Gracia: "Good results always strengthen us"

Javi Gracia reflected positively on a first win of 2021, as Valencia CF beat Yeclano Deportivo 1-4 to progress in the Copa del Rey

A win to boost confidence

We all need victories: Both the coach and the players. We need them to gain confidence and morale. You work better off a win. When things don't go well, it's harder, but we try to do things in the same way.

The team's attitude

Every game is a chance to keep improving, show solidity and fine-tune our play. The opposition today were from a lower division, but there are always a lot of surprises in this competition. I want to highlight the attitude of the players. We are moving forward with this spirit of improving, and good results always strengthen us.

Rotations in the starting lineup

There is no 'A' and 'B' team. I value my entire squad, and with the frequency of the games that we have, it's important to conserve energy and take care of the players. I make evaluations every day; I don't need to see a player's performance in a game. I evaluate all of them and I pick the best. I am happy with today's game, and we will see what choice we make for the next one.

Toni Lato

Lato has a few niggles due to the effort that he has put in after recovering from illness. Bringing on Gayà wasn't ideal, but we needed to do it.