Valverde: "We want to win, but we're not fretting"

Ernesto Valverde admitted Los Leones are desperate to get back to winning ways in LaLiga Santander, but reiterated that the squad are not letting it affect their focus.

Athletic Club take on Real Valladolid at the José Zorrilla on Friday night (21:00 CET), with Valverde saying the tightly-packed nature of the standings means every win now is more important leading into the final part of the season.

"At the moment, points are important for everyone. We started the second half of the season by winning two games and in the last two we haven't won for one reason or another," Valverde said during his pre-match press conference.

"Tomorrow's match is crucial for us, but we're not fretting about it. We want to win because we want to stay in the top half of the table.

"We're stuck in our league position due to not winning. But the teams around us aren't picking up points either, so everything is compact. We're doing a lot of things well, but the results aren't going our way."

Real Valladolid have registered one win, two draws and two losses in their last five matches, putting them 14th in the table. Valverde singled out Valladolid's strong home form when offering his thoughts on their season so far.

He said: "They've had a lot of ups and downs, but they're a good side. They're in good form at home because they've taken seven points from their last nine.

"They're always brave, have the ability to deal with pressure, and in attack they have some skilful players who can make life difficult. At the same time, they try to press high up the pitch too."