RCD Espanyol vs Valencia CF Match Preview

RCD Espanyol vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Estadi Cornellà-El Prat

Date: 08.02.2015, 19:00 CET

22nd matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Sergio González and Nuno Santo

Valencia CF  has a lot to prove in this match after last week's disaster against Malaga. This is a chance for Valencia CF to get revenge over Espanyol for the Copa del Rey cup elimination and make things right after last week's blunder and missed opportunity.

Nuno Espirito Santo has had a lot of work to do and one of the biggest issue he has to address in the midfield and midfield possession. The team has been losing the center battle of the field even against the weakest of teams, something that should not happen. 

Valencia CF has a good record home though, I don't know what it is, if the crowd really affects the team that positively that they play so much better at home, but they do and this will be a challenge tonight for the team to win away from home against RCD Espanyol who've shown before that they can beat Valencia CF and they are going to go after 3 points in this match. So the team has to prove itself that they can win away from home and do it in a good fashion as well, have chances, have control over the match.

The good news is that Pablo Piatti and Sofiene Feghouli are both back, Piatti returns from a long injury and Feghouli returns from the African cup of nations after being eliminated with his national team Algeria. Both these players were sorely missed at times and its good that they are back, but the question is how soon can they fit in and start playing optimally after a month of not playing for the team.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Yoel
Defenders: Barragan, Vezo, Mustafi, Gaya, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Parejo, Enzo, Gomes, Felipe, Feghouli, Piatti, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Diego; Barragan, Mustafi, Vezo, Gaya; Enzo, Parejo; Feghouli; Gomes, Piatti, Paco.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own third pressure, short passing, counter attacks.

Match Result: 
RDC Espanyol 1-2 Valencia CF
I'm going to go with caution this time after being burned last match and predict a minor 2-1 victory for Valencia CF. I think RCD Espanyol are going to score and its probably going to be 1-1, before Paco Alcacer scoring a goal to make it 2-1 in the 70-80th minute.

Malaga CF 1-0 Valencia CF Match Report

Well, it's late but I couldn't write anything after seeing that performance. It was a night where the list of things we did do write is a lot shorter than the list of things we got absolutely wrong.

Nuno started off things like he usually did, if it worked last time, I'll keep playing it. The team that played against Sevilla, with authority I might add, 3-1 would not show up today though. This performance was reminiscent in my opinion to a Djukic level performance, where I have said before countless times, even the basics weren't done correctly. The runs, the passing, the shots, the crosses were all poor. You'd almost think Malaga was the one that had the better players, although Valencia's players on paper are a lot better. When a Valencia player crossed the ball, the viewer (us) and even the player himself would be hoping to pick out someone. When a Valencia player shot, again they are only hoping for it to do something. On the other hand, every cross from Malaga, you knew, everybody knew, precisely where it would land, or if it was a shot that it would be aimed with utmost confidence.

Malaga's goal would come 25' minutes into the game with Samuel Castillejo slipping between the Valencia center backs and getting on the end of an excellent cross from Samuel Garcia to head the ball backwards and over Alves. Garcia was in acres of space and he took the time to pick out the cross, not just kick it and hope like Valencia CF have done. Ok, it's a mistake, a slip-up fine. Now alarm bells should be ringing, Garcia can cross really well and Castillejo can finish, lets prevent the crosses. That didn't happen. Garcia again was given space 3-4 more times in the next 10 minutes to do the exact same thing, same position, same cross, same run in between defenders. These are the basics, you can't fall for the same thing more than once like that - fortunately none of those efforts were converted but were awfully close.

The game continued with Valencia CF giving possession away time and time again. At this point, even the passes I was praying that they'd make to their target, a lot of them didn't - either too short or way too much. I hope Nuno schedules 3 training sessions, one for crosses (how to do it and how to deal with), shooting, and passing. That's the only solution I see cause these are basics...What's the point of a counter-attack if the passes can't be made.

Anyway, the onslaught continued with Malaga getting chance after chance and Valencia CF had three players booked before half time - another thing thats being common these days. Second half, you'd hope Nuno would address the issues and a better team would come out but it still changed nothing. So Nuno's solution - we need another striker, let's take off Parejo (the creative core of the team) off for it. Well, the forwards weren't getting the ball in the first place, you can have 5 forwards if you wanted but there is no supply. Then things go to the absolute worst and Joao Cancelo's youthful rashness gets him a second booking (notice all our right backs Pereira- gone now, Barragan and Cancelo are familiar with red cards).

