Valencia coach Gary Neville praised his team’s effort while admitting to defensive problems after Saturday’s disappointing 2-2 La Liga draw at home to Getafe.
Getafe had previously managed just one point and three goals away from home, but twice shocked Mestalla by going ahead during a thrilling first half with goals from Pablo Sarabia and Angel Lafita.
Valencia kept battling and twice equalised before half-time through Paco Alcacer and Santi Mina, however the home side could not press on after the break and might even have lost had Lafita taken one of two golden chances late on.
The Los Che coach said in his postmatch news conference at Mestalla that he could not fault the player’s motivation or willingness, but also that they needed to stop getting caught on the counterattack and were fortunate not to have been punished more painfully.
“I think you could all see it was a magnificent effort by the players,” Neville said. “That’s all you can ask for from players. We made the game difficult for ourselves. When you allow teams to counter, it’s a problem. It happened in the Lyon game and again today.
“The free kick from the first goal came from our corner, where we did not close off the edge of the box.
“It’s a disappointing result, it is a pity. The effort was enormous, the players are gutted due to the effort they put in. We had some good fortune when they had some chances at the end, but we could have scored too ourselves.”
A busy start to the former Manchester United defender and TV pundit’s managerial career has seen Valencia play four games in just 10 days — exiting the Champions League after losing to Lyon, progressing past third-tier Barakaldo in the Copa del Rey, and drawing in La Liga against Eibar and Getafe.
Neville said he was looking forward to a short rest to allow players to recover and recharge their batteries — before they go again at Villarreal on Thursday Dec. 31, then host Rafa Benitez’s Real Madrid side at Mestalla on Sunday Jan. 3.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate