Aguirre: “We’re sad about the defeat”

Valencia CF coach Javier Aguirre addressed the media after the loss to Villarreal CF, speaking in his post-match press conference. 

Analysis of the game

The team do many things well, but there are others we need to improve. Sometimes, in our eagerness to win, we lose our focus. We have possession in their half, but in that push to win the match, we neglect the counterattack and fail to secure our defence. Villarreal have a lot of quality.

We were leading and trying not to sit back, but in the end, we had a goal disallowed and Danjuma had a one-on-one chance; we just couldn't seal a 2-0 lead. Our opponents have quality, and with both sides down to ten men -and us still pushing for the win- we ended up losing. The attitude is very good; we’ll keep working and that’s all there is to it.

I’m hurt, angry, and sad about the defeat, given the effort we put in. It just hasn’t been enough over these last three matches. We hope to turn things around soon to bring some joy to our fans and ensure the players can head home feeling they’ve done their job.

His plan

We knew they were very comfortable on the ball and would pin us back in our own half, leaving space behind them; that’s why we introduced pace through Danjuma, Rioja, and Otorbi. However, we didn’t create many chances, aside from the one for Danjuma in the second half.

Otorbi’s injury is a setback, as he had been playing and training very well. We hope it’s nothing serious. The doctor has offered some reassurance, but we won’t be able to fully assess the extent of the injury until we see the tests.

Elliot’s sending off

With 11 men against 10, we were in a decent position. We had plenty of corners and had them pinned back. It’s an absurd, ridiculous sending-off. I don’t know what he could have said to the referee -he barely speaks Spanish- so getting sent off for something he said just makes me angry. It’s a ridiculous dismissal, and I told him as much. It’s not his fault; the fault is mine -though I’ll address it with him privately. Ultimately, the responsibility is mine, because I’m the one who decides who plays and how we play.

The change at the top of the club

I was called into the office along with Braulio, and the president joined us via Zoom. He informed Javier Solís, Braulio, and me about the sale of the shares, who the new co-owners are, and the capital they intend to invest.

My focus is on the results. I’m preoccupied with this because we haven’t won in three matches. That worries me, and I don’t like it. We put in the effort and it’s a real struggle; our opponents aren’t better than us, yet we walk away with nothing to show for it. That’s incredibly frustrating. Given the situation, we just have to keep working. The arrival of these co-owners is good news for the fans, but we need to start winning, as it’s urgent.

The referee

I don’t talk about the referees. I haven’t done so ever in my 30 years as a coach, and I won’t start tonight. It is true, however, that the substitution had been prepared; that much is certain. As for the communication between the officials, I don’t know the details, but the substitution had been requested before play resumed. Regardless, that is no excuse. The sending-off, the one-on-one situation, the substitution that didn’t go through, and Otorbi’s injury… these are all part of the game. We cannot be a team that constantly complain or look to shift the blame elsewhere. I am the one responsible for this defeat, and I accept that responsibility. I must look ahead and keep moving forward; I came here to improve things, and I haven’t managed to do so, and that is something that weighs on my mind.

The transfer market

I know nothing about the January transfer window. I have a very good squad, and my task is to improve it and achieve a result that brings us some relief. As for January -since I know nothing about it- I’m not taking it into account; it doesn’t interest me. I won’t get into discussions about the transfer market, because doing so would be disrespectful to the players we have now, who are very good.

His forwards

I haven’t sat down with Braulio to talk about the forwards. We’ve played three matches, scored three goals, and created chances. The expected-goals data reflects that. However, the only statistic that truly matters is the final score. We will keep fighting with the players we have to score more goals. Three goals in three matches is a low return. We need to score more, and we shouldn’t have conceded the two goals today, which were clearly avoidable.

Correcting mistakes

It requires focus, intelligence, and not having everyone push forward at once. With the score at 1-1, we felt strong. We were in a solid position and it was 11 against 10, but the sending-off disrupted everything. We ended up playing an all-or-nothing, wide-open game; we could have won, but then a long ball -where there was some hesitation between the goalkeeper and Pepelu- led to a goal that could have been avoided. You have to understand that if you can’t win, you need to be smart enough to protect the scoreline and draw. That didn’t happen, and we’re leaving feeling very hurt.