Aguirre: “A win would reinforce the good work from the team”

Valencia CF coach Javier Aguirre held a press conference before his team’s LALIGA EA SPORTS fixture against Elche CF.

Squad news

“Foulquier and Sadiq are in the squad. Copete, Otorbi, and Van Oevelen are out.”

Recent form

“It’s not a given that a new coach’s arrival automatically leads to wins. We don’t have magic wands. We need a victory, since we’ve performed well in our last three matches. A win would validate our hard work and confirm that we’re on the right track.”

Pitchwise

“Braulio has had conversations with them, but I haven’t.”

Valencia CF’s style of play

“I have a very clear vision regarding our low and high blocks; there was some confusion in the middle, but I’ve seen improvement there, even if it hasn’t translated into results yet.”

The defeat against Villarreal CF

“That loss was very hard to digest. Perhaps I should have been more cautious, but my instinct was to push for the win. Now that we’ve analysed the match, we’re moving on; dwelling on it is no longer an option.”

The significance of the result

“Calling tomorrow’s game a ‘final’ with 27 games still left to play is extreme. It would be too simplistic to say we just lack goals; in terms of overall play, we’ve improved significantly in our concepts -both with and without the ball- since day one. The players are fully committed to our approach to winning matches. Plus, we’re nearly back to full strength; we don’t have as many injuries anymore.”

Arnau Martínez

“He’s played in short spells, but Maffeo is performing at a high level. I can’t let the club’s transfer expenditure influence my decisions on selection. Arnau trains very well and is in top shape; he’s a very good player.”

Elche CF

“I know their coach very well, and he’s very good. They’ve struggled a bit at home, but they’ve shown improvement. They have well-rehearsed movements, so it’s going to be a very interesting game. We need to stay alert to their play through the middle, their speed on the flanks, and our defensive coverage. Every game is different, and this is an important one. We want to give our fans something to celebrate and get out of our current situation as soon as possible.”

Harvey Elliott

“I still don’t think Harvey did anything serious enough to warrant being sent off for two bookings in the space of 10 seconds. I had already warned some of the players who were on a yellow card about the ‘law of compensation’ that can see a second being given.”