Valencia CF considering Oriol Romeu

Valencia CF are seriously considering making a move for Chelsea's defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu. The club knows it needs another defensive midfielder with only Albelda being one, and they are also looking at a potential long term solution as Albelda's replacement and here is where Oriol Romeu comes in. He is a talented young defensive midfielder that can also play as a central defender and that suits Valencia CF as they can tackle two birds with one stone. He would also come cheap as he has barely featured only once so far for Chelsea, so its clear he is not in the plans of Di Mateo and so getting him would be relatively easy.

He used to play for Barcelona B team and was and still is considered big talent. The fact that he hasn't featured much might be regressing his skills a bit, but Valencia CF would want to make a move for Oriol Romeu in the winter transfer market. 

He is still 21 years of age, so a potential future star and considering Valencia CF has very little money to spend this is the ideal transfer target right now.

Valencia CF interested in Bruno Martins Indi

Valencia CF is interested in Bruno Martins Indi from Feynord who plays as a center back or even left back at Feynord. He was born in Portugal, but basically lived his whole life from a baby in Holland. He has also featured for the Dutch national team as well five times, as well as the Dutch youth teams on U-19 and U-17.

His contract is set to expire in 2016, though as a relative unknown and young player, Valencia CF is betting on acting swift and fast and getting him on the cheap. Transfermarkt values him at 3 million euros, though he is likely to cost less realistically.

Jonas fined for his bad reaction

Jonas Goncalves was fined by Valencia CF for his nervous reaction after being substituted by the coach around the 70th minute in the match vs Atletic Bilbao. His fine is purely financial, though he was punished by the coach as well by not having his in the team for Bate Borisov.

The coach was also stern that this should not happen to anyone else and that consequences will be serious.

Tino Costa called to Argentina national team

Valencia CF midfielder Alberto Tino Costa has received for the second time a call up to the Argentinian national squad for their friendly match against Saudi Arabia.

Fernando Gago is a standard player for Argentina and has been called again of course. Ever Banega used to feature for Argentina as well, but with his injury he has lost his place and will need to prove himself again, probably in competition now with his clubmate Tino Costa.

Llagostera 0-2 Valencia CF Copa Del Rey

Valencia CF won in the first match against Llagostera in the Copa Del Rey with goals from Jonas and Haedo Valdez for a win of 2-0.

In the match youth player Gaya had his first debut for Valencia CF and he played the full 90 minutes of the match.

The first goal came through Jonas in the dying stages of the first half as he managed to get to the ball after a free kick by Daniel Parejo.

In the second half Valencia CF would seal the match with a goal by Nelson Haedo Valdez in the 70th minute.

Llagostera would have a chance for a comeback after Barragan made a foul in the penalty area, but Sallares missed and only managed to hit the post.

Technical Details:

UE Llagostera (0): Moragón, Aimar, Vallho, Canal, Enric Pi, Tito, Alex Moreno (Serramitja, min. 61), Artabe (Masó, min. 69), Sellarés, Pitu (Joaqui, min. 61) y Tarradellas.
Valencia CF (2): Guaita, Barragán, Ricardo Costa, Víctor Ruiz, Gayà; Feghouli(Cissokho, min. 68), Ever, Dani Parejo, Guardado (Viera, min. 85), Jonas(Albelda, min. 74), Valdez.
Goals: 0-1 Min. 46 Jonas 0-2 Min. 68 Valdez.

Pellegrino takes 16 players for Llagostera

Valencia CF coach Mauricio Pellegrino decided to take only 16 players for the next match in the Copa Del Rey against UD Llagostera. Pellegrino decided to rest Adil Rami and Joao Pereira from the defenders, he also left out Bernat surprisingly from the squad for this match, he also gave a rest to Roberto Soldado.

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders:  A. Barragán, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Cissokho, Gayà.  
Midfielders: Albelda, T.Costa,Parejo, Éver, Feghouli, Guardado, Viera.
Forwards:  Jonas, Valdez.

Real Betis 1-0 Valencia CF Match Report

Another away match and another loss for Valencia CF and this is becoming the norm this season. Real Betis didn't really outplay us or create great chances, but their first good chance and they scored in the 10th minute. No one covered Sevilla and Diego Alves failed to stop the shot as well, even though he got to the ball.

