Emery Satisifed With Valencia Situation

As his players prepare to return to training, Valencia coach Unai Emery has declared himself satisfied with the the club's current situation.

Valencia are currently fourth in the league, one point off second place, and still alive in the UEFA Cup and the Copa Del Rey. According to Emery, this is a fair reflection of the team's current level.

Speaking about the league, the Valencia coach said "The balance is positive. We are in the mix with teams of a similar level to us, with the exception of Barcelona, who are standing out from the competition."

Only two points separate Sevilla in second from Villarreal in sixth, so Emery is under no illusions about the road ahead. Continuing, he stated "We need to continue to add points so we can climb the table and close the gap on the leader. In the end we need to be competitive, while imposing the unique Valencia style and personality, and showing a constant desire for improvement."

Emery then looked ahead to the immediate future, namely two massive home games against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, saying "Playing in front of our home crowd should help us impose our mentality. I hope the fans support us during these two games, because they are very important and we feed off their energy. When they are behind us, the players notice a positive lift on the pitch.

Finally, he spoke of the Copa Del Rey and the UEFA Cup, where Valencia face Racing Santander and Dynamo Kiev respectively, saying "The Copa is an important tournament for us, since we are the defending champions, and the final will be played at the Mestalla. The cup games will arrive thick and fast, and we need to prepare with the adequate concentration and play at a high level, because all our opponents, like us, will also be seeking to go as far as possible."

Arjun Miglani