Corona: "We believe in Baraja's ability to stabilise the team"

The club's Technical Director, Miguel Ángel Corona talks about the appointment of Rubén Baraja as a Valencia CF's first team head coach. 

Welcoming Baraja back to the club

Today we are here to welcome home a Valencia CF legend. We are proud to announce the return home of a legend. We are facing a difficult situation but we believe in his ability to stabilise the team. We are with him. He has our complete confidence.

What led to Baraja's appointment?

His conviction, knowledge of the squad and his vision. It's all been decisive. He has given me his vision and spoken of everything he has to do to improve things. It's been said many times that he hasn't coached in the Primera División before. Xavi hadn't done it before, Zidane hadn't either. Simeone had coached in Italy. His passion for the club is something else. Nobody better than him will know how to raise the morale of the players and get out of this.

Was Baraja the only candidate proposed in Singapore?

I did a job of asking many things and I ended up setting out the priority. I took more alternatives to Singapore and I expressed my number 1 choice and my priority. I transferred my priority when I met with the Board and the majority shareholder. I did not meet with anyone else after Rubén.

How was the conversation with Peter Lim to propose Baraja?

It was a very direct meeting. The first point was what is happening to the team. Secondly, we looked at possible solutions. Among them was the change of coach. Before that decision, we looked at what the alternatives were. I presented a report of what Rubén could offer as number one choice. We discussed how the personal interview with him went and Lim was very happy with the report I made for him. That conviction, enthusiasm and commitment that he gives off. From there, we called Rubén.

Do you regret deciding on Voro at the time?

It was the decision that we believed was best. We had many games coming up imminently and he knew the club. When that decision was made, it was believed that it was the best. Things began to happen on a day-to-day basis and there were bad results. Then we brought up a change of coach.

What has gone wrong in these 15 days with Voro ? Why hasn't the situation been turned around?

The work has been great and I take this opportunity to thank Voro personally and on behalf of the club for his efforts. What we haven't achieved are results, which is what we need. Sometimes they do not come because you are in a dynamic in which every detail goes against you. We have done a somewhat detailed analysis and I think we were improving, but the results weren't coming. We had not achieved the change of dynamic. That is the reason for making the decision to change coach.

Is there self-criticism?

I do not think that the situation of the team in the table is affected by these fifteen days. We are where we are because of the entire season. On January 29th we backed Gattuso because we believed in stability. We didn't want fluctuations. Then what happened, happened. With Voro the results didn't come, as I mentioned before.

Will you be working with Baraja?

I will be so close to Rubén that I will have daily feedback on our players and I will know his perception. I will be so close to him that I will know what he thinks of them. Of course, if in the future we want to make a decision that involves something for next season I will ask him, because he is our coach. I don't want to question the professionalism of the players, whether or not they are next year or not. All our players, regardless of what they do next year, have shown professionali