The problem was with Valencia's response to the goal or lack thereof. In fact I don't remember Valencia having a chance of goal at all in the first half, maybe a shot off goal, but that was about it. Even though the streams were quite bad quality  and lagging a bit the problem was with the wings. We just didn't have the width on the pitch and all our build up play and attacks were tunneled in the center of the field, which Betis players covered very good.

In fact the wings were so bad that I rarely saw Bernat and Viera in the first half and the times where they did got the ball they'd return in backwards or to the middle, which does nothing to bring us in attack.

The midfield on the other hand was packed and it seemed like the players are playing against each other and trying to get out of each others way. Tino Costa for example played too deep, he should have been just behind the striker and not allowed to fall back more than the middle, while Albelda and Gago should have been more wide to each other in order to spread the ball more and support the wings.

Overall very ineffective play, especially in the first half and even though we improved a little in the second half and had some good chances even, we still lacked width and penetration on the wings, with Soldado being forced to go wide himself, which then left us with no striker at the penalty field. So it was just bad play after bad play individually and collectively.

Now I don't know if this is because of lack of tactics from Pellegrino or maybe the players don't get the tactics or maybe several were tired and fatigued from the Champions League match just few days ago, especially Tino Costa who's played pretty much all of the matches so far and to a certain extent Gago.

Its obvious there is a problem and we can all see it, question is now to what extent is it the coach fault and would another coach be able to fix the problem? Now I said we should be patient and not come to conclusions too fast, but time is ticking and while we need to have cool heads still, Pellegrino must be given an ultimatum of winning the next 3-4 games in a row or being sacked. We just can't afford few more losses like this, especially against weak opposition like Real Betis, I mean since when does Valencia CF have trouble beating Real Betis?

So yeah my thoughts are that Valencia CF president should give Mauricio Pellegrino an ultimatum that he needs to win the next 3-4 games in a row (CL excluded) or be sacked. We are already 7-11 points behind the top 4 and possibly to go 10-14 points behind, which we be really hard to make up the difference later on.

Again I'm not for sacking Pellegrino immediately, but he needs to be given an ultimatum and he needs to deliver in order to keep his job.

R. Betis (1): Adrián, Mario, Álex M., Paulao, Salva S. (Nono, min, 76), Joel (J. Molina, min. 69), Juan Carlos (Nacho, min, 86), Nosa, Cañas, Nelson y R. Castro.
Valencia CF (0): Diego Alves, Cissokho, Rami, Gago, Albelda (Ever, min. 46), Soldado, Pereira, Viera, R. Costa, Tino Costa (Guardado, min. 84) y Bernat (Valdez, min. 61).
Goals: 1-0, 8th min Salva S.

Player Ratings:
Diego 5.5 - Could have done more for the goal, had one good save in the second half.
Joao Pereira 6 - Not really troubled defensively, went forward to a certain extent, but not too active in attack.
Rami 5 - Decent in defense, though not good. At times shaky.
R. Costa 5 - Again no where to be found for the goal and not particularly secure.
Cissokho 5.5 - Had one blunder in the second half and almost gifted Betis a second goal, but other than that he was secure and went forward to a great extent.
Albelda 5 - Failed to cover or mark Sevilla for the goal and wasn't very effective otherwise.
Gago 5 - Wasn't really bad as much as he was shut down by Betis. Had some suspect passes though and some really bad crosses.
Tino Costa 5.5 - The better of the midfield trio, but that doesn't say much. Had a good free kick that the Betis goalkeeper saved.
Viera 5.5 - Invisible for most of the match, tried few through passes, but Soldado failed to pick them out and use them.
Soldado 5.5 - Had two good chances and failed to score from both, on one chances his first touch failed him and lost the ball. He did have good movement, but no end result.
Bernat 4 - Completely invisible, its obvious he needs to develop a lot more. Loaning him out in the winter would be a good idea.
Subs:
Banega 5.5 - Lifted up the team a bit and made some good combinations with players, tried few through passes as well, but wasn't particularly effective.
Valdez 5 - Came in on for Bernat and actually provided Soldado with one good chance and was more visible, but nothing of real substance.
Guardado N/A - Not enough time

John Terry will not join Valencia CF

John Terry to Valencia CF?