The good thing though was that Valencia CF played surprisingly better, although not by much, with 10 men. Rodrigo de Paul, no matter how well he plays previously, gets the last 15 minutes of the game and can't do anything at that point. There were some measly Valencia CF chances at the end but nothing worth mentioning compared to Malaga's chances

Goals
1-0 (Samuel Castillejo, 25')

Ratings
Alves 6 - Can't really blame him, if anything he kept it at 1-0, with his saves
Joao Cancelo 3 - Really disappointed, gave us a good performance the match before only to ruin it with a terrible one and a red card
Mustafi 5 - Decent performance to track back and cover up but allowed forwards to slip through several times
Otamendi 5.5 - You could tell he was trying despite everyone else messing up, he was covering the whole back line.
Gaya 5 - Not his best day, and most of the danger and the goal came from the left flank (Malaga's right) when he went forward - no one was there to take his spot
Fuego 1.5 - Awful, awful, awful, was a minus player, gave away posession too much, spent his time watching the match instead of playing it. I can't believe we have players like this and Augusto who play for us and we're supposed to be Champions League tier. Come back and take him West Ham.
Parejo 5 - Passing wasn't up to par today, he was trying, but still nothing close to the Parejo we know from last year who could do it all - tacke, intercept, pass and score
Gomes 4.5 - Not much game impact despite running all game
Enzo 4 - anyone starting to regret the 25 million spent here? For a player of his quality, reputation and price tag should do a lot better
Negredo 4.5 - not much blame attached here, barely got the ball, the chances he did get though all though they were half chances, a player of his quality should make those pay off
Rodrigo 4.5 - Ran like a horse but was started to get selfish when he saw the team underperforming. Too many unecessary dribbles and touches when he should pass

Subs:
Alcacer 5 - felt sorry for him, he wanted to do something but a poacher can't do anything with no supply and with the creative player on the bench
Rodrigo de Paul 5 - Brought on with 10 men and a goal down, couldn't do what he's good at doing.
Orban N/A - Not enough time

Honors
Man of the Match (MOTM): Diego Alves -by rating only the whole team sucked
Flop of the Match: take your pick, Javi Fuego
Worst Posession: Javi Fuego
Best Posession: None
Best Defense: Otamendi
Worst Defense: Joao Cancelo
Best Offense: We had an offense?
Worst Offense: None - forwards don't get the ball

Final Thoughts:
This needs to change and fast, none of us like writing losing match reports where the team sucks this much. Nuno has shown potential in the games against big teams - no question, dropping points to weaker teams on the other hand, is out of the question. Champion's League Team, heck even Europa League teams shouldn't lose this much to teams like this. As someone pointed out, every team ends their losing streak or their off-form run against Valencia CF it seems. We also end good records like Real Madrid's winning streak. We have the best home form of any team in La Liga and that's something to be proud of - the Mesalla is a fortress. Away from the fortress though, whether its lack of confidence, preparation or adaptation, needs work - major work. We still have the Calderon, Bernabeu and Nou Camp on the way and thats where things can get ugly with this away form. However, one step at a time, next up is Cornella for match against Espanyol. This is where Nuno has to prove himself, win away from home against the team that, at this stadium, knocked both Valencia CF and Sevilla from the Copa del Rey. Trust in Nuno until then, no coach gets it right on the first year, again Simeone only finished 5th on his first season, look where Atletico is now. Same with Brendan Rodgers - first season failed, second season was competing for the title. Amunt Valencia!

Malaga CF vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Malaga CF vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: La Rosaleda

Date: 02.02.2015, 19:00 CET

21th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Javi Gracia and Nuno Santo

Valencia CF are coming to this match after a big 3-1 victory over champions league football rival Sevilla and the team would be confident when taking on Malaga CF later tonight. Valencia CF is going to look for a win over Malaga CF, now that the team has the head to head advantage against Sevilla its important to start accumulating a lot of points and use the advantage. Sevilla are demoralized, they also play in more competitions and will be tired in many of their league games, so Valencia CF has to win these type of matches, especially away matches, something the team has had trouble achieving so far.

Malaga CF are a very dangerous team, after the 3-0 trashing by Valencia CF at the start of the season they've bounced back and they have been playing good football managing to secure themselves the 7th place on the table with 32 points. That said they've been on a bit of a negative spree, they haven't had a win in La Liga in 4 matches and if we add in the cup as well they haven't had a win in 6 matches. So even though they are in a good position and have been playing good football overall, they've been in a somewhat of a slump recently and of course will be looking to leave that behind with a great opportunity for them to win against Valencia CF at their home terrain.

There is no big news for this game, the transfer window finished uneventfully for Valencia CF, Pablo Piatti is still recovering from injury and will be available for the next match and there is no other injuries to the team. Antinio Barragan is back from injury and is in the squad to face Malaga CF. Looking at the squad the coach Nuno Santo has called up one Mestalla player to the first team. That new player is Tropi, he is 19 years of age and plays in midfield.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Yoel
Defenders: Barragan, Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Parejo, Enzo, Gomes, Felipe, Tropi, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Diego; Barragan, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya; Enzo, Parejo, Gomes; Moreno, Paco, De Paul.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, midfield triangle, counter attacks.

Match Result:
Malaga CF 0-3 Valencia CF
Malaga CF are in a slump, they haven't had a win in 6 matches if you include the cup and 4 matches if you only look at La Liga, they've also already lost 3-0 to Valencia CF in the first half of the season so they won't be confident coming to this match, while Valencia CF won a big game last week against Sevilla, they've had plenty of time to rest and prepare after that match and the team have been playing really well again, so I'm predicting a repeat of the first match between these two teams.

Valencia CF winter transfers 2015

The winter transfer window is over and Valencia CF have reinforced with the acquisition of Enzo Perez from Benfica FC for 26 million euros. This was Valencia's only purchase, with 4 players leaving the club.

