Emery sends Valencia rallying call

Valencia coach Unai Emery has reiterated his plea for unity after his side’s 3-1 La Liga defeat to Getafe on Saturday.

The Mestalla side are in danger of missing out on a Champions League spot after a recent slump has seen them win just three of their past 13 league games.

However, Emery insisted his players cannot afford to lose the backing of their supporters at this stage, and promised to repay them for their continued loyalty.

“I understand the fans’ unhappiness, so I made the call for us to be united,” he said after the match.

“Now, after the defeat, there will be voices calling for solutions. I must stay firm and give all of my dedication to the job.

“You have to be objective. The team is not in good shape, and we have to recover. Against Levante, we have to be ourselves again.

“The fans have to be with the players, and if they do, we will succeed. I have made a plea that we will remain united as possible. I have to keep my head up.”

Despite a positive start to the match, which saw Roberto Soldado net his 16th La Liga strike of the season, Pedro Rios, Miku and a Bruno Saltor own goal gifted Getafe all three points, but Emery was determined to look beyond the disappointment.

“The team were aware of the difficulty the game posed. We had a good memory of our win against Athletic Bilbao and we wanted continuity,” he said.

“If we had scored early in the second half, it could have been different. We defended badly for the three goals, all of which were very similar.

“With these errors, the team could not come back from going down 3-1. The goals conditioned us.

“I try to convey strength. Now, we must work together. We have to push on and we have to adhere to that. The key is our home form.”