Baraja: "Football rewarded our bravery"

Valencia CF coach Rubén Baraja talked to the media in his post-match press conference following the win against Celta Vigo away at Balaídos.

The influence of the young players

"You have to value their performance positively, their predisposition to do things well. I'm happy for them, but they have to understand that whilst today is a very beautiful day, tomorrow life goes on and they have to keep working to earn minutes. Football is about what you do every day, which is what we transmit to them. Being in the Valencia CF first team means a lot and they have to make the most of every minute. Today they helped and I'm happy for them, but I would like to highlight  the work of the whole team, whether they played from the start or off the bench -as well as those who didn't play but could contribute in the future. The important thing is that we feel that we are a team.

Diakhaby and Paulista's suspensions
"Diakhaby had been on 4 yellow cards for eight or nine games, and it was something that could happen. Paulista  must have seen that it was an important move and it was his decision to risk the yellow card. Those who play in their place will be ready."

The fans at Balaidos
"We want to share with the fans the joy we felt when we won this game. All the Valencianistas who watched the game at home, thank you to them too. All those who went to Cádiz, to Elche, to Almería... We play for them, to make them happy, and today we did that. They have been very important in this process. We hope that they enjoyed the end."

The danger of dropping points
"It wasn't that the game was in danger of getting away from us. It was that we had chances to kill the game off. We started very well and took the lead, were organised and countered dangerously. At halftime we talked about going back out and starting in the same way and playing high up, but in the first ten or fifteen minutes we had two or three actions to score a second goal. In our best moment of the game they made it 1-1, and the game changed. We provided energy and in the final stretch football rewarded us for our idea of going for the game. These three points are worth a lot. It is very difficult to take points here. In the second half we played to win and we have taken an important step today."

The contribution of VCF Academy players
"If they are there for us and are performing well, I have to keep them. The most important thing is that they know that this is about persisting and working hard every day to earn their minutes. It is important that they understand their role in the team and that they don't get lost. We need their performance be at a high level."