Carles Gil was sold to Aston Villa for 5 million euros, some say too cheap, some say we should have kept the player, but it is what it is and 5 million euros is not little for an unproven footballer who's only played several times for Valencia CF.

Robert Ibanez was loaned out to Granada CF in order to get some more playing time, as he wasn't given too much playing time in Valencia CF apart from few minutes here and there in substitutions.

Bruno Zuculini who was here on loan from Manchester City was given back to City as he only featured once under Nuno and wasn't even in the squad for most of the matches.

Finally Joao Pereira contract was rescinded and he went on to join Hannover 96 as a free agent, after being shut out of the squad for 6 months, due to a technical decision by the coach. A bit unfair towards the player, but hopefully he can find his form and manage to perform well to continue being invited to the Portugal national team.

Overall quite an uneventful winter transfer market for Valencia CF, there were quite a bit of reports with players coming or leaving, but ultimately just one player arrived and few players who didn't play left, leaving the core of the team intact and pretty much the same.

With Pablo Piatti coming back from a 4 week injury and being able to play next week, as well as Feghouli arriving back in 3 weeks the team will gain back on some of the depth it lost with these two players being unavailable.

What do you think about the winter transfer window, what did you expect and how do you think Valencia CF did, tell us in the comments.

Bruno Zuculini ends Valencia CF loan deal

Its official, Bruno Zuculini loan deal with Valencia CF has been terminated. He has only played few minutes total in over 6 months now and there were reports very early actually, in fact as soon as October that he would leave in the winter transfer, and even though it took a bit longer, I guess contracts having to be sorted out, its not been done and he returns to Manchester City, who would probably end up using him since they are left without Yaya Toure.

Nuno Espirito Santo gave Felipe Augusto a lot more chances to prove himself and its a bit unfair that he didn't give any chance to Zuculini to prove himself, especially since Felipe hasn't proven himself, he's showed that he needs to work a lot harder.

Joao Pereira rescinds Valencia CF contract

Its official, Joao Pereira and Valencia CF have mutually agreed to terminate his contract. As of today Joao Pereira is a free agent and free to join any club he wants.

I think this is a good move for Joao Pereira as he needs playing time and he's been left out by the coach for 6 months, on the other hand Valencia CF looses out on few million euros on his sale, but at the end of the day it helps him to to a new club in Hannover 96.

There were reports that Arsenal and Benfica were interested in the player, but I guess Hannover 96 had the best offer for him.

Jose Luis Gaya to join Real Madrid?

Reports from Spain are indicating that Real Madrid are stepping up their interest in Valencia's talented young left back Jose Luis Gaya. I've already reported on this interest over a month ago and it was before the winter transfer market as well, so Valencia CF had time to extend the contract with him before the winter transfer market and before any bigger interest in him.

Real Madrid interested in Jose Gaya This is the article I wrote over a month ago and now it seems like Real Madrid are really using all their power to try and get Jose Gaya in their ranks. This is not going to happen in the winter transfer, from my sources this is a summer move for Real Madrid. As I've written before they are trying to find a long term replacement for Marcelo and with Fabio Coentrao out of favor with Carlo Anceloti and having barely played any games in the past 2 seasons, Real Madrid are going to offload Coentrao in the summer and move in for a long term replacement for Marcelo and they've identified Jose Gaya as their primary target.

Valencia CF now has to work really hard and really smart to avoid a disaster and I would consider losing Gaya a disaster of gigantic proportions. He is one of the best left backs in the world already and I've been following Valencia CF and football for over 15 years, I can spot a talent when I see one and Gaya is one of the biggest talents I've ever seen.

Valencia CF has to now mover really quick and really smart and offer him a better deal than the one they are offering him now. With Real Madrid interest skyrocketing, the plain-field has changed. Now they need to look at Jose Luis Gaya and offer him contract as if he was 3 years in the future and a key player for Valencia CF playing in the champions league. You can't offer him the standard contract offer now, yes Valencia CF can't be offering big salaries yet, the financials are really difficult especially since Peter Lim wants the team to be solvent and operating with small profits. But they can offer him good solid bonuses. Give him a clause for champions league football at 250k euros, give him a clause at clean sheets with a bonus of 20k euros, etc...

Performance based bonuses that can improve his salary that he can achieve with good plays.

Paco Alcacer extends Valencia CF contract to 2020

Its official, Paco Alcacer has extended his contract with Valencia CF to 2020. The new contract is a much improved one, with significantly higher salary and bonuses for the player, as well as a huge buy-out clause set at 80 million euros if other clubs want to acquire the player in the future.

Speaking to official club channel VCFplay after the agreement, Alcácer said: “I am delighted and proud to be continuing at Valencia CF for five more seasons. I want to thank the club for the confidence in me that they are showing. What I have to do now is pay them back by scoring goals and giving everything that I have to help the team.”

Some good news there and next up is Jose Gaya's contract, which the club is still negotiating for and trying to find the balance. Of course Valencia CF can't break the bank and offer huge salaries, the players will have to accept good, but not huge salaries if they really want to stay in Valencia CF and maybe through bonuses like scoring goals or keeping clean sheets or qualifying to champions league they will get a big chunk more money.

