Celades: "We need to fight back against this situation"

Albert Celades previewed Valencia CF's game against UD Logroñés in the Copa del Rey in a Tuesday press conference, looking ahead to the team's opening fixture in the competition.

Pressure as Copa del Rey holders

"I think that it's always a big responsibility when you pull on the Valencia CF shirt. It's a source of pride and a responsibility. The game against UD Logroñés is a tough game in which we begin our defence of the Copa del Rey. They are top of their group in Segunda B, they are playing well and they eliminated Cadiz, who were top of the Segunda División at the time. That shows the level of talent that they have. There's also the added difficulty of this being a single-game tie. We have to be very focused on what we are going to encounter."

The importance of the Copa del Rey

"Everything is important. Any game that Valencia CF play is important and we have to have the best mentality for it. It's a very important game, it's the cup, we are the holders and we are taking it with the utmost seriousness."

Fear of what might happen at Las Gaunas

"There is always uncertaintly ahead of any game. We of course have the utmost respect for our opponents and you know what single-game ties mean; when the competition has been played with this format there have been many cases of big clubs losing against Segunda B sides. I'm not expecting it to be at all easy and I'm expecting many difficulties because of the weather and the pitch. We're also up against a side who are leaders in their Segunda B group. I'm imagining a game with lots of difficulties, and that's what I'm transmitting to my players."

Turning a losing run around

"In the last two games we haven't done well, because the feeling about the performances hasn't been good. We need to turn the situation around; that's the reality at a club like this. We have to try to turn around a situation that isn't critical, but that isn't the best. It's in our hands."

Mistakes made in previous games

"We've spoken about them and analysed them, but we need to fight back against this situation. What has surprised me most is that this team have always had a good reaction in the face of harsh blows, and we haven't had that in two games. We need to do these things well again and I'm sure that we will."

"The disconnection we had against Mallorca, which surprised me, can happen at times. What surprised me most is that we didn't fight back against it and we struggled to react."

César Sánchez' appointment as Director of Football
"The club asked me and I gave my opinion on things that we believe could improve the club. I think that it's a great incorporation: He's a Valencianista, he's been at the club before in different roles, whether as a player or part of the staff, and he's very well loved by the fans. I think that it's a good decision."