Valencia coach Gary Neville apologised to his club's fans after a performance in Sunday's 1-0 derby defeat to Levante that he said was simply not good enough, but for which he took full responsibility.
Levante striker Giuseppe Rossi got the only goal of the game at the Ciutat de Levante stadium, as La Liga's bottom-table side got one over on their richer neighbours from Mestalla.
After the latest embarrassing result of his three months in charge of the Spanish club, the former Manchester United defender told his postmatch news conference that he could not defend his players -- who had not run hard enough or fought hard enough -- against their local rivals this time.
"I've been here three months and I've sat up here after defeats and defended performances -- said we've been unlucky in certain performances," Neville said. "Today I can't defend, I'm not defending that. I've got to look at myself first and foremost. I take responsibility for the defeat, but that was an indefensible performance, unacceptable, not good enough.
"I apologise to the fans of Valencia because the very basic premise of a football match is that you run, fight and tackle as hard as the opposition. You might miss chances or get things that go against you, but today Levante were the better team. I can't defend what I've just seen and I have to take full responsibility for that."
Valencia have not kept a clean sheet in any of Neville's 15 La Liga games in charge, and the ex-England defender said his team had not shown the requisite desire to keep their opponents out.
"You've got to win tackles and run hard to keep clean sheets," Neville said. "You've got to want to get to the first ball and second ball and put your head on the line. You might lose a goal even if you do that, but if you don't do that you've absolutely no chance."
Los Che are middle of the table in La Liga, and have Thursday's Europa League last 16 second leg at home to Athletic Bilbao to think about, but Neville said his own focus had been fully on the game against Levante.
"I was quite blunt yesterday and I said I'm not concentrating on the Europa League at all," Neville said. "If we have concentrated on the Europa League subconsciously then it is a massive mistake, because that defeat today in a local derby is nowhere near good enough.
"It is unacceptable in this city for us to play like that in a game of such importance to the people, against your local rivals that are at the bottom of the league, who fought for every single ball and we weren't good enough. I've told the players in the dressing room that I'm not going to defend that performance I'm not going to defend myself, it is absolutely unacceptable.
"Every single thing that is said to us by the fans, by you [the media] we have to take on the chin and accept because we deserve it. That is unacceptable what I have just seen."
Valencia would play better as they attempt to turn around a 1-0 first leg defeat against Athletic, in what is the last chance to salvage something from their season, Neville said.
"We won't play with that intensity on Thursday," he said. "We have to somehow pick ourselves up immediately. I've just been speaking to the players and we have to somehow get ourselves ready tomorrow morning.
"The very least you will get on Thursday will be a Valencia team running around like crazy and fighting for every single ball. Forget tactics, systems -- that can come later -- just the very basic fundamentals in every football match."