Valencia CF 3-1 Sevilla FC Match Report

Valencia CF won a very important match against Sevilla FC, one that brings Valencia CF ahead of Sevilla on the table, gives the advantage to Valencia CF in the head to head matches in case both teams finish with the same points at the end of the season and more importantly as I've already written in the match preview this win gives Valencia CF the mental advantage.

This loss is Sevilla's fourth loss against the bigger teams, they've managed to win against most smaller teams, but they've lost to pretty much all top teams, so this goes in their heads a little bit and creates an inferiority complex for them. They are also in more competitions than Valencia CF, in fact a lot more competitions and this creates a better position for Valencia CF to reach the champions league spots over Sevilla. While they will be tired battling on three fronts, Valencia CF only has to focus on the Spanish league and reaching that champions league spot.

As far as the match tonight it was a very tough match for Valencia CF, both teams are similarly matched, but in different aspects. As suspected Valencia CF were again weak in the midfield portion, while Sevilla were particularly strong in that aspect.

The match was fairly equal in all aspects at the start, in fact Valencia CF had the more dangerous attacks, and even had two claims for penalties in the first 10 minutes of the match, but the referee waved play on on both of those. In the 18th minute though Negredo would go down in the penalty area and the referee finally blew the whistle and awarded Valencia CF the penalty.

Daniel Parejo took to the spot to take the penalty and his shot was in the opposite direction of where the goalkeeper jumped and he scored, giving Valencia CF the 1-0 lead.

After this lead Sevilla FC would reorganize and take the control in midfield, in fact they started gaining possession little by little and ultimately reached something like 60% over Valencia's 40% possession. For all their possession and midfield control they basically only had one opportunity that arrived from Alves error and it would be Valencia CF that would score again to make it 2-0.

Sevilla had a foul awarded to them, they took the free kick, it was a poor ball and from there on Enzo Perez would start a run, got close to Sevilla's own third and passed the ball to Parejo on the left who was clear on goal and his shot was accurate and went into the net to make it 2-0 for Valencia CF.

The celebrations would be short lived though as Sevilla FC had a penalty awarded to them just few minutes later. In fact it was Parejo who would cause the penalty by making a late and clumsy challenge in the penalty area, one which if he had not made it, it wouldn't have been dangerous for Valencia's goal. It was just a poor challenge and the referee awared the penalty kick.

Carlos Bacca took to the spot and much like Parejo's penalty spot his shot was in the opposite direction of where Diego Alves jumped and it was a goal for Sevilla, making it 2-1 and giving them a chance to get back into the game.

There was barely few minutes played again and Sevilla were rewarded a second penalty, this time due to a foul by Cancelo. If the first Sevilla penalty was clear, this one was not. In fact it seemed like it was way too harsh, there was small contact, but usually this is a play on situation.

Anyways Bacca would take to the spot once again having beaten Diego Alves once again, he was looking to beat him again and equalize the score for Sevilla. He shot to the left side of the goal and this time Alves jumped in the right direction and saved the penalty. He is not considered a penalty specialist for nothing after all.

That was pretty much the end of the first half.

The second half brought out a more organized Valencia CF side in the midfield, the area which they lost quite bad to Sevilla in the first half. So clearly the talk and directions Nuno gave the team worked and we saw Valencia CF retain the ball for more than just few second at a time. In the first half the ball would be lost within 5 second, now the ball was retained longer and the team managed to scramble more passes together.

This new found strength in midfield would result in Valencia CF attacking with more purpose and better organized, which also took pressure off the defense, which at that point needed some stability. With more attacks going Valencia's way it was Rodrigo Moreno who received the ball on the left wing, he moved forward, dribbled past two players, cut inside the center of the penalty area and found Javi Guego alone and unmarked, Fuego had a clear shot on goal and he would not miss the shot, releasing a powerful and accurate shot that went into the net and increased Valencia's lead to 3-1.

After this Sevilla reorganized once again, gained back control of the midfield and started attacking constantly again. Their main man was Deulofeu who was giving Valencia trouble all match long on that left side. Gaya was doing good defensively, but when he went forward and was coming back there would be a little bit of space.

Otamendi would also have a rather big error as he was running towards a fast moving through ball he reached out with his leg to block the ball, but he completely missed it, allowing Deulofeu to run past him, get the ball, and manage a shot past Gaya, but only into Diego Alves hands.

Unai Emery made few changes to try and save the match, taking out a defender and bringing in Kevin Gameiro in, but ultimately it proved too little, too late and Valencia CF managed to hold onto their 3-1 lead, actually having few more good chances as well to increase the result.

Technical Details:
Valencia CF: Diego Alves, Joao Cancelo, Nicolas Otamendi, Skhodran Mustafi, José Gayà, Javi Fuego, Dani Parejo, Enzo Pérez, André Gomes (Lucas Orban, m. 78), Rodrigo (Rodrigo de Paul, m. 88), Álvaro Negredo (Paco Alcácer, m. 83).

Sevilla FC: Beto, Coke, Carriço, Nicolas Pareja (Iago Aspas, m. 79), Diogo, Krychowiak, Iborra, Éver Banega, Deulofeu, Vitolo (Denis Suárez, m. 65), Bacca (Gameiro, m. 70).

