Valencia CF 2 - 1 Granada CF Match Report

Valencia survive a scare at home, only to clinch the victory in the last minutes of the game. After the late win in Cyprus against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday's Europa League match, the team leaves it late again after struggling through most of the match. This match was also a debut start for both Ruben Vezo and Seydou Keita.

The first half was quite poor. Possession was not made the most of and the majority of the play was impatient. The only shots on goal were long range efforts from Valencia youngster Fede, which were dealt with by the goal keeper. There wasn't many other chances since Granada were really tight at the back and trying to hit Valencia on the counter, which they did several times. One of the times, saw a Granada player go through both holding midfielders, Keita and Fuego, and into the left side of defense, were he was stopped by Barragan, the right back for the evening. Thankfully, none of the Granada efforts went in.

The second half started with the same clumsiness as the first half with Granada immediately punishing Valencia. Fuego failed to clear a ball from defense and basically gave the ball away to Granada's forward Piti, who had no trouble slotting it Alves from that range. After periods of struggling to break down the defense, Pizzi introduces Alcacer to the game for Keita and Jonas for Vargas. Only 10 minutes after coming on Alcacer made a really well timed run onto the end of Feghouli's cross and leveled the scoreline. Recently, Alcacer's runs have been spot on and so well timed which I think gives him an edge over his fellow strikers. A short while after, Pizzi brings in Michel for Fede. This was a mistake in my opinion. Michel has played so badly in recent games and lost possession so many times this game. Every time he gets the ball possession goes to the other team. He did however get some shots on target. I hope the clumsiness today was just the player's fatigue from the Europa League and not something we see next week. Not every time we're gonna get saved by a late strike in the 91 minute. It was Ruben Vezo, on his first start to rescue the team. It was however, a good confidence booster for him.

Overall it was a scare tonight with joy at the end. Squad rotation and organization need to be addressed since a lot of the players on the bench (Michel, Jonas, Guaita) have not performed as decent replacements in recent games at least. In addition if someone like Parejo gets injured or suspended no one can fill the same role adequately. There is a clear lack of alternatives in some positions while overloads in others which should be and reportedly will be addressed this summer transfer window.

Goals:
0-1 (Piti, 47')
1-1 (Alcacer, 64')
2-1 (Ruben Vezo, 91')

Squads:
Valencia CF (2) : Diego Alves, Barragan, Mathieu, Ruben Vezo, Bernat, Parejo, Keita (Paco Alcacer, 53'), Fuego, Feghouli, Fede (Michel, 73'), Vargas (Jonas, 59')
Granada CF (1) : Roberto, Nyom, Coeff, Murillo, Angulo, Rico (Fatau, 21'), Iturra, Reico, Piti  (Foulquier, 85'), El-Arabi, Brahimi
 
Ratings:
Diego Alves, 6.0 - Wasn't troubled too much throughout the game. Saved every shot that came his way and could no absolutely nothing about the goal since Fuego gave it away so close to the net.
Bernat, 6.5 - Great energy all around. Got forward often, delivered crosses and won corners. Tracked back quickly despite coming forward
Ruben Vezo, 6.5 - Great debut, solid at the back. More viable than Costa as a defender and scored the winning goal late in the game.
Mathieu, 5.5 - Tracked back decently and covered his ground most of the time.
Barragan, 6.5 - Great work ethic. Helped out in defense everywhere and came forward often but wasn't picked out often.
Fuego, 4.5 - Wasn't his usual self in front of defense. Very weak presence, gave ball away while covering in defense which resulted in Granada taking the lead.
Keita, 5.0 - Well away from his form at Barca, wasn't his usual self either. Slow and gave away posession.
Parejo, 6.0 - Provided the assist for Ruben Vezo's late goal from a free kick. Some misplaced passes but overall provided some useful passes to spread play and penetrate the heavy defense.
Feghouli, 6.5 - Great effort as in recent games. Provided a great assist for Alcacer's goal and almost assisted a second goal. He was a trouble for defense with his dribbling and many crosses.
Fede, 6.0 - Great energy from the youngster. Provided constant pressure on the keeper with long range efforts in the first half. His presence slowly dwindled in the second half.
Vargas, 5.5 - Invisible for most of the game. Looked really fatigued and slow out there.

Subs:
Alcacer, 6.0 - Instant impact substitution. Made a great time run and was rewarded with a goal. His presence was not felt afterwards.
Jonas, 5.5 - Came on and tried to do something. Provided some composure to a team that was lacking it. Had some good shots but didn't trouble Granada too much.
Michel, 4.5 - Gave away possession time and time again, with bad passes/long range efforts when the team really needed to be patient to find the winning goal.

Dynamo Kyiv 0 - 2 Valencia CF Match Report

Valencia start off the Round of 32 of the Europa League with an important "away" win. The match was "away" at Cyprus instead of Kyiv in Ukraine due to the tense political situation in the country. As such, despite playing in Cyprus both goals count as away goal for Valencia.

The game was pretty dull and uneventful for the first 45 minutes, with both sides struggling to find even a single chance. The atmosphere was just as dull with the stadium for the most part empty due to the last minute change in location from Kyiv to Cyprus. The attempts from Valencia had that half were pretty much two shots that were way high and way wide from Michel. There was no chance for the flow of the game to develop due to impatient play (taking a shot miles away from goal) and fouls. Possession was frequently lost from both sides and overall it was a pain to watch.

The beginning of the second half was a lot more eventful despite no substitutions being made by either side. Dynamo Kyiv started with a good chance that they blasted high and wide and Valencia were beginning to penetrate the opposing defense. A few minutes into the half and Dynamo Kyiv's goalkeeper leaves the field with an injury and gives way to a younger keeper. This keeper would go on to make excellent saves from Vargas header and a Keita header and keep his side in the game. However, a good corner from Parejo found Vargas for the first goal. And about 10 minutes later Feghouli was found by a Pereira through ball and his shot was deflected away from the keeper into the net.

The introduction of Vargas and Feghouli added a lot of energy into the side that looked pretty weary from either last minute travel or the intense match against Sevilla where they were outnumbered for about 45 minutes. However, we now have a 2 goal away cushion to carry to the Mestalla for the home leg next week. First up though we have a home game at the Mestalla against Granada to get through.

Goals:
0-1 Eduardo Vargas (79')
0-2 Feghouli (90')

Squad:
Dynamo Kyiv (0) - Shovkovskiy (Rybka, 54'), Danilo Silva, Vida, Dragovic, Makarenko, Vukojevic, Veloso, Gusev, Belhanda (Garmash, 73'), Lens (Kravets, 83'), Brown
Valencia (2) -Diego Alves, Joao Pereira, Costa, Mathieu, Bernat, Javi Fuego, Keita, Michel (Feghouli, 67'), Jonas (Barragan, 88'), Parejo, Alcacer (Eduardo Vargas, 60')

Nicolas Otamendi to join Valencia next Season

I reported earlier that Valencia missed out on signing the 25 year-old Argentine defender. Over the last week however, reports confirmed that he will be joining, only it will be next season. Again, this signing was suggested by Pizzi who saw the current defense as a problem. It was also reported that Manchester United was also after his signature but lost out. So how much is this going to cost? Well, the deal right now is about 12 million euros plus variables for a 5-year contract. With Otamendi joining the club, he will join Valencia's 5 other central defenders in Vezo, Costa, Mathieu, Ruiz, Senderos. As such it is getting pretty crowded. At this stage the club is already making plans for the departure of Costa to help pay Otamendi's salary and fee. Vezo might also get loaned if he doesn't get enough playing time. Senderos is here only till the summer with the club having an option to sign him for longer. That leaves Mathieu and Ruiz's future's as unknown.

