Corberán: "Playing at Mestalla is a chance to regain a positive feeling" | OneFootball

Javi Guerra

In the last game, Lucas Beltrán wasn't available. Ugrinic played as a number 10, and Javi played as a central midfielder. He's very effective in attack; it's one of his strengths. We give him the freedom to get forward, to move into the box, dribble, and increase the team's attacking options near the opposition area.

Two upcoming matches at Mestalla

We always focus on each match separately, and the first one is tomorrow. We're giving it maximum importance. Playing tomorrow at Mestalla is fantastic news for us and bad news for our opponents. We have to value it; tomorrow we have an opportunity to regain positive momentum.

Dani Raba

He's a consummate professional and a great footballer. We have great players; when you make decisions, some play more games and others less. When someone isn't playing, they have to prepare and wait for their moment. That's what Dani is doing to seize the moment, just like Ramazani, Cömert, or Dimitrievski. I never saw anything wrong from Dani. I understand that no player likes being substituted, but I didn't see any reprehensible actions that day. He works to help the team, and when the time comes, he has to be ready to contribute.

The right-back spot

Thierry Correia is available to start the match. Unai Núñez has also played in that position. With the intention of having two players for each position, we went into the transfer market to bring in Saravia. He's coming off a period of inactivity, which means we have to do different, specific work, a mini-preseason in a way, to adapt him to the team's competitive dynamics, and we're evaluating him. He won't be in the squad this week because he's only done two training sessions on his own and is following a specific plan.

Injuries

Injuries always hinder teams. We all want everyone available, and we have to deal with what we have. I'd say there are two types of injuries: muscular and non-muscular. In terms of muscle injuries, the average for the last seven years at Valencia CF has been 35 per season. Some years have seen us in Europe and others without that. This year we've had seven muscle injuries. Only one occurred in training, which Ramazani's, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way. Muscular injuries are the most preventable type, and the data so far is positive and speaks to the work of the medical staff and the physical preparation.

However, we're having a fair number of non-muscle injuries. It's difficult to say which ones are preventable and which ones aren't. Copete had the misfortune of suffering a knock. Tárrega suffered an edema in his knee from a blow against Sporting. Can it be prevented? The only way to do that for sure is by not putting players on the pitch. A Valencia CF player only competes when they've been cleared to play. An example of this is the match against Levante UD: Danjuma had a strain to his PSOAS muscle, and we're trying to prevent that by avoiding any strain that increases the risk of injury. There are cases of tendon irritation and discomfort due to hard pitches, like Lucas Beltrán's injury. If a tendon is irritated, you can't prevent it, but you have to support the player through the pain that prevents him from playing in normal conditions. We've had a large number of accidental injuries that can't be prevented, but that doesn't mean Valencia CF aren't working with the utmost attention to detail. Elite football is demanding; it's a contact sport, and we have to live with that. The number of muscle injuries has decreased so far, and hopefully, it will continue to do so.

The approach against CA Osasuna

Every match is different; during a game, there are moments that require different things of you. CA Osasuna and Villarreal CF don't defend in the same way; they have two contrasting styles. We always consider the option of playing with two strikers. In the end, we analyse each match separately and try to choose the type of players who best adapt to the game and the situations that arise. Lucas Beltrán is not in the squad for tomorrow.

CA Osasuna's stats reflect an excellent level of collective and individual performance. When a team beat a side like Real Madrid, it speaks volumes about their current form and competitive ability. We all have positive aspects, strengths and weaknesses. That's what we're working on: making our strengths visible, reducing our weaknesses, and finding ways to hurt our opponent. They cross a lot, and they have a target man striker with impressive numbers over several seasons. Budimir has been consistently scoring a lot of goals, because he knows how to move, use space in the box, and is a specialist forward. It's going to be a match with a lot of crosses, requiring a lot of focus, and we must try to keep the opposition away from our goal. That involves attacking, defending high up the pitch, and many other things.