So there have been rumors that John Terry will leave Chelsea FC and join Valencia CF, but this is not the case at all. I can say that right now Valencia CF is looking to reduce the wages by dropping/selling 2-3 players next summer and thus this move would be completely illogical in spite of that fact.

Furthermore Chelsea just spend over 80 million euros this summer and are looking at spending additional 60 million for Falcao this winter transfer season, so they would be really in the negative as it is, not to mention search for another top quality defender when they already have problems as the back.

Ever Banega and Albelda back to the squad

Ever Banega and David Albelda are back in the squad again after a long period out because of injury for the match against Athletico Bilbao.

Ever Banega is featured the first time in almost a year, Mathieu is also available again, as is Ricardo Costa. Still injured are Pablo Piatti and Canales, while Sofiane Feghuoli is suspended.

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Barragán, Joao Pereira, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Cissokho and Mathieu.
Midfielders: Gago, Albelda, Tino Costa, Parejo, Éver, Guardado, Viera, Bernat.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez and Soldado.

Copa Del Rey fixtures for 2012/13

The draw for the Spanish cup Copa del Rey have been announced this morning and Valencia CF for the first round got 3rd league minnows CF Llagosteru as their opponent.


1. Alcoyano (2a B)-Real Madrid
2. Llagostera (2a B)-Valencia
3. Cacereño (2a B)-Málaga
4. Deportivo Alavés (2a B)-Barcelona
5. Eibar (2a B)-Athletic Club
6. Real Jaén (2a B)-Atlético de Madrid
7. Melilla (2a B)-Levante
8. UD Las Palmas/Racing-Rayo Vallecano
9. Sporting de Gijón-Osasuna
10. Almería-Celta de Vigo
11. Córdoba-Real Sociedad
12. Ponferradina-Getafe
13. Valladolid-Betis
14. Deportivo- Mallorca
15. Zaragoza-Granada
16. Sevilla-Espanyol

Malaga want Carles Gil as replacement for Isco

Carles Gil Valencia CF

Malaga now want Carles Gil from Valencia CF B team, who now plays on loan at Elche and was one of their best players in the first few rounds before being injured.

Isco has become a star in Malaga and we all knew he was talented, we all knew he is going to become a great player, just not in Malaga. But since his rise to stardom the officials at Malaga are aware of the interest from bigger clubs from Isco and with their bad economic situation they are going to sell him in the summer and are looking for his replacement.

Carles Gil is basically the closest thing to Isco and has similar, albeit a little lower talent and potential as Isco.

That said Valencia CF is not selling and the club is likely to offer him an improved contract extension to keep him in Valencia CF.

UD Levante 1-0 Valencia CF Match Report

 Valencia CF just lost 1-0 to Levante the city rival. It wasn't like Levante were any good, they barely had few shots at goal, mostly long range from counter attacks. Thing is one mistake in the defense and Valencia CF was down 1-0.

Andres Guardado and Roberto Soldado

For those that didn't watch the match the goal for Levante came after their goalkeeper basically shot the ball over the midfield and Valencia's defense was so high up, some returning from attack that Martins found himself at the path of the ball with Tino Costa behind him, but Martins vs Tino Costa in running wasn't going to be a race, so basically Martins had a clear path to goal, he shot and it went it, Guaita had no chance.

I blame mostly Tino Costa, he was close to Martins, should have fouled him, he had no chance by chasing him. The wide players should have also been closer to the middle and cut the path to the goal, but they were way too wide and way too high as well.

Before and after Levante's goal Valencia CF dominated and were constantly attacking, Roberto Soldado has a huge chance just before Levante's goal in the 19th minute, but his first touch failed him and gave the ball away to Levante goalkeepers. Same minute after Soldado's chance Barkero had a chance from a quick counter attack, but his shot went wide.

Jonas and Soldado would have few good one-two's but the final pass was always missing, or simply the players making one too many passes. Jonas found himself in few shooting opportunities, but his shots were inaccurate.

Jonathas Viera was very active from the right wing in the first half, constantly probing and being involved in the actions, but unlike in previous matches the final pass was missing, although he did set up few decent chances that in a way got missed.

