Players must take blame, says Soldado

Valencia striker Roberto Soldado says the players are to blame for the club’s poor performances, not sacked coach Mauricio Pellegrino.

The 41-year-old coach was sacked following Valencia’s 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Real Sociedad, leaving them languishing in 12th place in La Liga.

Star striker Soldado said it was the players who needed to take responsibility for their shocking start to the campaign.

“When things go wrong we look to the sidelines and not at ourselves,” Soldado told AS.

“But now we have to think about what we can do to improve the situation.

“It is the players who have to admit the responsibility for our current situation. After what happened yesterday I want to apologies to all the fans.”

The Spain international was reluctant to discuss Pellegrino’s sacking, however, and believes the club must now move on and show the necessary desire to turn their season around.

“I do not want to be the one to assess whether it is fair or not. The decision has been made,” Soldado said.

“There has been a change and we need to get to work. We are a small team, but we need to show heart and character on the field.”