Thursday evening’s Copa del Rey matches saw Athletic Club beat Valencia 3-1 at Mestalla, piling on to the club’s woes. Rapidly tumbling down the league, three points off the relegation zone, and now eliminated from cup competitions, the rest of the season could be quite grim for Los Che.
Fans have expressed their discontent at the situation, with some blaming the club’s management. Manager Gennaro Gattuso spoke after the game, with comments picked up by Superdeporte:
“I’m not planning on resigning. It’s not my style. I have to speak with the team and see what they think [about our situation],” insisted Gattuso.
He reiterated that he and the team together could find the cause of their problems.
“Tomorrow I will need to have conversations [with the players] and hear them to find out what’s going on because for now, it seems like we are scared.
“We prepare and prepare plans, and at the first hurdle, we collapse. I need to listen to what could be going wrong.”
Towards the end of the interview, the ex-AC Milan legend showed signs of mental fatigue. “I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to change this team. It’s not possible to radically change things in two or three days.”
Valencia’s upcoming games threaten to plunge the team further into their misery. Their next four opponents include Real Madrid, Girona away, and a rematch against Athletic Club.
GSFN | Nicolás Antúnez de Mayolo