Tino Costa Valencia CF

In the second half Viera was largely anonymous, but Andres Guardado woke up and became really threatening down the right wing. In fact it was like a different player came out in the second half, pretty much being involved in most of the attacks and created most of the chances.

The big problem was that both Viera and Guardado only played one half, one in the first and one in the second and as such weren't nearly as threatening as they could have been if both were on top of their game in both halves.

Another player with a disappointing performance was Jonas, he pretty much ruined all the chances and attacks once the ball reached him. He was too slow, too clumsy and many all the wrong choices in this match.

Anyways Martins would have a good chance in the second half at the 47th minute, but Guaita saved, Levante also had two more big chances, both in the end when I believe Ruiz made a mistake and gave Levante a counter attack, luckily Levante sucked more than Valencia CF in attack and screwed up that chance. Then in the 85th minute Guaita made a terrific stop to a shot, after another mistake in defense.

Even though this is a terrible result and we have only eight points from seven match so far, its not the time to panic. Valencia CF suffered due to some critical mistakes in the back, I'm talking about the mistake for the goal and then few mistakes in towards the end in the second half, allowing Levante big counter attacking chances.

Now my analysis is that this is because of the high line tactic used in this match and some of the players being too adventurous and not falling back soon enough. We also clearly lack a proper defensive midfielder like Banega to stop such counter attacks from forming, clearly a job that neither Gago, not Tino Costa can do properly.

I saw both Gago and Tino changing their positions, so there wasn't a dedicated DM, one that would sit deeper all the time and I believe this is big part of the problem, because in a lot of cases both Tino and Gago and way too forward and there is no one to close down counter attacks. This puts a lot more pressure on the wing backs, forcing them to run more back and forth, limiting our attacking power.

So we need a small change in tactics when we play without a proper DM like Albelda. We either need Gago or Tino to sit deeper all the time and not go too much forward or we need a lower defensive line with one wing back sitting deep all the time, forming a 3 man defense when we attack.


Levante UD (1): Munúa; Pedro López, Ballesteros, D.Navarro, Juanfran; El Zhar (Ríos, min.71), Diop, Iborra (Michel, min.69), Juanlu (Rubén, min.71); Barkero y Martins.
Valencia CF  (0): Guaita; Pereira (Barragán, min.75), Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Cissokho; Viera, Gago, Tino Costa (Dani Parejo, min.62), Guardado; Jonas (Valdez, min.67) y Soldado.
Goals: 1-0 Min 21, Martins.

Player Ratings:
Guaita 6.5 - Wasn't tested too much, but he did make two wonderful saves that saved Valencia CF from a bigger loss. Didn't have any chance for the first goal.
Pereira 6 - Wasn't troubled defensively at all, but for the lack of defensive duties didn't offer much going forward.
Rami 6 - The better defender of the two today. Made few interceptions and generally comfortable performance.
Ruiz 4 - The weaker of the defenders, had few interceptions in the first half, though he made few mistakes in the second half as well.
Cissokho 7 - Blocked several shots and was solid defensively, went forward to a great extent, but his crosses were poor and few of them actually went out of play.
Gago 6 - Not a particularly effective display, kept possession, but unable to spread the ball effectively or build up play.
Tino 5 - Few too many times chose to shoot from a very long distance instead of make a logical pass, did actually better than Gago going forward, but was allowed Martins to score. He should have from the start go in to foul him and prevent the run that led to the goal in the first place.
Guardado 7 - A livewire in the second half, most of the actions started from him and was constantly active, running back and forth and stealing few balls in the process as well, but lacked some deeper more dangerous run.
Jonas 5.5 - Had few good one-two's with Soldado but he just wasted the opportunities and made the wrong decisions. Largely invisible and ineffective when active. Valencia clearly missed a creative and powerful attacking midfielder in this match.
Viera 7 - Amazing performance in the first half, constantly probing and dribbling, provided few quality passes as well before becoming mostly invisible in the second half
Soldado 6 - Good performance by Soldado, was very active and lively, releasing Jonas on two or three occasions, but he also missed a sitter himself in the 19th minute when he could have easily scored had his first touch not failed him.
Subs:
Parejo 5.5 - Didn't bring more than Tino offered before that. Was involved in few of the actions immediately after coming on, but soon after faded off and Valencia CF lost the possession it had previously.
Valdez 5 - Didn't bring anything different or more than Jonas. Run a lot and positioned well, but nothing really of substance.
Barragan 5.5 - Was missed from the start. Levante barely threatened in this match and he would have been really amazing with his powerful forward runs and good crosses. Provided several good crosses after coming on, but it was too little too late.