Goals:
Daniel Parejo 1-0 (p.g), 19 min.
Daniel Parejo 2-0, 33 min. Assist Enzo Perez
Carlos Bacca 2-1 (p.g),  36 min.
Javi Fuego 3-1, 55 min. Assist Rodrigo Moreno

Player Ratings:
Diego 6.5 - Had a shaky start, missing a clear punch to the ball and creating a chance for Sevilla, beaten for the first penalty kick, though went on to make a great penalty save several minutes later and kept Valencia CF in the lead. Had few more more casual saves later on.
Cancelo 7 - Complete performance from the young right back, really impressive stuff if I may say so myself. Defensively solid, dealt with everything at the back and was great going forward, causing occasional trouble for Sevilla. Unlucky to get a penalty awarded against him.
Mustafi 7 - Should pass quicker, could have made a blunder again like in previous game where he got a red card, lucky to get away with it. Apart from that some solid defending and great interceptions.
Otamendi 7 - Back to his best once again, great physical presence, no nonsense defending from him, though he did have one error in the second half, if that was to be a goal it would have negated 1.5 points from his score.
Gaya 7 - Had to deal with Deulofeu all match long and was fairly good dealing with him, certainly preventing clear chances, though Deulofeu was Sevilla's most dangerous player and constantly caused problems on the left side. Offensively another super performance, good passing, crosses, moving the team forward.
Fuego 8 - Great all round performance, defensively very solid, organized the midfield, had some good blocks in the final third and scored Valencia's third goal.
Parejo 7 - As always had some wayward passes and silly moves, but kept possession better than anyone else and his defensive contribution was big this match.
Enzo 7 - Similar performance to Parejo, couldn't quite play a passing game and some of his forward moves were blocked, but worked hard defensively.
Gomes 7.5 - The danger man for Valencia CF and really the only player who felt really secure and oozed confidence when he had the ball at his feet. Easily dribbled past Sevilla players time and time again and started several dangerous attacks, managed to always retain and then pass the ball.
Moreno 8 - The second most dangerous man for Valencia CF, initiated two good chances, one of which resulted in a goal where he provided the assist for and had few opportunities for himself as well, shooting few times, though unfortunately his shots were mostly blocked.
Negredo 6 - Managed to get the penalty for Valencia CF and provided a body in the penalty area that Sevilla had to worry about, but didn't quite hit the mark. He had some missed opportunities to do more.
Subs:
Orban N/A - Not enough time
Paco N/A - Not enough time
De Paul N/A - Not enough time

Valencia CF vs Sevilla FC Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Sevilla FC Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 25.01.2014, 21:00 CET

20th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Nuno Espirito Santo and Unai Emery

The first half of the season is officially over and with the match against Sevilla FC tomorrow the second half of the season will officially begin. Sevilla FC is managed by former Valencia CF coach Unai Emery and he's been leading them impressively, managing to compete with Valencia CF step by step. Since the two teams are pretty much same on points and are similarly matched, tomorrow's match will be decisive. I mean of course Nuno Santo will say its not decisive, its just one match, he has to. The reality is that the match against Sevilla is decisive and it will dictate the rest of the season, assuming both teams have similar performances as they've had so far. I mean if one team all of a sudden decided to be really bad then it wouldn't matter, but assuming similar performances in the second half of the season as the first half, this match will be crucial.

Winning against Sevilla FC will not only give Valencia CF 3 points, get them ahead on the table, but it will also send a message to Sevilla and other teams that we mean business, we are here to compete and to win and we don't care who you are, we are going for the win. It will also mentally affect Sevilla in a negative way, because if they lose to Valencia CF they will feel weaker, they'll feel that Valencia CF is superior to them, they will feel like they can't compete with the big guys, since they've already lost to all the favorites, they lost to Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, so losing to Valencia CF as well would be devastating and affect their mental state how they are the weaker team.

I think winning is the key not only because it negatively affects them, it positively affects Valencia CF, it reaffirms the belief that we can beat anyone and that this is a top team, fighting with the top guys, competing on equal footing. We have a very young squad and such affirmations are crucial for the development, crucial for Valencia CF becoming a top tier team and competing for the title the next season.

Valencia CF is still weakened from the loss of Sofiane Feghouli due to the the African cup on nations and Pablo Piatti's injury, as well as the recent injury of Antonio Barragan, but good news is that Nicolas Otamendi is back in the squad after a smaller injury and is likely to start in this match. Alvaro Negredo will of course be coming back to his previous club, his previous home and it will be interesting to see if Nuno decides to have him in the starting eleven or possibly keep him as a reserve in case he is needed later on.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Yoel
Defenders: Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Parejo, Enzo, Gomes, Felipe, Zuculini, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Diego; Cancelo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya; Enzo, Parejo, Gomes; Moreno, Paco, De Paul.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, midfield triangle, counter attacks.

Match Result:
Valencia CF 1-1 Sevilla FC
I think its going to be a very close match, both clubs are similarly matched, Unai Emery obviously knows Valencia CF really well and he can set-up a strategy to counter us. I think the most likely outcome is a draw, with both teams scoring one goal. Basically a repeat of the first match this season.

PSG interested in Daniel Parejo

Paris Saint-Germain FC are interested in Valencia CF midfielder Daniel Parejo and are monitoring his situation. The French team have been having some issue this season as their team has not been as strong as they would have liked and are looking to strengthen their ranks.

