Disappointed Koeman keeps believing

Valencia CF coach Ronald Koeman insists his side are on the right track despite their latest disappointing result, a 1-0 loss at Club Atlético de Madrid on Sunday.

'Deserved better'
Sergio Agüero's goal, taking advantage of an error from goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand in the 28th minute, extended Valencia's winless Primera División run to seven games and left them 20 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid CF, having scored just twice in that time. However, Koeman believed the seventh-placed side deserved more at the weekend. "The players in the dressing room are devastated because they deserved a better result here," Koeman said. "I'm very sad but I'm convinced we're going to get better."

Bad luck
Valencia improved after the break with the introductions of Serbian striker Nicola Žigič, who had two efforts come back off the woodwork, and debutant Ever Banega. "We were lacking a bit of luck but that will come," Koeman insisted. "In the first 20 minutes Atlético were the better team but after that we got into our stride and should have had something to show for our work-rate and the chances we created."

Banega debut
New €18m signing Banega agrees with his coach that Los Che can turn things around. "The most important thing is that we're playing well and I'm sure the results will get better in the upcoming games," the former CA Boca Juniors midfielder said. "The boss told me to keep calm out on the pitch and to do my best to get involved in the game. This is what I tried to do and I felt comfortable on my debut."

Top three
For their part, Atlético were delighted to emerge with a victory that pushed them up to third. Coach Javier Aguirre, whose team take on city-rivals Madrid next week, said: "It was tough because we came up against great opponents who have plenty of individual quality. It was a job well done; we gained a good result." Portuguese international Simão echoed his coach's sentiments. "There are times in football when you need luck and in the second half we got some while trying to soak up their pressure," he said.