Óscar Sánchez: “We’ve picked up three very important points to show the team’s character”

Valencia CF head coach Óscar Sánchez spoke to the media following the victory over Deportivo Alavés.

Restoring belief

“Valencia CF fans and the players had been going through a situation where they were suffering week after week. It’s only natural for the passion to show in the result. Let them enjoy it. It’s a step forward, and these are three important points to show that this team has character, that there are good players here and that they can represent this badge in the way the fans want.”

What has changed?

“I like to talk about what happened today because that’s what I know, rather than what happened before. I saw a very intense team, fully committed to the situation. As I said, when you lose, this sport is very emotional and it brings out a lot of emotions. It’s normal for both the fans and the players to feel down. Our idea was to lift their spirits and make them see that they are good players, that if they do things right, the Valencia fans will be behind them, and today they showed that they could bounce back.”

Aarón Mayol

“His performance is what made me choose him. His ability. I know him well. I didn’t need to tell him much. I told him, ‘You know what I want from you. Go in, enjoy yourself, compete, and your teammates will help you.’ Now we need to be patient and give him continuity. He has to keep that desire to improve that he has.”

His first game as a top-flight coach

“I’m very happy. I’m not a top-flight coach. I was one today. Just as I ask debutants to keep their feet on the ground, we all have to do the same.”

Luis Rioja

“I spoke to both him and Guido. I told them that I wasn’t going to put my personal desire to win one game ahead of potentially losing two players. Both they and the medical staff told me they were fine. Guido took a knock to his foot, while Rioja felt some discomfort in the area where he had been struggling. Their commitment was excellent.”

The second half

“We knew what we were up against. They’re a team that puts you under a lot of pressure at times, gets you pinned back, plays directly, and we knew we were going to have difficult moments and suffer together. It was a defensive effort from the entire team, and a lot of that work had already been done. As a coaching staff, we could only contribute on the mental side. A lot of what Carlos had worked on was already in place, and that belongs to his coaching staff. Taking credit for the victory would be unfair.”

Players who stepped up

“In any situation, the players would have stepped up. Everyone wants to play and compete. When there’s a change, it shakes things up a little, you hear a different message. That happened to me when I was a player. Sometimes that can give you a boost. The difficult part is maintaining that over time, whoever is in charge. Despite the victory, the team has to demand more of itself and remain hungry to improve. I’m convinced they will do that.”