Miroslav Djukic admitted he was disappointed to lose a first game as Valencia Coach, but saw value in the workout that Karlsruher provided his team.
In a game to mark the 20th anniversary of the German side’s UEFA Cup 7-0 mauling of Los Che, the current 2. Bundesliga outfit won 2-1 in Djukic’s first game as Coach.
“Nobody likes to lose, but this is a workout. The most important thing is that the team has begun the dynamics of the game,” reflected the Serbian Coach after the game, which was decided in the hosts’ favour thanks to two penalties.
“We are going to be polishing things, but you can see the fatigue on the team, which is normal. The thing for me is that they have had the intentions, the wanted to carry the weight of the game, we have pushed forward, pressing, being aggressive, but we still need the freshness, which the team will have to slowly pick up.”
Summer signings Oriol Romeu and Javi Fuego both debuted for the team.
“Oriol had some very good intentions, he has moved the ball well, played well, it is obvious that he will bring some important elements to us.
“Fuego is a player who gives us aggressiveness. He is sharp in defence and is also good on the ball. He has done great things and will bring us a lot.
“[Goalscorer] Jonathan Viera is building on the confidence that we are giving him, he is doing things very well and has been dangerous in the final few metres.
“This is something that is important, you have to keep giving confidence to him because he is a very good player, he has great quality and I think we can progress a lot with him.”
