Monday 1 February 2016 07:27, UK
Gary Neville struggled to explain Valencia's 1-0 home defeat to Sporting Gijon on Sunday after his side produced "the best performance but the worst result" since he took charge.
Valencia had 16 shots to Sporting's seven in the 90 minutes and missed a handful of clear chances, but Antonio Sanabria's 50th-minute penalty inflicted a third league loss in Neville's two-month spell in charge.
It was a first defeat at the Mestalla in La Liga in 14 months for the club, but Neville was still able to take encouragement from his team's display.
"I can sleep at night knowing there has been improvements structurally in the team, but we should have won that game four or five-nil in my opinion," he told a press conference.
"I think I've had 14 matches here and that was a performance I can relate to. I find it difficult to explain. I just sat there with the players and coaching staff for 15 mins trying to understand what actually happened on the pitch.
"It's obviously the most disappointing result of the season here but it doesn't tell the story of the game, which was the best performance of the season. It's a game we shouldn't lose, you all know that."
Valencia stay 12th in the table and slip 19 points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, but Neville says they now must now lift themselves for Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg match at Barcelona.
"It's a big disappointment but we don't have time to be disappointed, we have to ride straight away again on the bike. I told the players in the dressing room to not allow that to colour their minds.
"I feel much better after that performance than I did after the Rayo or Getafe matches (which ended in draws), even though they were better results."
The Valencia coach also defended striker Alvaro Negredo, who missed three clear chances to score and also hit the post.
"Think where this boy was four to five weeks ago to where he is today. He hadn't kicked a ball in three months," Neville added.
"There's a fine line in football sometimes, there's very little difference between scoring a hat-trick and scoring none. A player with his quality will score again, he has scored goals for us and I can't fault him in terms of his application and performances."
And Neville responded emphatically to a question from a journalist about whether he feared for his position as coach following an eighth league game without a win.
"You're asking me about my position? The Valencia fans have a very fine way of telling you when your position (is under threat), but you didn't see that today.
"I find this question ridiculous. It's from you, don't put this onto the fans. Please don't sit there and put this on the fans, it's a big mistake you're making.
"You misrepresent what they've shown from the first minute to the last and your job as reporter - and I've been a reporter - is to represent fairly what happens and that doesn't represent what has happened among the 30,000 or 40,000 fans there today."
The coach also said Wednesday's cup game at the Nou Camp, the scene of Manchester United's dramatic Champions League final triumph in 1999, was a great opportunity to forget the disappointment of losing to Sporting.
"I can't wait for Wednesday night, and I think the players will be the same," he said. These are the moments you live for as a coach and a player. The Nou Camp is a stadium that holds great memories for me and I hope we can take a great memory away from it on Wednesday."
