Carlos Corberán: “We have 3 games ahead of us to strengthen the pride and passion the fans are feeling right now.”

Valencia CF claimed another important victory at Mestalla, mathematically securing their place in LaLiga for next season and moving closer to the European qualification spots. Head coach Carlos Corberán expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance in what he called a significant win.

Match evaluation

"In the opening minutes, I’d say we had a hard time adapting to the demands of the game. They were pressing us man-to-man every time we restarted play, and they got two corners early on. It felt like what we had discussed—a rough match where the opponent would try to take it into their territory with set pieces and direct play—was coming true.

But the team needed to stay focused on playing the kind of match that suited Valencia CF. And that game gradually started to take shape. We began breaking through their press and playing in their half. Scoring on our first real chance and being clinical early helped us go ahead, and that forced them to take more risks and press harder. We were able to win the ball back, counterattack, and play vertically, which allowed us to increase our lead.

In the second half, Getafe dropped deeper, tightened up their lines, but continued with the same attacking style. Getafe is a team that doesn't need much to create chances. In the first half, it's true that Giorgi made two very important saves, and in the second, we couldn’t quite find the same rhythm we had before."

The team’s ceiling

"Hopefully we haven’t seen this team’s ceiling yet. Hopefully we can keep competing at the same level, because that’s the desire of the squad and what this club demands and represents. You have to compete to your fullest in every game.

Luckily, our season isn’t over yet—we still have three games left, and the team will keep fighting for every point. That’s how I see it.

I think there’s nothing more ambitious than staying committed through a three-game week. Starting tomorrow, the staff and I will prepare for the next match and go after those three points. More than talking about Europe, what comes to mind today is the Valencianista feeling I spoke about in my first press conference here. We must not forget that our fans were suffering, and the club was in a delicate situation. Today we’ve secured our first objective, and that brings me joy, because it helps ease the pain the Valencia family went through in a very tough year—both on and off the pitch. So being able to guarantee that Valencia CF will remain in the top flight for another year is a big moment for us.

From here, the ambition, the hunger, and the drive of this team won’t be lacking—because that’s what this group is, and that’s what our club demands."

New objectives

"I'm not afraid or hesitant. I have a clear conviction that we are a demanding group, and we’re going to fight for every game ahead of us. Valencia CF is not going to relax. We’re going to Alavés on Wednesday to compete, and after that, we’ll focus on the next home game, and then the final game of the season.

As I said, the season’s not over. There are still nine points to fight for, and our attention will be on each game one at a time—to prepare as best we can and compete in the best possible way."

André Almeida

"Almeida took a hit and lost his memory—he didn’t remember what happened during the second half. He wanted to keep playing, but under those conditions, you have to make the substitution. Luckily, he’s recovering and doing well."

Fans thinking about Europe

"It’s beautiful. It’s great that the mindset has changed, that we’re talking about hopeful things instead of worrying things. That’s exactly our goal.

I’ve always said I want the Valencia fans to identify with their team, to feel proud of how we compete. We have three games left to keep building that feeling, which is incredibly important to us."

The Fans’ Chants

"Today, I felt how special the game was, especially the first half. As professionals, we always hold ourselves to high standards, and I’m left with a bit of frustration for not being able to carry that level into the second half. But seeing the fans proud of the team, singing and celebrating something they feel connected to—that’s the most beautiful thing a coach can experience."

Emotion at Mestalla

"I get emotional every single game. Walking out of the tunnel onto the pitch is one of the most beautiful moments a Valencian can live. It’s incredibly emotional. And I always feel satisfied when I see the fans enjoying the team—when we get the result we aim for.

That’s the feeling I carry with me. I said it on day one: I carry the responsibility of being Valencia CF’s coach with pride, and that sense of duty and pride will never change."

His best season as a coach

Every season presents you with a challenge, and luckily, I've been in football for a few years now, experiencing different challenges.

This had a very important emotional component as someone from Valencia, and it was also a major challenge due to the team's situation. But we faced it because you can never say no to a club as big as Valencia CF, and we want to take the club back to where it deserves to be -because that's our job and our responsibility.

Pepelu and the absences in midfield

Pepelu has some discomfort in his groin. He's been treating it for a few weeks, but there came a point in the game where he asked to be substituted because the discomfort wasn't allowing him to perform at the level he needed to finish the game. That's what led to Enzo coming on. Javi Guerra won't be able to play in the next game, and luckily there are options in the rest of the squad to be able to go out in the next game with a team that I believe will be competitive.

Talking about Europe

I'm not afraid of the word and I'm not dizzy talking about it. I don't think saying it or not saying it will change anything. I'm excited about the three games ahead, and focused on the next one. I wanted to clarify today the feeling that I, and the people who accompanied me to the club, had on that first day when we arrived at Valencia CF. Not just the people who were here in the press room: I’m talking about the kitchen staff who work at the club, the maintenance staff, the facilities staff. There was a certain amount of concern, and I think today, with this game, it's a beautiful match for everyone, despite all the suffering that has happened, and that people can feel proud again.

I think there's nothing that makes me more proud than telling you that the season isn't over and that we're going into the next game with the absolute desire to win, with our minds set on trying to get the most out of it.

I don't think talking about Europe is more ambitious than telling you that we're going to go for it in the next game, because we still have nine points left and we have the desire, and I would say the responsibility, to fight for every one of those points.

The forwards

We started with Hugo Duro, and I like what he's bringing to our play. Both last week and this week, I think it was important for him to start, and that doesn't mean that we don't believe in Sadiq or in Rafa Mir. I'm very happy with the three forwards I have; in my opinion, all three are at a very high level and can help us a lot.

Today we wanted to increase our control of the game by using André Almeida, who is a playmaker, instead of playing with two strikers. Every game we analyse and assess what we think is best for the team.

As for Sadiq, I was never informed of any clause for games played, and I don't think I know if it even exists, but the decisions we make are those we believe help the team be competitive.

There are very good players who have been left on the bench, and I'm convinced that if they had played, they would have helped the team too, because I have faith in all of them. Every game they've played or every training session they're taken part in shows that to me.

Feeling freedom

This team have shown me that it's not just with the objective accomplished that they’ve freed themselves up. This team have trusted in their work, they have trusted in the identity of the type of play we wanted to create. Otherwise, the objective would not have been achieved.

How the team have changed

I'll tell you what I honestly feel, and that is that you can't instill in the player that absolute commitment to reaching their best level, and for me, that is the essence and the foundation of everything.

From the beginning, I encountered a group of players with a tremendous desire to turn around a situation and a dynamic that wasn't what was expected; a group of players who have shown enormous faith in the work we've done with them. And I would say that the most important thing to achieve our best performance is the commitment of each player to achieving it.

And that's the reality, because as coaches, we'll talk a lot or we'll talk little, we'll do more tactical training sessions or less tactical ones, we'll give more talks or fewer talks; there's nothing that guarantees anything. The most important thing, what does guarantee things, is the commitment of your squad, the desire to turn things around, the enthusiasm to change, and taking on the challenge of doing so. It's easy to say “give your all every day and every game.” What's necessary is to do it, and this group of players, to date, have done just that.