So what does this signing mean? It means we get a new fresh young defender that will provide better cover than the rusty Costa at the back. A great talent that will help decrease the number of goals Valencia concedes and not conceding goals is key to winning games.

Frantic End to a Transfer Window

Valencia has been busy this transfer market, in fact the busiest of any club in Spain. It started off  with Portuguese Defender Ruben Vezo already agreed for before hand. Then it took quite a while but Chilean Striker Eduardo Vargas was brought in a week ago. Then there was an exodus of players with Postiga, Pabon and Guardado all leaving the club, the former loaned to Lazio and the latter two on loan deals to Sao Paulo and Bayer Leverkeusen respectively. However, in the last few days of the transfer market Valencia was at the peak of its activity with Seydou Keita the first of the action.

So Canales has been seeking a way out of a club due to his lack of playing time which is due to his lack of form which is due to his two back-to-back injuries. He was permanently sold to Real Sociedad for 3.5 million euros. He was bought for around 7 million from Real Madrid and part of this 3.5 million goes to them so it wasn't worth it in my opinion.

Next up Banega. With Canales on his way out, you'd think Banega would stay, however he also would leave the club. This deal however, is a 6 month loan deal to his youth club, Newell's Old Boys. Quite a surprise considering there were much bigger European Clubs who wanted his signature (Manchester United, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Dortmund, etc). Either the club didn't want to sell him or the price offered (12.5 million euros) was not enough to convince them. Hopefully he regains form there and be a useful reinforcement for next season.

Now for arrivals. In the last hours of the transfer market Valencia secured a defender and another striker.

28 year old Fullham defender Phillipe Senderos. A Swiss international, he featured for Austria in the past two World Cups and also for European Giants Milan, and Arsenal. At 6'2" he is quite the physical presence in defense. He joins on a free transfer.

I mentioned in a previous article that Valencia was interested in 20 year old Brazilian prospect Vinicius Araujo. Valencia has managed to clinch his signing this transfer window. This deal involved purchasing 50% of his rights from Brazilian Club Cruzeiro for a 3.5 million euros. A good deal for such a promising talent.







This has been one of the busiest transfer windows for Valencia with lots of reinforcements arriving as well as lots of under-achievers departing. There were some names that were missed out on in the last minutes including Nicholas Otamendi of Porto (there wasn't enough time to sign him despite a deal being agreed), and Javier Hernandez (not going anywhere, according to his agent).

Hopefully these new signings pay off, there is no way to tell until they actually play. We might see some of them featuring against Barca including Eduardo Vargas and Ruben Vezo. Along side them, Robert Ibanez and Portu join the squad from the Mestalla B-team.

Nicolas Otamendi to join Valencia CF?

Nicolás Hernán Gonzalo Otamendi who currently plays for FC Porto is on the verge of signing a contract with Valencia CF and joining the ranks of Valencia CF.

The management wants a better defense, which has been pointed as one of the weakest links in the team and so they are trying to bring Nicolas Otamendi to Valencia CF and solidify and strengthen the defense. 

Manchester United is said to be interested in the player as well, but they are a bit cash strapped at the moment after the signing of former Valencia CF player Juan Mata to their ranks for over 40 million euros. 

It is said that Nicolas Otamendi prefers Valencia CF since he is to almost certainly get guaranteed time and the football is similar to the one played in Portugal, so the transition would be easier for him.

We'll have to wait and see though, I do think he is going to be a strong reinforcement if he arrives in Valencia CF.

Banega and Canales on the exit door

Ever Banega and Sergio Canales are on the exit door and Canales is said to be hours away from leaving and joining Real Sociedad, while Ever Banega has few clubs bidding for him that want his services, while Valencia CF is looking for offers in the region of 10 to 12 million euros for him.

Its been reported that Inter Milan, AC Milan, BVB, Napoli and few English teams are interested in acquiring the services of Ever Banega and that the biggest obstacle is Valencia's preferred price of 12 million for him.

Sergio Canales hasn't lived up to his reputation and I suspect the two major injuries he had one after another had a major part in it, and he hasn't paid off and was going down the pecking order, so him leaving the club is only natural.

Ever Banega on the other hand has been hot and cold in his plays, amazing 6 months, usually followed by a big injury and then a miserable 6 months, then booming to form again and having several good months, before another big injury and then another period of mediocre performances.

He hasn't paid off for Valencia CF either, he had his chances, he did very good in periods, but never really achieved consistency and the necessary dependency that is required of a very good player.

If a team reaches the 12 million asking price I expect the club will sell him immediately, if not I think they might sell him for a lower price as well, though they will try and get 12 million euros and not rush selling him.

Official: Seydou Keita joins Valencia CF

Former Barcelona FC midfielder Seydou Keita has joined Valencia CF on a 6 months deal. This is a full permanent deal, not a loan, its just that the deal is for only 6 months with the option for Valencia CF to extend the deal to 1 more year.

The player will need to undergo a medical examination before the deal is seal though and he comes to Valencia CF as a free agent.

I have no idea what the deal is, since Seydou Keita hasn't been playing professional football for 1 year since he left a Chinese team he was playing for, so I have no idea at 34 years old if he even has good stamina.

Postiga, Pabon and Guardado loaned out

The duo of Postiga and Guardado have been loaned out until the end of the season at which point all clubs have options to purchase the players. Pabon has been loaned out for 1 year and a half

Helder Postiga has been loaned out to Lazio until the end of the season, after which Lazio have an option to purchase the player for 3 million euros.

Andres Guardado has been loaned out to Bayern Leverkusen until the end of the season at which point they will have the option to purchase Guardado for 7 million euros.

Dorlan Pabon has been loaned out for year and a half to Sao Paulo, I believe without the option of purchase, though the loan is very long, so he is as good as sold at this point.

Official: Eduardo Vargas Signed and Presented

Eduardo Vargas has been presented today at the Mestalla thus officially confirming the completion of the loan deal from Napoli. The 24-year old Chilean striker is only Valencia's second signing of the January Transfer Window after 19 year old Ruben Vezo. Pizzi asked for this player by name so he must have some sort of big plans for him and really believes in his potential. The loan deal is in the range of 500,000 euros including an option to buy for some 7-8 million according to some sources. Vargas has already started training with the first team and should be available for next week's match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

In other news, Pabon has sought a way out in anticipation of the arrival of Vargas and the lack of playing time. Thus, he will be loaned to Sao Paulo of Brazil for some year and a half period. Sergio Canales has been the target of many rumors recently too with Everton and Southampton battling for his signature. The fans don't want a young talent to leave the club and neither does Pizzi, but Canales wants regular playing time. In addition, the club is still looking at bringing in another striker in the last days of the transfer market with names like Pavlo Osvaldo, Iago Aspas and Mauro Icardi appearing to be the most likely.

Eduardo Vargas deal just about done!!!

Reports in Spain state that Chilean striker Eduardo Vargas is on his way to Valencia. Valencia have been looking to strengthen the attack this winter transfer window and new coach Pizzi asked specifically for Eduardo Vargas. The deal is a loan end of the year for a fee of $500,000 including a purchase option. This will be Valencia's second signing this transfer window if it goes through. Other interested teams where Sao Paulo and Santos of Brazil but the player insists on Valencia. The signing might be announced as early as tomorrow should the reports be true.

Other good news is that the club is working on getting another striker in addition to Vargas. There is mention of the possibility that it might be 19-year old Mauro Icardo of Inter Milan.

Whatever the additions may be, the position of "striker" on the team will be impacted. With two new strikers, Jonas, Postiga, Alcacer and Pabon, there are too many forwards. Even if we count Jonas and Pabon as CAM and winger respectively, there are still too many. There are already reports that Pabon is seeking a way out already.

The anticipation of the club being purchased soon cause a hord of transfer rumours for Valencia. Now there is also talks of a new center-back (finally!!). In addition to Ruben Vezo who was already brought in, Benefica's Ezequiel Garay is the top target for the center-back position. However, this bid may require the club being purchased first.

