trying to contribute. We played so that they could enjoy themselves. The victory is dedicated to them and the moment was very special.”

COMING THROUGH IN A KEY MOMENT

“There was a special component which was how we managed our emotions. The pre-match act, the tribute... These are things that can bring you down and we had to be clear that we had to change our thoughts when the referee blew the whistle in order to start the game well. It was very important to start well, to be concentrated and switched on. We did well and I think that gave us the chance to score a goal -and it also gave us confidence. Then, there was a stretch at 1-1 when the team lost control a bit, but we were playing against a great team like Betis. We recovered at the end of the first half with a few chances like Diego's shot against post. At halftime, we corrected 3-4 things, as they are a team that can catch you out and are dangerous on the counterattack. The start after the break was very good. We often say that if you are effective and score a goal, you make the difference in the game. Today we had that and I think we managed the lead well, something that is not easy either. When you need to win so much, you start to get scared. I think the result was convincing and gave us a lot of peace of mind. But, above all, the players now believe that we are capable of winning a game, of doing things well against a great side.”

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TEAM AND FANS

“I want Mestalla to always be like this. It is totally different. I felt it from the first moment, how the respect was shown, and then how the atmosphere was during the game. It is a different feeling. It boosts us and the players feel like there is a better energy, with better chemistry. Today there was a lot of chemistry between the team and fans. I want Mestalla like we saw it today during the game.”

HELPING THOSE AFFECTED BY THE DANA TRAGEDY

“From our position, we have to send a message of always being by alongside society and not letting go of them, doing whatever we can do. If seeing their team compete as we did today has brought a smile to someone who is suffering and given them some hope, then we have done our bit. We have to be proud of all those people who are participating, who have that will to help. The volunteers, the police, the firemen, the young people… I think that this difficult moment that we have lived through has made us see that together we can change things. Now, what we have to do is make it so that people can get their lives back. It will not be easy or in the short term, but we have to work so that people have a normal life, although we will not forget this situation.”

STICKING TOGETHER

“We are not going to stop helping. We are going to try to be by their side as we have been doing. As a club, we have organised today's event, which has been beautiful and very emotional. We are with them. We are going to support them and help them. Valencia CF, where we can, will try not to let go of them."

THE DIFFERENTIAL FACTOR

“Regardless of who plays, what I liked most was the energy from the team to want to change the situation. The energy of the team and the connection with Mestalla are things that, when you are down, have a lot of impact. A team that is down at the bottom, with a difficulty like we have, playing like this against this side, with energy, with conviction and with our fans, is the most remarkable thing. The energy and the connection with Mestalla gives hope for the future.”

CHANGE OF FORMATION AT HOME

“We are trying to find solutions, ways to give us those things that make us competitive. This team need to have defensive solidity, and security, and grow from there. We were not getting it with the four-man back line and this change was to try to make the team feel more powerful, to be able to hold on in the games, since having good defensive performances allows you to stay in games. Then, there is a positive reading that when we had the ball we tried to combine, to find the spaces. We dared a little more and this gave us the possibility of having opportunities and of converting them. We are in the process of improvement and fortunately, today's result is positive.”

SIX DECISIVE MINUTES

“The difference in the game was our effectiveness, the strength that we had in our arrivals at the beginning of the second half. We knew it was a difficult game against a Betis side that have quality, that counterattacks well, that have players of a high technical level and that can win the game in any move. Logically, if you are capable of being forceful when you get there and you are successful, your confidence grows and so does your self-esteem. It is the consequence of managing the absolute need to win when you are down at the bottom, which is not easy. Everything came together in those 6 minutes. 

We were accurate and we also came with that energy from spending time working to change things. Today everything worked out for us in the sense that we got the result. Through the process of the game, we got the result. 

We must try to continue like this. The hangover from this victory is that the players are convinced that we can do it, that they are capable of doing things and that they are better than the table showed up to this point. But we have to keep working on the same path to keep adding points.”