Gracia: "We are focusing on working to have a better second half of the season"

Javi Gracia assessed Valencia CF's draw with CA Osasuna at Mestalla in his post-match press conference, and saw the result as a missed opportunity to keep a winning run going.

The result

"It's a difficult result to assess. There were times when territorial dominance was not enough. We were playing in the opposing half for a long time, but the opposition were comfortable and we did not generate clear chances. We keep adding points, although not the way that we wanted, and now we will start to think about the next game. We knew that the opposition were going to put a lot of intensity into the game, and they are strong in battles for the ball. Despite having the better of the possession, it was not enough."

More consistency required in the final metres

"Today's game required that possession, but in the final metres you have to be precise, be constant, make a more constant breakthrough and be a team that reacts quickly to losing the ball. At certain times we did that, but we weren't as consistent as we should have been and in the final metres we weren't effective. There have been some good situations, but not enough to reflect our dominance."

Evaluating the first half of the season

"The first half of the season was totally insufficient and poor. Rather than looking at the causes of things that happened in the past, I am focusing on the present and trying to improve day by day, so that the second half of the season is better."

Working to improve

"It's a step forward. It's not the reward we expected from this game, but we keep adding points and trying to improve. Each game is different and today we lacked being able to play better in some facets in which we had to match the level of CA Osasuna."