UD Levante vs Valencia CF Match Preview

UD Levante vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Ciutat de València

Date: 07.10.2012; 12:00 CET

7th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Juan Ignacio Martínez and Mauricio Pellegrino

UD Levante

UD Levante are coming to this match after two consecutive losses, first a big 4-0 loss at the hands of Osasuna away and then a 2-1 loss to German outfit Hannover 96 in the Europa League also in an away match. Before these two matches Levante is a mixed bag, they managed to get a draw against Atletico Madrid in their opening game and went on to loose three games and won 2 games.

Right now Levante are sitting 14th on the Spanish table with only 7 points out of 6 matches, 7 scored goals and 13 conceded goals. Even with this little matches you can clearly see that their defense is their main problem. I don't believe that all of a sudden they can't play, but I think it has to do with discipline, concentration and motivation. Last season qualification for the Europa League may have hit them on the head  and are having a slow start to the season.

UD Levante squad: to be announced...

Valencia CF

Valencia CF on the other hand are coming to this match after two consecutive wins one in the Spanish league against Real Zaragoza and one against Lille in the Champions league, both won two goals to zero. As such this is a perfect opportunity for Valencia CF to close the gap with the top 6 clubs and catch up for the Champions league competition slots, of course only if Valencia CF wins.

If Valencia CF looses this match its going to be a devastating loss and it may engage the panic mode within the board and fans, after all right now Valencia CF only has 8 points and tough start or not its not going to matter, especially since we lost points to Deportivo La Coruna and Mallorca. So this is a big must win match for several reasons, not to mention Mauricio Pellegrino job security. No coach wants to work under pressure and there will be pressure if Valencia loose this match.

A bit of good news is that Mathieu is back with the squad, though he is not very likely to start as he may lack fitness, also Banega is closer and clsoer to getting fit and may possibly be included in the squad towards the end of this month.  No new injuries have occurred so that is always good, especially since the crisis we've had with injuries this past month.

Valencia CF squad:

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Barragán, Joao Pereira, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Carlos Delgado, Cissokho and Mathieu.
Midfielders: Gago, Tino Costa, Parejo, Guardado, Viera and Bernat.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez and Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):

Formation: 4-4-2

Line-up: Guaita; Pereira, Rami, Ruiz, Cissokho; Guardado, Tino, Gago, Viera; Jonas, Soldado.

Tactics: High defensive line, all round pressure, mixed passing, wing attacks mostly.

Result Prediction:

UD Levante 1-3 Valencia CF

I expect an easy big win against Levante. Historically we've always done well against them, we have the better squad, Valencia CF is in better form than them and Levante are having some defensive troubles having conceded 13 goals. So I fully expect a bigger win, something like 3-1 for Valencia CF.

Squad for Levante published

Mauricio Pellegrino announced the squad to face Levante. Due to injuries Ever Banega, Sergio Canales, Pablo Piatti, Ricardo Costa and David Albelda, while Feghuoli will miss the match due to his 3 matches suspension, while for the first time in weeks Jeremy Mathieu finds him place back in the squad after coming back from injury.


Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Barragán, Joao Pereira, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Carlos Delgado, Cissokho and Mathieu.
Midfielders: Gago, Tino Costa, Parejo, Guardado, Viera and Bernat.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez and Soldado.

Parejo wants to leave in January

Daniel Parejo

Daniel Parejo is considering leaving Valencia CF in January as he feels he is not getting enough playing time at Valencia CF and also feels like he is being treated badly for his performances.

Now I would add - no kidding, his performances have been really bad, how in the world would anyone cheer on that. Now I don't think insulting him on facebook and twitter is the way to go as some Spanish fans have done or whistling him every time he steps on the grass, but he needs to take responsibility and step up his game and prove everyone wrong with some great performances, he can't just whine and insult the club with thoughts of leaving as he has done constantly, or as his sister has done insult the club and fans directly.