Transfer Market 2014

As you all should know the transfer market has begun about a week and a bit now. While there is lots of speculations surrounding Valencia players, I wanted to get enough content before I actually started writing this. So here goes.

I wrote earlier about Portuguese youth Ruben Vezo signing a deal earlier in 2013. As such he is the first player to join Valencia in this transfer window. With Ricardo Costa and Mathieu both injured in the last game against Celta Vigo, which ended in a 2-1 loss for Valencia, Ruben Vezo might get his first start alongside Victor Ruiz against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday's Copa del Rey game.

Here is an overview of potential players arrival and departure. These are only speculations.

Possible Departures:
     

1) Sergio Canales: The attacking midfilder/winger has expressed his desire to leave to get more playing time. After his multiple injuries last year, the player has not fully settled or established himself in the squad. When he was given a chance by new coach Pizzi, this past weekend against Celta Vigo, the results were far from impressive. I thought he was a good prospect when he first arrived, he is talent but I don't see him getting back to what he was before.
         Offer: N/A
         Interested Parties: Real Betis

    

2) Daniel Parejo: This is just pure speculation and I doubt this will actually go through. Parejo has taken advantage of the misfortune of other midfielders and has established himself in the team. He is starting every game and doing his job well: keeping the ball and making great passes.
         Offer: N/A
         Interested Parties: Napoli, Everton

     

3) Ever Banega: Another midfielder who is linked out of the club. Having impressed in the pre-season, he blew his chances after giving away the ball so much and trying to dribble the entire opposing team by himself. He should've cemented himself as the star player after Soldado's departure but failed to do so and at times became more of a liability. A host of European giants are interested in his signature though which could be in our favor.
         Offer: Currently valued at 15 million euros (a lot less than the upwards of 20 million he was before). However, he could become part of an interesting trade. Read further for more details ;)
         Interested Parties: Manchester United, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, Fiorentina, Roma

You may notice that all of the departure section is midfielders. If one of them leaves it might not be a huge problem since Elche loanee Carles Gil is returning to Valencia at the end of the season. However, the problem remains on whether the midfield can hold its own for the remainder of the season. Other name that should be mentioned is that Juan Bernat rejected a move to Inter Milan and said he wants to continue with the club for a long time (good for him!)

Possible Arrivals:
The biggest area needing improvement right now in Valencia CF is the strike force. Between Jonas, Postiga, Alcacer and Pabon there is a lack of goals. Pizzi caught on to this and requested a new striker and there have been a lot of speculation. Here are the top ones.


1) Eduardo Vargas: 24-year old Chilean striker has fallen out of favor plays in Napoli now plays in Gremio (Brazilian Club) on loan. This striker tops the list since Pizzi requested him by name. His transfer is a bit complicated though as Napoli want to recover the 14 million or so euros invested in him. If he arrives it will be through a loan deal. Known for his speed and dribbling.
       Price: Loan Deal, Valencia want to loan him for the remainder of the season for half a million euros.

2) Vinicius Araujo: 20 year-old Brazilian forward. A great prospect in South America with his skill-level comparable with Neymar's at that age. If his skill is as good as they say, it will not go unnoticed and lots of the European Giants will try to claim his signature. As such a bid for him would be more probable if Peter Lim, TPG or QIA succeed in purchasing the club. As of now, a loan deal is the only way he can be signed but even that is unlikely since the player himself wants to establish himself in the Cruzerio first team.
      Price: N/A

3) Felipe Caicedo: 25-year old Ecuadorean striker currently playing in Lokomotiv Moscow. The player seeks a return to Spain where he played a season with Malaga and then Levante after arriving from Manchester City. He signed a five year contract with Lokomotiv but has finished about 3 years and the club might be reluctant to let him leave. Known for his strength and power.
      Price: about 7 million euros

4) Javier Hernandez: Here is a surprise. The 25-year old Mexican striker has been linked with Valencia time and time again but a move never seemed in the cards since the player is valued beyond what Valencia could afford. Even having connections with his fellow Mexican International Andres Guardado on the team wasn't enough to bring him in. The striker has down the pecking order at Old Trafford behind Wayne Rooney, Van Persie and Danny Welbeck is being used too now. His role at Manchester United has been that of a "super-sub" so far,  like Nelson Valdez was last year in Valencia, only a lot better. So why is he on the list when Valencia can't afford him? Well recently there have been talks of a trade: Manchester United's out of favor striker for Valencia's out of favor midfielder Ever Banega. Sounds like a great deal to me. I'm sure Valencia might have to put in a bit more cash but overall great deal for me.
        Price: Ever Banega plus the difference in their values.

Well that's all of them. Other names that should be mentioned are Edin Dzeko but that bid has apparently failed and Lisandro Lopez of Lyon but at 30-years old I don't see the club bringing him in.

Well I hope you enjoyed the current overview of this year's transfer window. If the purchase of the club does go through there will be more transfers to discuss.

Feel free to let us know what you think :)
AMUNT VALENCIA

Valencia CF 2-0 Levante Match Report

Valencia start off the new year with a new coach and a win in the derby. The win gives Valencia three points most importantly, but also the confidence to start the year with the new coach. This win hardly proves anything though as Levante have been struggling this year and have been riddled with problems including scandals and the like. Surely the match against Levante is miles away from the level of Tuesday's Cup match against Atletico Madrid.

The most notable change new coach Pizzi has managed to do in the short time he's been here, is increase the level of intensity dramatically. The sluggish play that was so common during the time Djukic was in charge wasn't seen at all. I've watched some videos of the training sessions and apparently the new coaching staff is working the team to the extreme as should be done. Even the players commented that Djukic didn't push them at all compared to this. Other notable things were more accuracy in passing and more decisive tackling and defending. The major problem that remains is the firepower. With the amount of chances in the game, not much was taken despite the clear dominance of Valencia. Neither Postiga or Jonas managed to make the most of their chances and both goals came from either winger, Piatti and Feghouli. The coach has asked the management to look for a new striker as well which could mean the departure of one or more of the forwards. Pabon has not lived up to what was expected so far but that could be due to the way Djukic used him and how he told him to play. Alcacer is mostly given cup matches against weaker opponents and has the highest goal-to-game ratio out of all the strikers but is invisible against larger opposition.

Anyhow, it was an exciting game to watch, very fast pace on the part of Valencia at least. However, Atletico won't be this easy, especially having already beaten Valencia 3-0. Let's hope that doesn't repeat. I'm expecting a good game.

Score:

1-0 (Piatti, 42')
2-0 (Feghouli, 73')

Lineups:

Valencia CF (2): Alves, Barragan, Costa, Mathieu, Bernat, Romeu, Parejo (Banega, 80'), Jonas, Piatti (Guardado, 75'), Feghouli, Postiga (Fede, 83')
Levante (0):Navas, Pedro Lopez, Vyntra, El Adoua, Karabelas, Simao (Camarasa, 72'), Diop, Pedro Rios (Jordi Xumetra, 54'), Garcia, Ivanchitz, Barral

Ratings:

Alves (7.0) - Wasn't troubled too much most of the game. Made an excellent one-on-one save from Barral.
Barragan (5.5) - Got into excellent positions on the wing as Joao Pereira would but the cross was always disappointing.
Mathieu (6.0) - Much more active on the field, tracked back well, but let Barral get into a dangerous postition
Costa (6.0) - C overed decently, still has difficulty tracking back. We need someone faster in this position.
Bernat (7.5) - Full of energy. Exploited the Levante wing and controlled the left wing completely. Despite coming forward a lot, was much faster at tracking back than any of the two center-backs. Very Jordi Alba -like performance.
Romeu (6.5) - Linked well with Parejo and Jonas. Good passing and defensive cover.
Parejo (7.0) - Very accurate passing. Created lots of chances and controlled the midfield.
Jonas (5.5) -  Could not capitalize on his chances. Had some really good chances that should not be wasted.
Piatti (6.5) - Got the first goal of the game after capitalizing on a failure to clear by the Levante defense. Showing signs of improvement but was overshadowed by Bernat
Feghouli (7.0) - Very active and explosive on the wing and through the middle. Great goal: dribbled past multiple Levante defenders skilfully and chipped it into the top corner.
Postiga (5.0) - Really lacking performance. No energy on the field. Pabon or Alcacer would do much better.

