Rioja: “We have to prove that we can turn the situation around”

Valencia CF were unable to get a win against Rayo Vallecano at Mestalla to be able to face the upcoming December fixtures against direct rivals with more confidence. The Andalusian winger Luis Rioja analyzes the match in VCF Media.

Tough defeat

We knew it was a match against a direct rival, a match to try to get out of the mire, climb positions and get closer to our objective today, which is to stay up. We did not start the match well, we came out at a pace and with an attitude that was not appropriate in the first 15 minutes, and that hindered us throughout the match. The attitude to have is that of the second half. If we are like inthe first half we will not be a Primera Division team; the Valencia CF we want to see is the one from the second half.

Anger from the fans
The fans are completely right and the results are what they are. We are a team in a relegation battle, we have a lot of room for improvement and the only way we can talk  is on the pitch, reversing the situation on the pitch. Thatis where we have to give the response to the fans.

Calendar

There are three games with direct rivals coming up and I think that games like today's are ones that we have to win. These games are the ones in which we have to get ahead, add points and reverse the situation. We have to try to stand up, be men and show that we are Primer División players.