Daniel Parejo knows that his situation is going to be worse once Ever Banega returns and he would find chances to play little and far between so he is looking to be able to leave in January.

Now Valencia CF would be interested in such a move, especially since we need a right wing and a central defender and we don't have the money to get both, so getting 6 million for Parejo would be good, but the question now becomes is he worth that much? Which team will offer 6 million or more for Parejo, especially having seen some of his terrible performances.

Here is an article I wrote about Daniel Parejo in December of 2011 saying that he is a liability and that he should go. http://clubvalenciacf.blogspot.com/2011/12/daniel-parejo-is-liability-and-we-need.html

It holds more true today that it actually did back then, but again I know what I'm talking about. People's character rarely changes and we see this again now. I say sell him this time and reinforce the squad where we really need to like in defense and right wing.

Valencia players called to international duty

Adil Rami Valencia CF

French national team coach Deschamps called up Adil Rami to the national team. Adil Rami has been a regular squad member for France, but since the arrival of Didier Deschamps he has been relegated to the bench.

Of course Rami has only himself to blame as him performances haven't been great for Valencia CF and for France in Euro 2012.

Joao Pereira has been called up again for Portugal, but coach Paulo Bento dropped Ricardo Costa from the national team and called up Valladolid center back Henrique Sereno.

Another player that has been dropped is Jonas Goncalved from the Brazil national team, though goalkeeper Diego Alves was called back.

Fernando Gago has also been called to the Argentinian national team and he has been a regular for quite some time now, starting in midfield alongside Mascherano.

Interview with Derek from atleticofans.com

Hey everyone, I've interviewed Derek from www.atleticofans.com and he is a Atletico Madrid supporter over 6 years. He is also the creator of the website above and writes primarily reports and news about Atletico Madrid.

• How long have you been a supporter of Atletico Madrid and what prompted you to become one?
 I've been following Atleti since they started their recovery from their two years in hell, the only seasons the club spent in Spain’s lower division. Around that time a new star was emerging, Fernando Torres, and it was his potential that caught my eye. I soon started watching Atlético’s games and realized it wasn't the player that made this team interesting to watch, it was actually the fans and the fantastic atmosphere at the stadium that had me hooked. Atleti were awful at the time, it was another couple years before we actually started playing in European competition again, but I became a fan.

• Are you a fan of any other clubs? 
As a Dutchman, I’ll root for any Dutch club in European competition and I am very fanatical when Oranje play the big tournaments. But while I love to watch a lot of football, Atleti is the only club that excites me.

• How long have you been writing about Atletico Madrid? 
I made a lot of e-friends on English language online forums such as Tiki-Taka.org and I became serious about writing about my beloved Atleti when we started the AtléticoFans-project. Our website www.AtleticoFans.com was launched in August 2010.

• Last season Atletico Madrid finished 5th in La Liga, but won the Europe League, what was your reaction and were the objectives met last season? 
Finishing 5th in la Liga and losing a Champions League spot to Málaga in the last round was definitely disappointing, but obviously the Europa League title made up for a lot. There are no words to describe winning a major European trophy like that. We were at the same position just two years prior, but last season’s win was even more impressive because we swept Athletic Club after winning 12 straight games in the tournament. In 2010 we were fortunate to win the Europa League, last May we thoroughly deserved it. I was able to attend both games and I promise you, there’s no better feeling than seeing your team win a big final like that.

• Atletico Madrid has a very good start to the season, not just in La Liga, but winning the UEFA Super Cup, do you feel this will carry on throughout the season? 
Right now we’re on a high and, as fans, we hope to enjoy our current run as long we can. We’ve just won a very tough away game at Betis and we’re now unbeaten in 7 games, but there’s going to be a point where the streak ends. Hopefully that won’t be for a while though!

• How does this season’s Atletico Madrid team compare to last season’s and what are the key differences?
On paper we haven’t improved. We lost good players like Domínguez and Salvio, while only cheap squad players were signed. It’s telling that we only spent a grand total of €1m this summer. But we actually are a better team, and all that is down to the Cholo factor. We've had a full pre-season with Diego Simeone in charge and he’s been able to work with his players, shape his team and to instill his tactics. After coming in during last season, we’re now profiting from a good season preparation with Simeone as our coach.