Valencia CF have been looking into acquiring Ezequiel Lavezzi from PSG since last year in the summer transfer windows, looking again at the possibility this January and PSG could be open to the possibility of letting Ezequiel Lavezzi only if Daniel Parejo comes the other way.

Now that Valencia CF have acquired Enzo Perez and reports of Daniel Fletcher possibly joining Valencia CF floating around, it could all lead to Daniel Parejo leaving for PSG, with Lavezzi and Darren Fletcher coming to Valencia CF.

What do you guys think? Would this actually be a good deal and is there any merit to it? Tell us in the comments.

Once again guys there are several of you out there who keep posting on the old blogger comment system. I'm just going to name some of you so you get this message and figure it out. I don't know why Disqus comment system isn't loading for you, maybe you are using some script block or accessing the link directly or something, but if you want your comments seen and to discuss with other people, you need to write on the disqus comment system.

Callister Khoaley, DIckson, ElCaso, Maciek S, few others...

Valencia CF interested in James Milner

According to some sources Valencia CF is interested in bringing Manchester City player James Milner to their side. His contract with Manchester City expires this summer and there has been no signs of the player extending his contract with City and thus Valencia CF can move in to swoop the player.

Since joining Manchester City in 2010 he hasn't been the standard choice, he's always been a secondary choice and and his career has been up and down at different times. Now that he has found a place in the team though he finds himself at 29 years of age with his contract expiring and Manchester City are unwilling to pay him anything more than 2.8 million a year, which would be a reduction of 1 million euros.

Valencia CF can't pay him even 2.8 million, even though the club is in good financial status now because the club is trying to be profitable and abide by the fair play standards. The advantage would be that the player will get a new start and become a standard player for Valencia CF.

Personally I can see James Milner leaving City and joining another club, but I don't think he will move to Valencia CF. We just don't have the money to play his premier league level salary and he would need to basically accept a 2 million euros reduction to join us.

What do you guys think? Will James Milner join Valencia CF and can the club accommodate him?

Manchester United bid 35 million euros for Nicolas Otamendi

Manchester United have reportedly had a 35 million bid for Nicolas Otamendi rejected by Valencia CF.

Manchester United are looking to strengthen their squad this winter and their defense has been the primary concern so far in the season, with the club being linked to various defenders from Thiago Silva, Pique and Mats Hummels in the past. They have also been interested in Nicolas Otamendi throughout the current season and his superb performances had made him the primary target.

Now it seems Manchester United have decided to acquire Nicolas Otamendi and offered 35 million euros to Valencia CF, but the club has rejected that offer and is planning on keeping the defender in its ranks long term. With Peter Lim at the helm of the club these kind of offers are no longer relevant and the team isn't forced to sell any players, certainly not one of its best players.

Nicolas Otamendi also has a long term contract with Valencia CF so even really reputable clubs like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich won't matter, as Valencia CF can just reject any offers and keep the player, with his release clause being set at a huge 50 million euros. Something that would be a world record for a defender if someone was to reach it, which is highly unlikely.

Hey guys I see there are few people commenting on the old blogger comment system, I don't know why Disqus comment system isn't loading for you, maybe you are using script block or are accessing the page with the blogger comments link and thus you are directed to the blogger system, but if you want your comments seen, please use the Disqus comment system.

Again the Disqus comment system should be the one loading, not the blogger comment system.

Valencia 3 v 2 Almeria La Liga 17/1/2015

The first half had a bright start which saw Valencia take the lead after 11 minutes with Parejo deftly placing the ball into the bottom corner after a good cross from the right from Barragan.  The joy was shortl lived however when within 2 minutes the team from Andalucia were on level terms. Hemed getting the better of Orban to force the ball home from a cross from the left from Arsenal loanee Wellington Silva.  The goal though could have been easily avoided had Enzo Perez not needlessly given the ball away in the centre circle when losing control.

With Otamendi missing due to an ankle injury Orban was given the central roll in defence with Mustafi and apart from the goal was looking more than comfortable in his new roll. Javi Fuego was back in his familiar roll allowing Enzo Perez more opportunities to move forward to support the front runners.

More action though in the 28th minute when a delightful through ball from Andre Gomez found Alcacer, who's shot cum cross was then turned in by Rodrigo for Valencia's 2nd goal.  This should have been the start of a few more goals to warm up the crowd but as we know football doesn't work like that and within 5 minutes the visitors were again level.  A corner from the right found that man Hemed again to head home via a deflection from Andre Gomez easily out jumping the home defence to put the visitors on equal terms yet again. Another chance for the visitors went begging when they hit the crossbar from another header from a cross from the right.  Just prior to half time Barragan pulled up with what looked like a thigh strain and was replaced by Cancelo.  The team left the pitch at the break with whistles from the crowd which in my view were totally unwarranted.

