VALENCIA CELTA | Manu Vallejo saves Gracia

What would have happened without Manu Vallejo's goal in the discount only Peter Lim knows. What happened with that goal and with Gameiro's later one is that Valencia added three balsamic points. With them, Grace breathes and earns trading days. What was also confirmed in Mestalla is the ‘Aspasdependencia’ from Celta, Who ended up weighing the red Rubén Blanco. All this in a match in which Kang-in Lee was the best, leaving his touch of a Korean magician in assisting Vallejo, which as a summary of what was seen was the first shot on goal.

The victory does not hide the evils of Valencia, but it does bare those of Celta. Only one win in the last 23 games without Aspas. Cillessen returned yesterday after seven months off and nobody knows how he is, because he only had to intervene once. The only thing that happened in the areas during the first half was a disallowed goal to Daniel Wass. Well canceled, by the way. The rest of the time the ball was spent wandering around the field, with a higher percentage of possession by the celestial, but without anyone taking command, without anyone having the talent to break lines and without Maxi or Mina receiving a bad pass to take to the mouth.

Only Kang-in Lee really shone on her side. Valencia transmits involution, their game is cold. Soler and Racic run but they do not prevail and the outside game that the sides contributed, especially Gayà, passed away without anyone knowing why. It was 11 against 11. But Celta lacked Aspas and it is clear that that is saying a lot. Without their star, the people of Vigo lose presence and assume less. The Ferreyra and Solari formula provided work for Coudet, although neither Nolito nor Denis Suárez appeared as they should and thus the Dutch goalkeeper had to intervene the same as Guedes from the bench.

It was González González who shook the afternoon from the VAR. He urged Pizarro Gómez to go on television to see a false start by Rubén Blanco that ended with Maxi Gómez flying out of the area. The action, more spectacular than clear, was reviewing for several minutes the referee, with players from both teams eating his ear. Finally, Pizarro understood that Rubén did touch Maxi -with his fingernail, although the goalkeeper did not protest his luck- and expelled him.

There Valencia took command, with more will than order, and Celta forgot to try to do anything other than to conceal a goal. And the people from Vigo were close to achieving it, but when the game was dying and perhaps with him it was also Gracia, Kang-in Lee appeared, saw Vallejo's unchecking and he slipped a pass that the man from Cádiz took advantage of. Then came another goal from Gameiro, although that had more personal importance (the French needed it) than collective. ____________________________________________________________________________

Coudet: “For me it was neither Rubén's fault nor is he the last player”

Celta de Vigo coach Eduardo Coudet regretted the defeat suffered this Saturday at the Valencia field by 2-0 and He was upset by the expulsion of goalkeeper Rubén Blanco in the absence of half an hour.

“I did not see the repetition but from what I saw on the screen there is no friction and, if there is, it is minimal and that the forward was leaving and two of our defenders arrived. For me it was not an infraction but the interpretation that he is the last player is not“he explained.

“The first half was blocked, practically no one made it to the goal and the second half we corrected some things but the expulsion play spoiled everything, it is very difficult to play for so long with one less“, lament.

“With one less it is difficult to go for the game although we had some opportunity. We had started the second half better but with one less so much time we would have gotten a good point. We made a great wear in the additional and it is what hurts the most that we were left with empty hands, “he concluded.

Coudet did not want to give it importance to the friction he seemed to have with the Valencia coaching staff at the end of the crash. “Everything has been quiet,” he closed.

Gracia: “I do not admit that there is doubt that the team wants to win”

Valencia coach Javi Gracia defended his team after the victory this Saturday against Celta de Vigo as when he faced Real Madrid, the last day, in which things did not go as he wanted.

“I am not going to differentiate some minutes from others. The team has shown they want to get the game forward from the beginning against an opponent who usually has the ball. I think we have been orderly and we have lacked clarity in arrivals. I will not admit that it is questioned that the team wants to win“, he stressed at a press conference.

“I do not agree to generalize the attitude, the last game was very bad and we did not know how to convey the illusion that we had because we did not enter the game but the attitude and commitment has always been maximum although sometimes things don't work out, “said the coach.

“To say that the best thing today is the result belittles the good things that the team has done, that it has worked and has done things to be in a position to win. We have played in superiority but to get there we have to work on it. I prefer to be positive and appreciate many of the things that the team has done well. I prefer to give it value although there are many things to improve because the team needs it, “he added.

Gracia said she is “optimistic” about the future of the team. “Where we should be the League will tell us every week and I want to be optimistic, our mentality is going to be improve. We will be where we deserve“, he pointed.

“I hope that this victory will help us to strengthen our spirit and our confidence. Hopefully it helps us to link a second and a third victory“he claimed.

Gracia praised the work that Álex Blanco contributed and especially the Kang In Lee party. “The players agree with themselves. He has been asking for a step for a long time because he is training at a very high level and the competition makes sometimes that they do not have that reward “, emphasized.

He also clarified that the ownership of Jasper Cillessen after his serious injury was not because they were “unhappy” with Jaume Doménech or Cristian Rivero. “I have seen fit to opt for a change in goal as I have opted for Kang In as second striker,” he concluded.