• Radamel Falcao has been really amazing last season and this as well, are you worried you might lose him to a big club this winter or next summer transfer window, certainly his father fancies other clubs. 
It’s on my mind every time he scores, and as you know that happens often. With every goal that he scores, and with every goal that Torres does not score at Chelsea, I feel like a transfer is closer. Unfortunately big clubs like Atlético and Valencia are unable to hang on to their star players in today’s market, but hopefully we can at least keep him in Madrid until the end of the season. A transfer in January would be absolutely disastrous for our ambitions.

• Who would you say is Atletico Madrid’s most influential player and the weakest player?
Falcao is our most important player, but as mentioned before, the most influential person at the club is easily Diego Simeone. He’s transformed the team and created a cohesive and combative unit, in which there are no obvious flaws or weak links. Our biggest problem might not be in the first eleven, but with the bench, we’re a bit thin both offensively and defensively.

• Who is going to be Atletico Madrid’s key player this season?
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• What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of your team this season?
Our biggest strength must be the players’ mentality and toughness. That, coupled with the individual ability of some of our forwards, makes us a dangerous team. So far this season we have conceded a high amount of goals, and that, along with the aforementioned weaker bench, could be our downfall this season.

• Any young players to watch out for that could be on a “break-out year”? 
Koke has been with the first team since the 2010/11 season, but it seems that he has now earned a spot in the starting line-up and this could be the season that he really makes a mark for himself.

• Can Atletico Madrid win this season’s Europe League again, what would be the biggest obstacles in doing so and what about the Spanish cup?
 The Europa League winner is more difficult to predict than the Champions League, because there are so many contenders and once the knock-out rounds start any team can go all the way. Atleti is definitely one of the favourites, but there are plenty of strong teams. At this moment I don’t think the Copa del Rey will be a priority, but you never know how far we might advance.

• How good do you think Valencia will do this season? Is it feasible to think that Valencia could win the Spanish championship or at least challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid? 
Atlético and Valencia, along with Málaga and possibly Sevilla, will rival each other for a spot behind the big two. Don’t let Real Madrid’s poor start fool you; there is no way any team will keep up with them and Barça.

• What do you think are Valencia’s strengths and weaknesses? 
I find it difficult to judge Valencia, as you’ve just started a new project with Pellegrino in charge. I think your defence is suspect, but what [I] admire about Valencia is their depth in midfield and in attack. There are a lot of good players to choose from and always plenty of good options coming off the bench. Hopefully for Valencia Éver Banega will soon return to full fitness, because, to me, he and Soldado are what sets Valencia apart.

• Who do you think will win the Champions League and Europa League this season? 
Let’s see if we can get a Spanish double. Ever the optimist, I’ll go for Barcelona and Atlético!

I'd like to thank Derek again for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it and once again you can find Derek's articles about Atletico Madrid over at www.atleticofans.com

Someone at RFEF is out to get Valencia CF

The Royal Spanish Football Federation commission is obviously out to get Valencia CF. As if blatant refereeing decisions going towards Barcelona and Real Madrid isn't enough, and Valencia CF 3 years in a row having refereeing decisions going in the favor of the big two when we play them, now the comissions has decided to penalize Sofiane Feghuoli for his double yellow into red card in the last match in La Liga, even though this rule is almost never used.

He supposedly under rule 117 disrespected the referee and as such is going to get 3 matches suspension. The club is obviously challenging this absurd and fraudulent rule with the match fixing Spanish football federation who need to be fully investigated themselves.

There is 100% match fixing going on with referees that needs to be investigated in Spain, its likely to be way bigger than the Italian scandal. RFEF, LFP, referees, all bodies need to be investigated.

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Valencia CF vs Lille OSC Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Lille OSC Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 02.10.2012; 20:45 CET

2nd matchday, Champions League

                              Coaches: Mauricio Pellegrino and Rudi Garcia

Valencia CF

Valencia CF is coming to this matches after a much needed 2-0 win over Real Zaragoza in the Spanish league and kick-started their challenge for Champions League positions next season. Valencia CF was in a bit of a crisis, performance crisis and injury crisis and to a large extent it still is in a rather big injury crisis with only Fernando Gago having returned to the team and even played last match, possibly the biggest reason why we won, but players like Mathieu, Piatti, Albelda, Banega are still some ways off until they can recuperate fully and recently Ricardo Costa got injured, possibly even Joao Pereira in the last match, though the coach said it was just a precaution and that he is likely to be able to play against Lille.

