Corberán: "The draw feels like too little because we wanted the win. The team gave everything and was closer to the three points than RCD Espanyol"

Valencia CF head coach Carlos Corberán analyzed the draw at Mestalla against RCD Espanyol in his post-match press conference. He highlighted the team's performance, commitment, and sacrifice in a game where, in his view, if any team deserved to win, it was Valencia CF.

The point

It feels like too little, because the team's approach, the team's intention, has always been to go for the three points from start to finish. There was no other option.

 We've gone eight games without losing, and yet we still haven't achieved our objective. That speaks about the situation the team were in, and the enormous work this squad have done. We continue to take steps toward our target and, above the result, I have to value what happened on the pitch.

I saw a dedicated team, a team that gave their all football-wise, against opponents whose dynamic is no coincidence; they're a very dangerous side, who have a very high capacity for counterattacking.

We did things very well, we improved things at halftime to correct and adjust, and overall, if any of the two teams deserved to win today, for me it would be Valencia CF.

How’s the locker room?

The mood in the locker room can be split in two. Similar to last week, we took a tough blow just before halftime—a goal that maybe didn’t reflect what had been happening on the pitch.

Before their goal, there weren’t many clear chances. They’re a team that demands a lot, especially with their counterattacking speed, which is hard to stop. We mismanaged a few attacking plays that could have prevented counters. Still, the scoreline before the break didn’t really reflect the game.

Despite that setback, the team kept fighting and pushing until the end. The fans helped immensely—over 42,000 people came on a rainy day and supported us until the final whistle. Even though we played one day later than Espanyol, the team gave everything physically, and we were closer to winning than Espanyol throughout the second half.

Objective

Our goal is to collect as many points as possible. We always prefer to earn three points than one, of course. But if you can't win, it’s better to get one than lose. The team came out with the clear ambition to win from the very first minute. That’s the mentality I saw—sometimes with better or worse execution—but always with full commitment and effort. I don’t think anyone could ask more from this group tonight.

There are always things to improve, to adjust, but today was more about reinforcing what we did well than correcting mistakes.

How difficult it is to win

Everyone understands how hard it is to win and earn points. I deeply value what I saw—hard work, fight, determination. Despite giving everything, we only got one point. That shows the level of competition, the quality of the opponents, and the challenges of being at the top.

We knew Espanyol was in a great moment—unbeaten in four matches, three straight wins. That’s the kind of difficulty you face at the elite level. To overcome that, you need your best mindset, your best football, your best effort—everything.

And our team gave it all. When that happens, there’s nothing to regret. We’ll look at details to adjust or improve, but above all, we need to keep building on this.

His assessment of the refereeing

It’s a difficult question to answer, because there were many situations in the match that warranted evaluation and questioning, but as I always say, I believe in the honesty of the referees. If the referee calls a foul, and the player tells me he never made contact, that's the referee's interpretation, and on quick moves those kinds of actions can happen.

There were many actions that were protested by my players, because they didn't feel that a foul should have been called, or felt that they should have been awarded a free kick. But as I always say, the honesty of Spanish referees cannot be questioned, and the job is never easy.

It's true that RCD Espanyol’s goal came from a free kick, but we had to overcome that blow, and we never thought that the referee was the cause of us not getting the win.

 The sending off of a member of the coaching staff

The sending off was for a demonstration of disagreement in that moment. I still think the same as I thought about the referee in the match against Real Valladolid. For me, it's unnecessary to appoint a referee from the Canary Islands Committee, considering the tension, the stakes, and the fact that we're two teams fighting for the same goal.

But that doesn't mean I don't understand that referees want to do things well, and I believe in that approach, I believe in their honesty. I understand that the referee saw the controversial actions differently than my players at times, or that some of them felt differently.

More on the referee

As for the referee, I have never said whether he had any influence or not. What I feel is that at the time, before the Valladolid match, it was an unnecessary situation for him. Whether he has added pressure or not I do not know, but as I say, I insist and believe in the honesty of the referee. I understand that there is no one who wants to do their job better than them, but it is true that in the match against Valladolid he was the one who refereed us. I saw a perfect match from him, I saw a match in which he refereed extraordinarily well, and today's refereeing had actions that give rise to more doubt as to his criteria when deciding. That was not decided by his committee, but by the actions of the game.