Substitutions:
Guardado (5.5) - Not the same impact as Piatti and was overshadowed by Bernat
Banega - Not enough time
Fede - Not enough time

Feel free let us know how you feel :)
AMUNT VALENCIA!!!

Peter Lim offers 250 million euros to buy Valencia CF

Billionaire Peter Lim offer to buy Valencia CF is around the 250 million mark, which is close to the debt Valencia CF has towards Bankia, I believe the debt is about 275 million, his offer is 250 million and that would make him the owner of around 70% of the shares of the club.

The Valencia CF foundation would continue to own a stake in the club with the second biggest pie of the shares, while 3rd are the Valencia CF fans. 

Peter Lim according to reports also plant to invest about 40-50 million euros into reinforcements this winter if he is to buy the club by the 15th of January and an addition 50 million player investments in the summer.

Its unclear right now if he is going to invest in the new Mestalla stadium or not, some reports say he will invest in the new stadium and finish it and other reports say that he won't invest in it, so right now its unclear, but either way its not that big of a deal, considering everything else.

In another news Pizzi is set to arrive in Valencia and sign the contract by Friday. From what I've been told, and "disclaimer" I haven't confirmed and researched myself, Pizzi favors physical style of football with a lot of hard tackles rather than positioning, he also supposedly doesn't favor possession football much and relies fair amount on fast counter attacks. 

Match fixing in La Liga is the norm

Match fixing in Spanish leagues, especially Primera division is prevalent and the norm. Match fixing is way bigger than it was in Italy, in La Liga its systematic and supported by the governing body. Those who don't go along with it are swiftly fired.

Many teams have fixed matches, but its only the norm and standard practice for Barcelona and Real Madrid, where referees will 100 out of 100 times whistle in their favor.

This was clear yet again in Valencia CF vs Real Madrid match, where everyone saw the offside, except the referees. This has been the case vs Barcelona as well, and its EVERY YEAR. We have been seeing Valencia CF lose to the referees year, after year, after year for at least the past 4/5 years, likely more.

These are not just small mistakes, these are blatant match fixes, these are deliberate decisions to put Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead.

There should be major investigation into match fixing in La Liga, its too big, its too obvious to ignore anymore. I wrote a similar article last several months earlier as well, can't find it right now because for some reason the search functions doesn't work, but I'll link to it once I figure out why the search doesn't work and fix it.

Anyways its not accidental, its not random, when something happens again and again and again and again, its a pattern and if its a pattern that means something is creating the pattern.

Valencia CF to be sold

Valencia CF president held a press conference today announcing that Singaporean businessman and investor Peter Lim Eng Hock wants to invest in Valencia CF and buy the club.

At first Salvo was against the selling of the club, since he works for the Valencia foundation which actually owns the club, even though they actually own money to Bankia and the club as well owes money to Bankia, but never the less they still technically owned the club and of course due to their selfish interests didn't want to sell it, even though they know they are never going to be able to pay off the debt and will ultimately destroy the club with no new and fresh money into it.

So the fact that he held a press conference announcing that he wants to sell the club and that they have an investor is a really good turn of events, I really thought that Salvo is going to destroy Valencia CF and officially become the worst president ever in the history of football clubs, but I guess even for him that is too much to bear.

So great turn of events, and I've researched Peter Lim and I can tell you that he is a football fan, he watches and follows European football, he owns Manchester United themed bars and pubs in Asia, and he's made several bids to buy various football clubs in the past, though unsuccessfully so. Now the cast that he made several failed attempts to buy certain clubs actually goes against him, since it means there was something wrong or lacking that he couldn't buy any of those clubs, so this is a bit worrying to me.

His current net worth is estimated at around 2 billion and he makes his money off off various investments into all sorts of things, so he has a big portfolio of things he's invested in. I think dishing out 300-400 million euros won't be too big of a problem for him and he has the money. I mean if it all about the money, he has it, he is the real deal.

Question is what is his vision for Valencia CF, how much will he invest in players and what will be the investment to finish the stadium, and so on.... If he buys the club for 300 million euros, dishes out 150 million more to finish the stadium and another 50 million to buy players, then he spend 500 million euros out of the gate. Is he willing to make that type of investment?

And again, he is not a sheikh and doesn't have guaranteed tens of billions each year from oil or other energy, he is a self made investor, making good investments that make him money, he is not a multibillionare like some other people are. He is super wealthy, but there is a limit to what he can do and how much he can spend.

Of course 2 billion is quite a lot, but half a billion gone instantly with the investment in Valencia CF can really shake things up and make anyone question. But I trust that he is serious and knows what he is doing and that he is going to open his bag/bank account and dish out the money in Valencia CF.

I think it would be a positive thing for Valencia CF either way, at least the debt will be wiped, there is going to be new money flowing in, it can't get worse than it already is.

Valencia CF vs Real Madrid Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Real Madrid Match Preview

Stadium:  Mestalla

Date: 22:12:2013; 21:00 CET

17th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Nico Estevez and Carlo Ancelotti

Valencia CF has been at best mediocre from the start of the season, with terrible play and even worse results, which culminated last week with the sacking of Miroslav Djukic. The sacking didn't come as a surprise to anyone and in fact it was long overdue. Current Valencia CF president Salvo waited too long to make the decision and thus the team suffered for longer than it should have. Now a new coach doesn't automatically mean the team will start playing better and get results, but at least it gives the team a chance.

Valencia CF moved fast after they sacked Djukic and instantly contacted Pizzi, acquiring about his services. He initially rejected Valencia CF as he was determined to see out his contract with San Lorenzo, but supposedly our new sporting director Ayala talked to him and was able to change his mind, with Pizzi agreeing to join Valencia CF and moving to rescind his contract with San Lorenzo. 

Now things look set and done, as he has ended his contacts and agreed to a deal with Valencia CF, the official contract signing is expected in the next 24 hours and the official announcement and taking over is expected within 48 hours. 

What can we expect from this match then? Well, I'm not going to lie, not much. I mean it would be really great if the team doesn't embarrass themselves and lose 5-0, that would be terrible. What would be a good showing is a tight match with a 1-0 loss, what would be great match is to manage a draw and what would be fantastic match would to to actually win, no matter how we achieve the win. 

I'm pretty much expecting a loss though, I'm preparing myself, so that I don't get disappointing if we lose and I had unrealistic expectations. Right now Valencia CF is a mid table team with no winning mentality, with no confidence, no style of play, no urgency in the play, nothing. 

If Real Madrid are up to their best, they should absolutely destroy this current Valencia side and win 3 or 4 goals to 0. Anything else would be considered pretty bad for them and they are already in a pecurious position on the table and anything but win would have them lose too much ground with the top 2 teams. 

I haven't been too much up to date with injuries and suspensions, but I think all players are available. Excuse me if I'm wrong, and please point it out in the comments and I'll get it fixed.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups): 

Formation: 4-2-3-1 

Line-up: Guaita; Joao, Ruiz, Mathieu, Guardado; Fuego, Banega, Fede; Canales, Bernat; Paco. 

Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, medium frequency wing attacks, low short passing.