For Valencia CF playing and doing well in the Champions League is paramount and I know its important for all teams, but for Valencia CF more so because the team is in massive debts and playing in the Champions League helps repay some of the debts, as well as earn back some prestige, which we've lost since 2003/4. It helps boost shirts sales, increases fans and gives Valencia CF big media exposure which sponsors obviously really like.

With Gago now in the team I'm more optimistic as we now have a midfield and its quite good at that, with Tino Costa being able to operate more attacking and adding another dimension to our attacks, rather than just sit back and defend most of the time. So Valencia really has a chance of beating Lille tomorrow night, but doing so would be really tough and Lille should not be underestimated, even though they lost their first match at home against BATE Borisov. They are still a good team and can surely give us troubles, especially since Valencia CF has not been in full form and playing great either. History is on our side though as Valencia CF have won all seven previous home games against visitors from France.

I feel the coach is going to start with pretty much the same squad against Zaragoza, except Rami who due to a red card in the previous match against Bayern, so Valencia are going to have to rely on B team player Carlos Delgado and this is our biggest problem. If Delgado steps up to the occasion and has an amazing match its going to be great, but if not well then qualification in the next round of the Champions League would really be in question.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defense: Barragán, Joao Pereira, Víctor Ruiz, Carlos Delgado, Cissokho, Gayá.
Midfield: Gago, Tino Costa, Portu, Parejo, Guardado, Viera, Bernat, Feghouli.
Attack: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-4-2
Line-up: Guaita; Pereira, Delgado, Ruiz, Cissokho; Feghuoli, Tino, Gago, Viera; Jonas, Soldado.
Tactics: High defensive line, all round pressure, mixed passing, wing attacks mostly.

Lille OSC

Lille OSC are coming to this match after a 2-0 loss to Rennes in the French league and their start to the season hasn't been going that well either. They have lost two games, and draw 4 games and won only 1 game, putting them at the bottom of the table with only 7 points from 7 matches and also a loss at home in the first Champions League game against BATE Borisov. Sufficive to say Lille are in big trouble with a real bad start to the season and not so unexpectedly if I may say. In the past 2 seasons they've sold few of their top players and at the same time they haven't brought in any good reinforcements and we starting to see the consequences this season and the worst is likely yet to come.

Valencia CF have won all seven previous home games against visitors from France and Lille will be looking to break this tradition and bounce up from their last two losses domestically and in the Champions League. Last time the clubs met was in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage, with Valencia winning 3-1 at home. The first game in France had ended 1-1 with a late goal from Mata to equalize and make sure Valencia CF go through.

Lille OSC finished third in Ligue 1 last season and overcame FC København in the play-offs to reach the group stage of the Champions League. For those that don't know France 3rd place needs qualifying as they are a lower rated league than the Spanish league for example and this third place teams need to qualify for the group stages.

Lille OSC squad: Mickaël Landreau, Steeve Elana, Mouko Barel, Debuchy Mathieu, Digne Lucas, Florent Balmont, Idrissa Gueye, Dimitri Payet, Tulio De Melo, Mendes Ryan, David Rozehnal, Djibril Sidibé, Benoît Pedretti, Franck Beria, Gianni Bruno, Rodelin Ronny, Laurent Bonnart, Aurélien Chedjou, Marko Basa, Nolan Roux, Klonaridis Dorian,

Technical Details Lille OSC (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Vercoutre; Mathieu, Basa, Chedjou, Digne; Mavuaba, Gueye, Pedretti; Bruno, Roux, Payet.
Tactics: Low defensive line, own half pressure, counter attacks, mixed passing, trying to suffocate VCF midfield.

Result Prediction
Valencia CF 2-0 Lille OSC
With Valencia CF returning to winning ways and Lille OSC still struggling I can't see any way for Valencia CF to looses this. The slight chance Lille has is that our B team defender Delgado plays really poorly and Lille are allowed to easily score. I think Delgado is going to play decent between Pereira, Ruiz and Cissokho he'd step up and be comfortable.