The second period began with Valencia taking a bit more control and soon Javi  Fuego was taken off and replaced by Negredo, who had spent 2 years playing for Almeria in his earlier days.  He almost scored soon after coming on when a good ball from Rodrigo gave him an opportunity from a bad angle but his shot hit the side netting. It seems he could not reproduce the goal he scored in training seen on Youtube from the impossible angle.  Minutes later Rodrigo crashed a shot against the bar after good work again from Negredo who's presence together with Cancelo had really livened the team up. With 7 minutes to go the inevitable happened when after Gaya made a great run on the left and put over a killer cross for Negredo to devastate his old team mates with a powerful header to make the score 3.2.  The score remained the same and to be fair Almeria never really looked like changing the outcome in the second period due to the total dominance of the home team. It was a good feeling for a change not to be biting my nails in the closing stages as we were always the team looking more likely to add to the score.

Player Performances:
Alves 6.5   No fault on either goals and really did not have to make many telling saves and was not even given the opportunity to save a penalty.
Barragan 5.5    Had a really poor performance apart from the cross to set up the first goal. Looks as if he may be out for a while now and I think this is a position that needs strengthening urgently
Mustafi  7    His usual reliable self just gets on with his responsibilities without fuss and took charge of the defence with his quiet efficiency.
Orban 7  Fitted in well in place of Otamendi and had another good solid performance apart from being a little slow to pick up on the first goal.
Gaya  7.5  Had another great game and was sorely missed in the last game.  Caused all sorts of problems for the visitors defence as well as keeping it tight at the back.
Fuego 6.5   Did was was needed until replaced by Negredo to add more fire power
Parejo 7   Had one of his better games tonight spreading passes all over the pitch please keep up this level of performance.
Gomez 6.5    Made the first goal and generally had a solid performance until replaced by De Paul at fault with his marking from corners
Perez  6    Gave the ball away for the first goal with a lazy pass and generally looked out of sorts. I think he needs more time to settle in to La Liga and his new team, undoubtedly a great player but too many passes went astray.
Rodrigo  7.5 One of his best performances in my opinion, scored a goal and hit the crossbar and worked hard for the team
Alcacer  6.5  Worked well and was unlucky not to get a goal tonight, links up well with Rodrigo

Subs
 Cancelo 8  My man of the match,  this player should be playing every week, he really tore into the Almeria defence tonight and changed the balance of the team as soon as he came on put more telling crosses in in half a game than Barragan has done all season. Why he has not been playing more regular I cannot understand. Hopefully now with Barragan injured he will play each week.
Negredo 7.5  Made all the difference when he came on, scoring and maybe could have had more with a bit more luck, the goals will soon come I feel. Strong powerful player 
De Paul  N/A 

My conclusions.   We are not Real Madrid, we are not Barcelona. We do not have a Ronaldo, a Messi or suchlike and all the money to buy the best in the world  If this time last year we could have foreseen being third in the league I think we would have taken it.  We do not have a divine right to go out and hammer every team we meet and sometimes results have to be ground out like tonight. We have 3 more good points and next week against Sevilla is another game.  Lets get behind the team and manager and look forward to the second half of the season whatever it may bring. Football is a game it is live it is drama, it is unpredictable that is why it is the best sport in the world and why we all love it.
And please if you take the time to read this please leave a comment whether you agree or not.

Goals:
1-0, m.11: Parejo. 1-1, m.13: Hemed. 2-1, m.28: Rodrigo. 2-2, m.33: Hemed. 3-2, m.83: Negredo.

Valencia CF vs UD Almeria Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Almeria Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 17.01.2015, 18:00 CET

19th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Nuno Santos and Juan Ignacio Martínez

Valencia CF is coming to this match after a devastating defeat at the hands of Espanyol who ended Valencia's run in the Copa del Rey. It was the only chance for a title this season for Valencia CF, and being beaten in the round of 16 is devastating. 

Espanyol had a lot of luck that match, seeing as how the referee easily showed Mustafi a red card, which I would argue could have been a yellow, then Paco Alcacer got injured and had to be replaced early in the first half and with Feghouli obviously with his national team, Pablo Piatti injured, Moreno out of the squad due to penalty, there was little threat forward and the the team was very limited. 

While going out of the cup is certainly bad, its also positive in a way, in that now Valencia CF can solely focus on the league. There will be no more distractions, the team will have a full weak to train and/or rest and this should in theory provide a small boost. Of course there are other issues not playing in a cup and that is that less players are going to play and play less frequently. A cup is a chance to give the substitute players more playing time and have them happy, have them feel like part of the team and use those performances to rate their performances and maybe use them more regularly.

I guess the good and the bad then cancel each other, but yeah, I'm hoping that at least now the team can be more consistent in the league and win more games, I'd like to see Valencia CF ahead of Sevilla and starting to build a cushion against them, gain some points on them. 

The opponent for this match is UD Almeria, they are the last opponent in the first half of the season, after them Valencia CF will face teams they already faced before with Sevilla, speaking of the devil, being the first of them. As I've spoken earlier it will be a good chance to skip them over in the table by beating them and from there on going to create a cushion of points. 

Anyways back to Almeria, they are a weak team this season and their position on the table reflects that. Unlike some other teams like Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad and others who may not be in a great position on the table but are playing really good and creating chances, Almeria is not one of those. I've watched least matches of them this season, so I can't speak from experience, but from the statistics, for the two matches I've seen of them, from the table position they are not as strong as some other lower table teams. So I'm expecting a decent showing by Valencia CF this match and for the team to secure the win.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Yoel
Defenders: Barragan, Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Gaya, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Parejo, Enzo, Gomes, Felipe, Zuculini, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Diego; Barragan, Vezo, Mustafi, Gaya; Fuego, Enzo, Parejo; Moreno, Paco, De Paul.
Tactics: High defensive line, own third pressure, mixed passing, midfield triangle, counter attacks.