Juan Antonio Pizzi will join Valencia CF

Juan Antonio Pizzi just ended his contract with San Lorenzo and is set to join Valencia CF in a couple of days, while he will most likely sign the contract with Valencia CF in the next 48 hours.

This has been a roller coaster ride as Pizzi first rejected Valencia CF as he was keep on continuing with San Lorenzo and seeing his contract out, but supposedly our new sporting director Ayala talked to Pizzi and convinced him to come to Valencia CF.

The news was confirmed by his agent Ricardo Slipper who said that Pizzi got a good offer from Valencia CF and decided to accept it.

So there you have it, Valencia CF new coach Juan Antonio Pizzi. Hopefully it will all work out and he'd be able to achieve success with Valencia CF. I'm rooting for him, because I'm rooting for Valencia CF and want the team to achieve Champions League spot, at the very least Europa League spot, but I'm hoping and targeting Champions League, even though I know its going to be very hard and I know things won't magically change, its still the same squad, the same problems are still there and it will be hard work and different work than Djukic did that can get the team on the right track.

What do you think about this? Good choice, bad choice, unsure, tell us in the comments!

Valencia CF not giving up on Pizzi

The top officials at Valencia CF are determined to bring in Juan Antonio Pizzi to Valencia and they've doubled down their efforts in trying to get him. Pizzi has said that he wants to stay and honor his contract with his current club San Lorenzo, but with increased pressure on him and better offer to him, Valencia CF is trying to make it as difficult as they can to reject them. 

Even if Pizzi was to agree to the deal, San Lorenzo would also have a word in it and Valencia CF would need to pay them for Pizzi's contract cancellation. The amount isn't too big, but it can be a legal problem to deal with. 

Close second if the deal with Juan Antonio Pizzi fails is Marcelo Bielsa, but on the short list there are other coaches like Pepe Mel, Villas-Boas, Miguel Ángel Lotina and others. 

Personally I'm not too fond of anyone if particular, if anything Pepe Mel could surprise and do really good with Valencia CF, Bielsa would be the default choice as a really experienced manager, but he is still a risk with his style he brings. 

Guus Hiddink is also a free coach, though he hasn't had much success recently, so a distant prospect if other options fail.

Juan Antonio Pizzi rejects Valencia CF

Argentinian press reports than San Lorenzo coach Juan Antonio Pizzi had rejected Valencia CF offer to become their new coach saying he wishes to stay with San Lorenzo right now and isn't ready to move.

Juan Antonio Pizzi was one of the coaches Valencia CF had on their short list as he would come rather cheaply compared to other coaches and has achieved good success recently, but now that he is out of the running its said that Valencia CF are going to look to Marcelo Bielsa who is free after he was sacked from Athletic Bilbao the beginning of this season.

Personally I'm not a big fan of Marcelo Bielsa, he just doesn't have the results to back-up his reputation.

Good news is that Roberto Fabián Ayala is coming to Valencia CF and he is going to become the new sporting manager, while Rufete becomes the new general manager.

What is next for Valencia CF?

Now that Miroslav Djukic has been sacked, the team can move forward, but only if a good, solid coach is found who is able to get the max out of the players and who is a really great psychologist who can instill some self confidence and belief in this battered team.

I hate to say it, but I was was right again, just like I always am, I said that Djukic had to go at least 6-7 matches ago, I knew that the team wouldn't improve with Djukic at the helm. I made my research, my analysis, looked at some of the missed matches I couldn't bare to watch at the time and knew 100% that the team can't improve with Djukic, the coach was just incapable of making this team work, so if my advice would have been taken in time, the team would have had time to actually improve with another coach and maybe, just maybe have better results right now and be in a better position.

What Miroslav Djukic did was turn the team from at least a top 6 finisher, to a mediocre, middle of the table team with no aspiration and quality for anything else. Some small club coaches excel when given the opportunity to work with bigger team, but Djukic choked on the opportunity and was unable to rise up to the occasion. His false bravado, his false confidence didn't help things out either, sometimes you have to admit that you are doing bad, that you are doing things wrong so you can learn from it and do things the right way, to improve. Miroslav Djukic didn't want to admit he was wrong, he didn't want to admit that he was doing things bad and thus he didn't improve and couldn't have improved.

I'm glad even Salvo, so far one of the worst presidents ever, managed to realize this, even though it took him this long. I wouldn't want him to manage my laundry, let alone a club like Valencia, being unable to make the right decisions and needing for all hell to break lose in order to act. I mean the mark of a great manager/CEO is being able to analyze things clearly and make timely informed decisions that are for the good of the club/business you manage. If you are unable to do so, then you are not made out for that type of work. Either way the decision was finally made to sack Miroslav Djukic and now the question is who will replace him?

This is a crucial moment for Valencia CF, hiring another failed coach can literally ruin and destroy the club and after that I don't know how this Valencia CF can come back, hundreds of millions in debt, low income, no investments, 3 different major owners of the club right now between the bank, the Valencia government and the Valencia foundation, all on their own in major financial trouble.

There were talks and reports about Bankia wanting to sell Valencia CF and Salvo after initially rejecting the idea came around, as he hopefully realized that there is not other way out for the club. At this point the club has to be sold, otherwise I don't see a long term future for the club, at least not how we expect Valencia CF to perform. I expect this team to always finish in the top 4, to be competitive, to play in the Champions League, to create and discover super talented players like Aimar, Ayala, Marchena, Silva, Villa, etc... and at the same time have a great play, which doesn't actually have to be possession based. When I started supporting Valencia CF they didn't have much possession, they were playing this really fast, really pacy wing play where 3 players in a type of triangle would move on both wings and cause havoc for the opposing team, while the midfield was held with solid defensive midfielders who knew how to position and defend and mark opposing players and be a great support for the defense.

Back to my points though, the club has to be sold for a long term future and obviously the buyer has to be serious and a fan or at least informed and knowledgeable about the club and its history. Second the new coach is extremely important and has to be a fit, has to work. Another failed coach just can't happen. This is probably one of the biggest decisions for Valencia in recent times.

Andre Villas-Boas was recently sacked from Tottenham, so he is available and after such a failed stint in England, I think he would be willing to take a serious pay cut and work for Valencia CF. I think it would be a personal mistake for him to demand the same type of salary that he earned in England and hold himself to a job in England once again. So he could be a choice, but is it a good choice for Valencia CF? Will he improve this Valencia team, is he a good fit, will he fail in Valencia CF like he failed in England in Chelsea and Tottenham?

Then you have Roberto Di Matteo who lead Chelsea to a champions league final win, but he doesn't have much experience other than that. His experience is limited to basically two clubs, working for only 3 years, is he the kind of coach that we need or want? I'm really skeptical about Roberto Di Matteo, especially since he isn't familiar with the Spanish league.

Marcelo Bielsa is free and an experienced manager, he also has a possession type play style, so he could fit in, but I got to say I wasn't too impressed with Athletic Bilbao under him. You got to look at the results and position he achieved and it wasn't really good. So, I'm kind of against this choice as well.

Other than these free coaches, I don't know who else is there who is decent. I mean Juande Ramos can probably come as he is working with a lower level Ukrainian team, but I'm not sure Valencia would want to pay anything more than they would absolutely have to, plus he hasn't coached in Spain in a long time.

Pepe Mel is free and could surprise, but again this is an unproven coach and we'll have to take a risk with this appointment. So, there aren't too many good choices, other alternatives are basically former Valencia CF players to coach the team, but after the two recent failures I don't think that is a good idea either.

So hopefully you guys/gals have some suggestions and thoughts and if so please share them in the comments.

Official: Miroslav Djukic Sacked!!!!

Well, it's been coming for a while now. Valencia has been struggling against opposition in every competition and the match against Atletico Madrid was the last straw for the Valencia management.

