Carlos Corberán: “We are eager to give the fans the three points” | OneFootball

Our head coach, Carlos Corberán, spoke this Thursday at the pre-match press conference ahead of Matchday 17 of LALIGA, which will be played this Friday against RCD Mallorca.

Support from Kiat Lim and Ron Gourlay at the Shareholders’ General Meeting

“It is appreciated, and the way I respond to the trust placed in me is through work. I give my all every day to do the best for Valencia CF.”

Squad availability for the match against RCD Mallorca

“Danjuma is still a doubt, we will see how he feels in today’s training session. Comert remains unavailable and Dimitrievski as well. We will see how the rest of the players are. Lucas Beltrán has a stomach issue. In the next few hours we will see the real state of the squad.”

Assessment of the league situation

“It is always positive to see every match as a final; that is the mentality you must have every day, every match, in terms of commitment. It helps to achieve the performance we want. It is a demanding opponent, we must be cautious and alert, it will be a very competitive match.”

Confidence in the head coach

“I am grateful for the trust, I have felt it from day one. I give myself fully to the work every day. The results this season are not what we want, we are aware that we want to improve them. In the last five matches I have seen an improvement in the team; we have found a path of improvement in competitive capacity and that is what we want.”

Have you spoken with Kiat Lim?

“Yes, I have been able to speak with him.”

How important is it for signings to arrive in the first days of the transfer window?

“The transfer window is far from my focus, which is tomorrow’s match. We give the importance it deserves to tomorrow’s game and we are focused on it.”

What did you ask Kiat Lim for?

“I met with him and the meetings I have at a private level remain in the private sphere. I have always perceived real involvement from Kiat with the project. Associating Valencia CF with Europe is normal; it is the greatness of the Club we work for, but we are aware that we must keep growing to achieve it.”

Is it time to win again?

“The time to win is always the next match you play. Against Betis we achieved a draw with a good performance; Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla, Atlético de Madrid… In recent matches I have seen competitive improvement, more continuity. They have all been different, but they are similar in that I have seen reaction capacity, growth, understanding of each match, facing adversity and difficulty. In all of them I see the team committed, with effort and commitment, handling some aspects well and aware of improving others to get better results.”

What do you ask of 2026?

“That we keep fighting and getting back up after any blow; when things go well, that we are able to insist, to have the response and the mentality to rebel against adversity. That is what we wish. And our fans are very important for us. We have a great commitment to them.”

Back five or back four?

“Both are possible; we will see tomorrow. We will see what the plan is, how the players are, what the best formula is in attack and defence, what the match demands.”

Medium- and long-term objectives

“I take it in a clear and direct way: win the next match. Get three points against RCD Mallorca. We have to put in a lot of work and effort. We face a match against a demanding opponent, we are eager to give the fans the three points and we focus on the match, on doing everything we can to achieve it.”

Defensive options

“Tárrega suffered a knock in the Copa; I think he will be fit to compete and based on that we will assess. The best of Diakhaby after 10 weeks without playing will not be immediate, but he is a special player. As he accumulates training sessions, he will improve his consistency.”

How are set pieces worked on?

“With work and analysis. It is a challenge for all teams; opponents always look to hurt you, there are rivals with specialists, physical presence and precision, and we place a lot of importance on this aspect. We talk about it a lot, we work on it a lot and we try to show it on the pitch.”

Little recovery time between matches

“These are the circumstances we have. It is excessive to play with so little recovery time. I wish we had more time to prepare, but we adapt to the circumstances. We will see how the players are and it will not be an excuse, because the level of desire and will is going to make up for any difficulty tomorrow.”

Dani Raba

“Good performances always help the player regain confidence and fitness. We have no doubts; decisions must be taken based on circumstances. Raba’s match was positive, I am very happy for him because his level of demand and commitment on a daily basis is very high.”