Corberán: “The team declined instead of improving” 

Valencia CF coach Carlos Corberán addressed the media after his side lost 1-2 to Real Oviedo in LaLiga.

MATCH SUMMARY

“After a start that gave us hope, the team declined instead of improving. The way we were at the start was how we should have been. We were well organised. We found balls on the outside and Luis Rioja provided another assist, and Arnaut Danjuma scored a goal similar to the one he scored last week against Espanyol. From then on, we saw a team that felt superior, but we lost that superiority as the minutes went by. We lost vital positions to attack well, and in football, if you don't attack well, you defend worse. The team remained indecisive in defence, without pressing and without defending well. The best thing about the first half was the scoreline, with us having taken the lead so early. At halftime, we had to adjust. I think that, without it being a huge improvement, with the adjustment at halftime and the substitutions, the team started to play differently. As a result, there was a chance before Danjuma's penalty, and the feeling changed. Then we had the the penalty, which could have changed the course of a match that was already going badly. Unfortunately, we weren't able to capitalise on the chance. Oviedo are a team that were alive, and with the substitutions, they brought on a striker who knows how to play with his back to goal. From a corner that Santamaría failed to clear, we gave them the ball, and we lost our bearings. Diego, thinking about attacking, left the man he was marking... Once again, it was a poorly defended set piece that led to the equaliser. The emotion changed completely. It’s tough to miss a penalty and then have to turn around a match that you may feel you had on course for a win. With no time to react, the second goal for Oviedo came after a good attack, which we should have cut out. We didn't do that; we suffered a counterattack and another messy move that ended in a goal. The disappointment you feel, the players’ frustration in that moment, prevents the team from playing the way that is necessary to turn things around. It was a case of wanting to score and not being able to before the end. We couldn't change the scoreline, which increases the negative feeling about the match.”

THE DROP-OFF

“Without a doubt, the team started to lose balance from the 15th minute onwards. Santamaría started to lose his position in midfield, Javi Guerra started to attack like a full-back, Foulquier started to attack like a midfielder, Rioja looked more like a full-back, and the team lost vital positions in which we wanted to dominate the game. We were attacking less and less, and that allowed the opposition to counterattack. In defence, when we pressed, they beat us in the duels, and when we defended in our own half, they found a way between the lines and changed the mood of the match. Today, I don't feel like this was due to an adjustment by the opposition. Today, it was a mistake by Valencia CF and not something Real Oviedo got right. We'll have to see why this occurred, and basically, why we didn't respect the offensive positions we had. Often, one can get confused in a game and feel that it's easy to do more than what you should. I think it's difficult to generalise and it's necessary to individualise. Why did we lose our positions in midfield? Why didn't we attack the spaces we had to attack? Why didn't we continue with the idea that was working so well in the first few minutes? What happened is clear, but we can't do that if we want to be a more competitive team. The pain we feel is enormous. In a match postponed due to rain to a Tuesday night, you come to Mestalla and there are more than 40,000 people in the stands. That really bothers us. That's painful. Given this, it's not a question of tactical analysis; it's a question of us having to compete better, give it more continuity, be more organised, and direct and manage a match as we should."

THE PENALTY

“Danjuma was the taker, as Pepelu didn't start the game. When a substitution is made and a player comes on, you never know who's going to be on the pitch. From the start, Danjuma was the designated taker today. I thought he could have scored and he missed it. Pepelu could have scored it too, or he could have missed it. What we do know is that we weren't able to take advantage of the opportunity we had.”

LOSING AT HOME

“We share the feeling behind the whistles from Mestalla. What hurts me most is not having played the game the way this team are capable of. As a result of not playing well, we gave the opponent chances and weren't able to get back on track. We have to accept the criticism because it was fair.”

RESPONSIBILITY

 “We didn't play at the level we should have. I think we need to improve our competitive level. Talking about objectives above competing in matches doesn't make sense to me. What makes sense is for us to focus on the match, and today it's clear that we didn't compete or play to the standard the team are capable of. The person responsible for that will always be the coach, although we are all responsible in a way: All of us who are part of the team, those who are present, those who train, who prepare for matches, who play... We take