Despite announcing that he supports Djukic completely and insisting that he will stay till the end of the season, President Salvo announced the dismissal of Djukic today. Djukic has really failed to live up to what was expected of him. He leaves Valencia sitting at 9th in the table with 20 points and managed 6 wins, 2 draws and 8 losses from the 16 league games he has been in charge. While the loss against Atletico was expected, it demonstrated that Valencia cannot compete with its rivals anymore and that they don't seem to be improving. Anyone who watched the previous couple of games in all competitions will tell you that there is no sense of direction when Valencia play and you just feel like the potential of this squad isn't being utilized.

Anyways, the management have also announced that Valencia B coach, Nico Estevez will take over as interim manager. This will be Valencia's 5th change in managers in the past two years (Emery, Pellegrino, Valverde, and the sacked Djukic).

Now the issue remains on who will take over after Estevez. Andre Villas Boas recently become available after Tottenham lost 0-5 to Liverpool. There is also Roberto Di Matteo whom Valencia were linked with last year before signing Valverde. I prefer the latter.

Please feel free to let us know how you feel about Djukic's firing and who YOU think should be next coach and why.
AMUNT VALENCIA!!!

Valencia CF 2-2 Valladolid Match Report

Well I knew it, I knew that after last week's win against Getafe the team will screw things up in the next match and they did it, not surprising at all. In fact I expected this, I was even leaning on a loss, but we did play at home in the Mestalla, so that would really have been abhorrent.

I have no words for this match. Same terrible defending as this whole season, Mathieu can't defend even if his whole family lives depended on it. Just sell him in the winter transfer market, bring in some of the B team defenders to replace him, we also purchased a new CD so he will join us in the winter and play Ruiz and Ruben Vezo as the center backs.

As far as left back goes, I just don't see Bernat being very effective either, he is average in defense and doesn't contribute anything in attack. He is not the biggest problem, but its obvious he isn't a great defender. I'd much rather Guardado play there, or bring Gaya from the B team, since for no reason we left Aly Cissokho go to Liverpool. I mean just ridiculous, this team is going down more and more day by day. We don't have any left backs, Mathieu can barely walk he is so bad and we let got of Aly. Now we play Bernat there, wasting his talent, wasting his development, we have no width at the left wing and yet you'd think we'd have 80% possession with all the central play, but that is not the case either.

And where is Michel? I mean he was probably the best player for Levante last year and Djukic doesn't even bench him. Why doesn't he play him behind the striker in an attacking midfielder role where he is best. Put Fuego and Parejo/Banega in the center or maybe Fuego and Romeu, since our defense is so bad.

I just don't trust Djukic, I don't trust him at all, I think he is ruining the team and this president is so blind and bad its unbelievable. They are literally destroying the club.

Valencia CF is tier 3 club, we are relegation zone weakling, not worthy to play in La Liga. I just hope something goes right, because the club is speeding down the road and at the end there is a hole.

Official: Valencia sign teenager Ruben Vezo

Second piece of official news today. I wonder which came first, the signing of Vezo or the sacking of Braulio.

Anyways, Ruben Vezo is 19 year old Portuguese center back currently playing for Vitoria FC in the Portuguese League. Following the departure of Rami, it was deemed fit by the management to bring in a center back. Starting January 1st, Valencia will have Costa, Ruiz, Mathieu, and Vezo as center backs.  The signing is reportedly for about 1.5 million euros and it is a full transfer. The deal is for four years with Vitoria FC able to get 25% off any future sale/loan of the player.

I don't have any idea of the quality of this player (first time seeing his name or his club). However, according to FIFA he is a player with lots of strength and jumping ability. The way our center backs are playing now is, and most of you will agree, awful. I'd even say that the defense is the most obvious of Valencia's many weaknesses. I hope this new signing will be able to improve the defense. However, as was stated in a previous articles, Ruiz should be given his chance since he earned it. My only point of criticism with this signing is that I would have preferred to see on the B-team center-backs promoted. That way, the transition would be instant. The management must have thought they weren't good enough or something. As it stands, however, there are only three center-backs and since Djukic insists on playing Costa and Mathieu with no improvement what-so-ever it will be another two months to endure. Anyway, good luck to the new signing when he arrives and I hope he does well.

As always, feel free to let us know what you think!!!

AMUNT VALENCIA!!!

Official: Braulio Vazquez Sacked!!!

Well, I can't say anything other than he got what was coming to him. The fans made it clear after the game against Almeria that they want Braulio gone and the President got it done. Braulio really hasn't done his job all that well and in my opinion deserved to go. If you recall I wrote a post a while back when the transfer market was open about the number of signings that Valencia was close to but were given up to weaker teams or to rival teams. While you may say that Valencia can't expect to get every player they set their sights on, or that they are riddled with financial difficulties, that would all be true. However, he let some really good deals go (Giovanni dos Santos, Vicente Iborra and even David Villa). As was said in an earlier post, he is like "a headless chicken" in the transfer market. So good riddance.

As always, feel free to let us know what you think!!!

AMUNT VALENCIA!!!

Getafe CF vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Getafe CF vs Valencia CF

Stadium:  Coliseum Alfonso Pérez

Date: 03:11:2013; 12:00 CET

12th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Luis García Plaza and Miroslav Djikic

This is going to be an interesting match, but not because of how equally matched both teams are or because of the prestige of the match, no, because it will decide Miroslav Djukic future at Valencia CF or lack thereof. That in itself will decide the future of Valencia CF as well, whether the team will continue fighting in the middle of the table or whether the team is going to once again assert its place among the best teams in Spain and a regular Champions League club.


Personally I wouldn't mind if Valencia CF lost this match, because I know that Djukic will be gone and finally we may, just may start seeing the team play well and achieve good results with a different coach. I mean it would be really bad if the team lost, Valencia would probably fall to 16th to 17th position on the table which is basically relegation level, but at least it will be the final call for Salvo to sack the coach.

On the other hand if Valencia CF win, I have a feeling that its going to be just a continuation of the same terrible play and same bad results for longer, and most likely wreck the club and lose even Europa League. I mean I wish I'm wrong, I wish the team comes out today and just absolutely destroys Getafe with amazing play and a solid 3-0 win, or at least 2-0 win and actually change my view on the situation and prove that they can come back and at the very least reach the Europa League spots with Djukic in charge, but the reality is that is not going to happen.

Most of Valencia's wins this season have also been lucky, I mean it could have easily been more defeats and draws, and Ricardo Costa is our key striker basically, that is just bad. I mean you would want to get those types of goals as well, but your main wins should be because you outplayed your opponents and not because of lucky goals.

And I'm sorry I sound so negative, but I'd rather give everyone the hard truth, rather than a convenient lie and exert fake optimism just for the sake of it. I want Valencia CF to be top team again like 1999 when I started following the club or 2000 or 2002 or 2004 or at the very least of 2009 when we were able to reach 3rd place. Even 4th place would be good, I just don't want a Valencia CF that is mediocre and finishes on places where no one cares that it finished on that place.

Who do I think would win if I analyze the match and provided my educated opinion? Getafe is going to win, if not for anything else, because this team doesn't play well when in this type of situation, in fact I'd say it actually plays worse. So right now Getafe are in a better form, have the better defense, have a more stable midfield and a more robust attack and Valencia CF has potential on paper, but in reality we have a weak defense that is leaking goals, we have an inconsistent midfield and non functioning attack that only relies on some individual brilliance or a lucky goal.

So I expect at least a 2-0 victory for Getafe.

Miroslav Djukic last match?

Miroslav Djukic could have his last game as coach of Valencia CF this Sunday in the match again Getafe. Valencia CF president Salvo earlier in the season claimed that Miroslav Djukic is safe for the whole season, but he is forced to say that to keep things calm and quiet, another loss would mean the end of Miroslav Djukic and even a win, which is highly unlikely may still be the end for him, even if it means just prolonging the stay a little.

