SERGIO RICO: “WE HAVE TO EMPHASISE THE DEFENSIVE WORK OF THE TEAM”

Sergio Rico also spoke to the press following Saturday's win against Athletic Bilbao and was "extremely happy with the two consecutive wins and clean sheets. It gives me a lot of personal pride. We were superior, above all in the first-half, we managed to get those two goals and we also have to emphasise the defensive work we did today which maintained our professionalism and compactness".

"Aware of the circumstances surrounding the club we've come out more relaxed. The important thing though is that we woke up when we needed to and maintained defensive solidity and controlled the match throughout".

Now it's time to turn attentions to Valencia, an opponent who are "direct competitors for what we're hoping to achieve for next season", he concluded.