Still, the Valencia coach supported his defender more before the clash on Thursday against Real Madrid.
Diakhaby is in the spotlight
Albert Celades sharply criticized Mouctar Diakhaby after the Frenchman conceded a late and costly free-kick against Levante. Still, the Valencia coach supported his defender more before the clash on Thursday against Real Madrid. Since Gabriel Paulista ruled out a clash at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Celades remains with few options at the core of his defense and has not yet abandoned Diakhaby. “We did not want to force the situation with Gabriel, that would be too much risk,” he said in his pre-match press conferences. “Diakhaby in the lineup, ready and willing to play.” Of course, Diakhaby can recover. That is what we will work on to restore our form. After the last game, he is in the spotlight, and we are going to help him because he has to contribute.
If a single player made mistakes, we all made them
“There is not a single player who is sentenced. We rely on everyone. Even if he made mistakes, we all made them. We should not look for the culprits.” Jose Gaya turned out to be an injury to the match after passing tests on Tuesday with the club’s doctor, but Celades is confident that he can start. “He is good. Gaya had a problem against Levante, but he was able to work well and be able to play from the very beginning because his condition is optimal for participation,” said Celades. The Valencia boss was asked whether he would stick with Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin as his two holding midfielders or change his side. He played a lot, despite the plague of injuries.
“The other day, you need to understand that this was the first game and not only Dani, but not a single player was at the highest level against Levante.” However, Celades knows that his side must be in the best condition to get a result against Los Blancos. “Madrid is a solid team with some of the best players in the world with many options in their team,” he said of his former club. “They are excellent on the defensive, and this is not always the case. They are full of great players and a great coach.”