Getafe are playing some good football this season and it shows on the table, as they are in 6th position with 19 points, only 6 bellow 3rd placed Real Madrid. This isn't guarantee that they will finish top 6 at the end of the season, but with 11 games they've shown they can hold their own against most teams and certainly Valencia CF is one of those teams.

Getafe are playing at home and in the situation Valencia CF is right now, Getafe are the clear favorites to win, which at this point I think I wouldn't be too bummed out if it means Djukic gets ousted. I just don't trust him anymore to lead the team to good things and everything I've seen from him tells me that he is not going to get things right.

For example he keeps playing players out of position, he keeps on insisting on the failed central defensive duo of Mathieu and Costa when Ruiz has proven that he is way more competent than Mathieu and R. Costa right now and in the few matches he played Valencia CF actually defended competently.

The team also doesn't have wing play, at least not in a good solid way that would enable them to penetrate opposition defenses and to me this is a failure of tactics and training. I mean you got to practice moves in attack so that players know what to do and what is expected of them, right now I feel like its free for all and no one really knows what to do or what is expected from them to do.

We have 3 great attackers on paper in Pabon, Postiga and Jonas, but somehow can't utilize them properly. I mean Postiga is great on positioning and dead ball situations, not very technically gifted, but has a sense of goal, Pabon is the type of player who likes to cut in from the side, run at players, dribble past one or two players and he showed that he is really good at it at Betis, and we have Jonas who is an assist machine and who's proven this time and time again each season. He is a sort of poor man's David Silva that operates through the center, rather than through the wing, yet this season he hasn't done much.

To me this means they aren't utilized properly and that the team isn't functioning as a unit and this can be due to lack of match practice in training, lack of build-up practice, players being out of position often, or all of these combined.

I mean on paper the Valencia CF team should perform way better, this is not hugely weakened team from last season, in fact we lost Soldado, but gained Pabon, Postiga, Michel, Ever and Canales are fully fit, we have a more robust defensive midfielder, etc...

Again, at this point I don't trust that Djukic can improve the team and lead them to Champions League position, I actually won't mind if Valencia CF lost to Getafe so that we can get a new manager. I know the financial situation is bad and that if we have to pay Djukic all the money of his contract it would be terrible, but I hope that Djukic would be honest with himself, realize that he is terrible and can't lead Valencia CF and come to an agreement to reduce the penalty of breaking the contract and get paid up till 31 December and obviously be free to look for a new job. This would be the best possible scenario, though I'm not so sure if Djukic is a fair and honest man.

What I know for certain though is that if Valencia CF lose against Getafe that would be it with Djukic, I just hope that the next manager that replaces him is actually more reputable and more able to lead a club like Valencia CF.

Miroslav Djukic must go

Okay, this is the last straw for me. I haven't been writing because I haven't watched half of the matches because every time I watch I get extremely frustrated and even though I've watched the match and have my notes, I just can't make myself write it because of how terrible the team is playing and because most the the results are loses.

For me this loss today against Almeria puts the nail on the coffin for Miroslav Djukic. I didn't want to write this article earlier, because I thought I'd give him time and that the team would improve, but that has not been the case at all, in fact, if anything the team has gotten worse.

This match against Almeria tonight just showed how bad the team is playing and we are basically almost half the season. Within few more matches and is end of the first half of the season, and the team couldn't be further from playing good football and winning.

Lets face it, with the type of games we've been having in most of the matches we can't win, the team is at best a bottom half team that finishing 10th place would be considered great. That is how bad the team is playing and has been playing so far in the season and I don't have any illusions anymore that it can improve or better said that Miroslav Djukic can improve the team to fight for at least a Europa League spot right now, I'm afraid we are going to miss out even that.

Miroslav Djukic is just not the coach to make it work, he had his chance, he had the full support of the board and of the president and even the fans have been contempt and waiting on him to really develop the team, but I think its clear now that this is not going to happen.

I've went back in anticipation of another loss and rewatched some of the games and in most games the midfield was pretty much non existent and the average concurrent passes seemed to be around 3 and then the ball would have been lost and a counter attack pretty much with the defense that we have assures a goal for the opposing team.

I think the players moral is low, self belief is low and I think they question the coach as well, I also don't think that Djukic was ready for a team like Valencia CF, he has never coached a team of similar status as Valencia CF and a small team coach doesn't understand how to coach a higher tier club. We've seen this time and time again, the few coaches that manage to get it right from that position end up becoming really recognizable and great coaches who are then worth million to bring.

Valencia CF doesn't have the money, but at this point I think it may not be the worst to splash 3-4 million on a great and proven coach, than just waste 1 million here, 1 million there and have bad coaches and loose out on Champions league and maybe even Europa League this season.

Its better to splash the cash on a proven coach and then just forget it and be secure that he will do very good and be able to steer the team even with bad players to a good position on the table, which right now would be 5th to 6th position and 4th position would be just amazing.

At this point Salvo must act as well, if he is to not be named one of the worst presidents in the history of the club and I must say I already miss Manuel Llorente who's approach was way better and he would have been in the locker room every day if he had to, to talk to the team and get everyone to perform.

I'm also sick and tired of Braulio who has no plan at all, he is like a headless chicken in the transfer market with no vision and/or long term planning. I mean putting a random person on his position would have done a better job this season and for that matter last season as well.

First thing's first though and Djukic must go, in fact if he is honest with himself he will resign on his own and won't demand to be paid his full contract. At this point his false confidence won't do him any good, it clear that the task for him is too big and he isn't competent enough to manage the team.

Road of No Return: Adil Rami to leave

Valencia's defense is not at its best and has not been for quite a while now. From the defenders that club did has: Cissokho was loaned to Liverpool; Guardado has been a liability; Bernat has been decent; Pereira explosive; Barragan needs more work, Ruiz has been promising but suffered an injury; Mathieu has been inconsistent; while Rami and Costa have been slow and out of form.

In Valencia news over the past couple of weeks, Rami has been punished by the club for badmouthing his team-mates as well as the coach by saying something along the lines of "they got no balls" (no pun intended). The club was quick to act and suspend his pay and playing time. With the issue out of hand and no one willing to negotiate it was deemed best to get rid of Rami. As some of you may recall he was up on the transfer market in the summer yet no one bought him despite attracting a lot of interest. As such, the club decided to loan him out to Italian giants AC Milan for an undisclosed fee (some reports say 500,000 euros) with an option of purchase. Rami expressed delight at this news and reportedly told the press that it was a dream of his to play for Milan.

For the Valencia fans, however, this is both positive and negative. In one hand, one of the trouble makers and weak performers of the team is being forced out. On the other hand, Valencia have one less defender to work with. Some sources suggest that Fuego could be used as a center back while Ruiz recovers. I think Fuego was amazing at CDM and I don't think he should be changed. Maybe try Romeu in defense since he has played there before. Djukic will have to put something stable together until the transfer market. It is rumored that Guardado could also be on his way out to Everton while Tiago Ilori will be brought in to reinforce the defense.

Feel free to let us know what you think :)
AMUNT VALENCIA!!!

Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Valencia CF Match Report

Athletic Bilbao stay undefeated at home and Valencia CF manage a draw in a tough away fixture. I think both clubs can be satisfied, but disappointed with the result as well, depends on how you look at it.

For Valencia CF one can be disapointed because the team had several good chances to increase the lead, but the players failed and somewhat wasted their chances. For example we had two shots by Jonas, header by Feghouli, header by Postiga, good pass from Barragan to Feghouli and this one provided a deep pass in the penalty area, but there weren't Valencia CF players close enough. So several good chances that didn't result in goals that could have. 

Bilbao had their chances as well, they had one dangerous shot that hit the post, had few dangerous shots from outside the penalty area and really pressed Valencia CF for the past 15 minutes and tried to get to a win.

