“We have to be optimistic” – Valencia coach Rubén Baraja still thinks they can qualify for Europe | OneFootball

Valencia boss Rubén Baraja spoke to the press ahead of his side’s match away against Real Sociedad on Thursday evening.

As per Mundo Deportivo, the coach still has his eyes set on European qualification, despite their status as outsiders in the race to qualify for next season’s Europa Conference League.

When speaking to the media ahead of his side’s next fixture, Baraja said, “We want to look as good as possible. Try to get as many points as possible and see how far we get. We have to be optimistic.”

Baraja touched upon his Goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili’s good form, without giving any light to rumours of a departure, “He is a very good goalkeeper. He makes us more competitive and he performs at a constant level. For me this season he has improved in the consistency of his performances and is exceeding all expectations.”

He also touched upon the fact that Valencia have failed to win a match in over a month, and how he plans to get his side out of this rut, “We are working on it and analysing it in order to improve, but we have to persist and work hard to get through these types of situations.”

Valencia find themselves six points adrift of 7th place, the final European place in La Liga, however, it is their next opponents Real Sociedad who occupy this spot, so a win on Thursday could go a long way towards achieving their goal.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie