Mauricio Pellegrino is keen for Valencia to bounce back from their weekend thrashing at Malaga with a ‘professional’ attitude in the Copa del Rey.
Following on from the 4-0 loss at La Rosaleda, Los Che welcome Llagostera to Mestalla on Wednesday night for the second leg of their Round of 32 Spanish Cup tie.
Pellegrino’s side are 2-0 up from the first leg and he is keen that their attitude is right, to try and move on from the League disappointment.
“We must behave as professionals in this club. We must react in the right way to deserve to defend Valencia. We can win or lose, as long as we are professionals worthy of this institution,” he told reporters today.
“This game will be complicated because they have nothing to lose and they have the tools to create danger.”
Valencia’s defeat at the weekend was matched by a surprise win on Monday night away from home for Celta Vigo. That result means that Los Che now have the worst away record of the season.
“Now the most important thing is how we finish the season, on our way to overcoming our obstacles, what matters is the end result.
“Things are what they currently area, we do not know what will happen in two weeks, there are ups and downs, we are in an awkward position in the League away from home, since January we have won just two games, we have a mental problem that seems to be dragging on, we are working on it.”
The club were also held up this weekend as the ‘anti-Barcelona’, with the media comparing Barca’s ability this weekend to field 11 home-grown players with Pellegrino’s fielding from the start at Malaga of 10 foreign players.
“The market forces us to look beyond what we cannot find in the local area, that will be a constant over time, remaining completely Spanish as a team would be impossible for us. But, we are obliged to select those we have developed, I want people to identify with the team.”