Ultimately it was an improved performance from Valencia CF, with Barragan really impressing me in attack and Feghouli doing significantly better than in the previous matches and winning the penalty for Valencia CF. Pabon had some good moves as well and linked up well with Guardado and the defense was pretty solid until the goal. 

Jonas did really well as well, had some good moves and dribles, forming positions for himself and had two good shots on goal. Paco didn't have any chances, but the service to him was low and for example Barragan and Jonas chose to shoot, instead of pass to Paco who was in good position both times. I think that Barragan loob could have been a goal if he passed to Paco, but it was hard to see and be sure that he would have passed accurately. 

Technical details:

Player Ratings:

Guaita 6 - Secure in dealing with what was thrown at him, didn't have hard direct shots, but was secure in how he handled the goal and penalty area.

Barragan 6.5 - Impressive performance from Barragan, especially in attack as he provided several passes and crosses and he had one loob on goal. I guess injured at the end as he was replaced by Ruiz.

R. Costa 6 - Had a good game, I would have preferred Ruiz as he has been solid and the team hasn't conceded with him, but R. Costa had a good game as well. Don't know if he could have done anything more for the goal.

Mathieu 6 - Stable performance from Mathieu, he had few blocks and interceptions.

Guardado 5 - Decent defensively and provided some help on the left wing to Pabon, but gave away the ball once to Bilbao who were able to have a counter attack out of it and was sometimes caught too forward and had trouble tracking back.

Fuego 6 - Good solid play, intercepted few balls and helpful in the defense, was also involved a bit more in the forward passing as well as opposed to previous matches.

Banega 6.5 - Scored the goal from the penalty spot and provided some good through passes, also intercepted and won the ball several times, but he also lost the ball quite a few times as well. Needs to improve his passing.

Feghouli 6 - Was actually good for a change and was involved very much in the attack, linking up good with Barragan and the central midfield, provided few good passes in the penalty area and won the penalty kick.

Jonas 6.5 - Was involved in many of the chances and was able to create space for himself to shot twice at goal. Had good understanding with Paco and Guardado.

Pabon 6 - Hard working industrial performance, provided two great crosses and linked up good with Guardado, though didn't cut inside the penalty area at all, which he should have done few times.

Paco 6 - Good showing even though he didn't score, provided a pass to Jonas for a good shot on goal, found himself in good positions, but the service to him wasn't particularly good.

Subs:

Postiga N/A - Had one header that could have been better, but by that time Bilbao were on the offensive and he couldn't do much.

Canales N/A - Weak performance, came in and was expected to hold the ball and give VCF more possession, but he just didn't do much.

Ruiz N/A - Not enough time.

Kuban Krasnodar 0-2 Valencia CF Match Report

Valencia CF managed to get their first win the the Europa League against their Russian opponent Kuban Krasnodar by 2-0. Kuban Krasnodar is a newcomer to the Russian Premier league and hasn't opened the season very good so the expectations were that Valencia CF is and must win this game.

Whilst Valencia won, it wasn't all that convincing win. In fact Valencia struggled for most of the match and it was only after Kuban Krasnodar silly goalkeeper mistake that Paco managed to score and bring Valencia CF a lead of one goal. After that the Russians tried to push forward and win, but Feghouli put an end to their hopes with a brilliantly taken free kick.

Overall it wasn't a convincing win, the wing play was almost non existent and the team really started playing after Fede came in in place for Canales and caused some problems with his pace and trickery. Paco also had an impact with his goal, but also good positioning and desire to run, so he was in a position to punish the goalkeeper's mistake.

By the end Djukic brought in Romney in place of Parejo to close out the game and this time he showed a more stable play, although it was against a significantly weaker opponent and when the end was towards the end. Anyways impressive displays from Fede, Paco scored a goal which will be good for his confidence and the defense has been solid, even with Mathieu out and R. Costa partnering Ruiz for the first time in a long time.

Technical details:
FC Kuban Krasnodar(0): Belenov, Kozlov, Xandao, Dealbert, Melgarejo, Fidler, Tlisov, Khubulov (Tsoraev, m. 59), Bueno (Bucur, m. 68), Popov y Cissé (Balde, m. 81).

Valencia CF(2): Guaita, Barragán, Ricardo Costa, Víctor Ruiz, Guardado, Javi Fuego, Parejo (Oriol Romeu, m. 76), Feghouli, Canales (Fede, m. 59), Bernat y Piatti (Alcácer, m. 66).

Goals: 0-1. M. 73: Alcácer. 0-2. M. 81: Feghouli.

Player Ratings:
Guaita 6 - Didn't have much work, whatever came towards him he was secure.
Barragan 5 - Not the most influential of matches, was good in defense and a bit lacking when going forward.
R. Costa 6.5 - Made several interventions and blocked few shots, bailed out Ruiz on one or two occasions too.
Ruiz 6 - Somewhat weaker performance compared to R. Costa, but did enough to stop Kuban Krasnodar attackers and keep a clean sheet.
Guardado 5 - Decent at the back, but failed to contribute much going forward.
Fuego 6 - Good solid display at the center of the park, broke up few play and was generally useful in defense.
Parejo 5.5 - Good performance, but nothing special. He was more accurate with his passing and didn't make any significant mistakes.
Feghouli 6 - Scored a goal with a brilliant free kick, but was otherwise invisible and didn't contribute anything.
Canales 5 - I've always considered him a big talent with a huge potential, but its getting clearer and clearer that after all his injuries he just doesn't have it anymore. Average performance with nothing to stand out.
Bernat 5- Quite anonymous performance by Bernat who really failed to threaten Kuban at all. Tracked back nicely though and helped out in defense.
Piatti 5.5 - Showed off his pace a few times and found himself in semi decent situations, but was unable to make the most of it. Largely covered and prevented from scoring.
Subs:
Fede 6 - Didn't have too much time, but with his coming on the game changed and he did cause problems for Kuban with his pace and trickery. Had one good shot towards goal from the right side.
Paco 6 - Came in and scored a goal shorty after, so he will be happy with that and deserves more playing time and to start these type of matches.
Romeu N/A - not enough time.

Kuban Krasnodar vs Valencia CF Match Preview

FC Kuban Krasnodar vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Kuban stadium

Date: 03.10.2013; 18:00 CET

2nd matchday, Europa league

Coaches: Dorinel Munteanu and Miroslav Djukic

Valencia's opponent in tonight's match in the Europa League is Kuban Krasnodar a Russian football club based in Krasnodar. In 2011 the team began playing in the Russian Premier League after having won the Russian First Division in 2010.

The rise to prominence for the Russian club has been fast, after finishing 5th in the Russian Premier League, but will it be longstanding?

Valencia CF lost its first match in the Europa League to Swansea in what was a huge 3-0 defeat for Valencia CF. Since then the club has bounced off domestically and has won the last three matches, but only barely and with minimum advantage, pretty much all of the goals being quite lucky as well.

So its quite a bit of a mystery how the team will play tonight and will it be able to win against what is a relatively weak opponent compared to some of the other clubs. Winning tonight against Kuban is a must though if Valencia CF hopes to qualify for the next round of the Europa League and it would be great to win convincingly to improve the goal ratio as that can also be a factor later on.

Valencia CF squad:
Guaita, Jaume, Pizana, Barragán, Ricardo Costa, Víctor Ruiz, Mathieu, Bernat, Guardado, Javi Fuego, Parejo, Oriol Romeu, Míchel, Fede, Feghouli, Robert Ibáñez, Piatti, Pabón, Canales, Paco Alcácer.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Guaita; Barragan, Ruiz, Mathieu, Guardado; Fuego, Michel, Feghouli; Canales, Bernat; Pabon.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, medium frequency wing attacks, low short passing.