Match Result:

Valencia CF 2-1 UD Almeria

Okay so I think Valecia CF are going to win, but since the defense has been a bit leaky lately and not completely secure and Otamendi is also injured and won't be playing, I'm thinking Almeria are going to score a goal, but Valencia CF will manage to score two goals, probably one goal early in the first 20 minutes and then a second goal in the second half by the 60th minute to make it 2-0, with Almeria scoring a consolidation goal.

Robert Ibanez loaned out to Granada CF

Robert Ibanez has extended his contract with Valencia CF to 2018, he was one of several players with soon to end contracts and now he's extended his contract with Valencia CF. He will also be loaned out effective immediately to Granada CF on a 6 months loan deal with no option to purchase.

He's played few times this season and he's done pretty well, he has pace and energy and every time he's played he's showed tremendous work rate and fighting spirit so I think he has potential for the future.

I think this is the best deal for him, he is not quite good enough yet to feature for Valencia CF often, but he is not bad either, so sending him on loan to get some more playing time and more experience would be good for him.

This also opens up the door for Valencia CF to purchase a new player for the wings, seeing as Feghouli will not be available for over a month and Piatti is injured for at least 2 more weeks, so the club could move in for a winger, Valencia CF has been linked recently with Lavezzi from PSG.

Espanyol 2-0 Valencia CF Match Report

Talk about a ruined game. Red card for Mustafi who at worst should have gotten a yellow card. If you look at the situation several times, you see he losses the ball, but no one has it at that point, so he and the Espanyol player move towards the ball, its a dead ball at this point, no one is controlling it and they fight for it, its football, its not ballet, so there is some contact, Mustafi wins the battle at which point the referee blows the whistle and awards him a straight red card.

You can be a hardcore Espanyol fan, but you still wouldn't claim that that was a red card. Lets give it the benefit of the doubt for the referee, lets judge it as harshly as possible and its a yellow card at max, with many referees who would have waved play on. But no, leave it to the referee to ruin the game.

After that what can I say, the team was one man down and Espanyol were the ones attacking more and through their attacks were the more dangerous side. They had several chances few times from the left side, from the center field, a long shot, etc... The fact that the match was started with 5 defenders turned out good for Valencia CF, but of course the attacking play and midfield control would suffer again.

Paco Alcacer was forced to end the match early with what seemed like an injury and was replaced by Alvaro Negredo, so more bad luck in this match for Valencia CF.

The first half was very frustrating and our defense which usually looks solid seamed our of sorts. I think there has been a bit too many changed in the past few weeks, Nuno tinkering more than usual, three man central defender, Orban playing as left back, then Gaya, a lot of unnecessary rest for various defenders and we are seeing a bit of a problem because of that. I can't blame one player, it seemed to me that the whole team played weak in a defensive manner.

Anyways the first half ended and it was still 0-0, there was still hope that the team would manage a scoreless draw and go on through to the next round.

The second half started as expected, Espanyol dominated the proceedings, Valencia CF did threaten a bit, especially on the left flank through Gaya and Enzo occasionally had some forward forays on the other side, but it was all really pathetic, nothing dangerous, nothing well thought, nothing well crafted. Sure the team is one man down, but you still need some organization when defending, some organization when attacking, that is not an excuse for a very poor performance.

Espanyol goal would come from a set piece, a free kick from the right side, it could have possibly been offside, I couldn't really see exactly, one could argue either way, to me it seemed like Otamendi played Espanyol onside, Yoel came out of his goal line but failed the punch, he was way too late and way too low so Caicedo was able to make the header and score a goal. Combined mistake between Otamendi and Yoel and Espanyol were leading 1-0. Would it have been different with no red card? No one can say for certain, but its sure that the team would have at least had a bit more control over the game.

After that goal it was just a matter of time until they would score again. I mean defensively Valencia were very weak and all of the forward forays ended up wasted. There was no build-up, no prolonged passing, just some very optimistic passes that most of the time gave the ball away.

Anyways Caicedo would score again and make it 2-0 to guarantee Espanyol the win and eliminate Valencia CF from the cup.
The second goal was again really silly, the winger just completely outplayed Orban, just dribbled past him like he wasn't even there, passed the ball to Caicedo, he wasn't properly marked and it was an easy goal for him.

Overall a terrible game, really garbage refereeing, poor defensive display, very unorganized play, match to forget for sure.

Technical Details:
RCD Espanyol: Pau, Javi López (Caicedo, m. 75), Álvaro, Moreno, V. Álvarez (Salva Sevilla, m. 63), Lucas, Abraham, Cañas, Duarte, Stuani (Víctor S., m. 85), Sergio García.

Valencia CF: Yoel, Ruben Vezo, Shkodra Mustafi, Nicolás Otamendi (Parejo, m. 84), José Gayá, Antonio Barragán, Javi Fuego, Enzo Pérez, André Gomes, Rodrigo de Paul (Lucas Orban, m. 67), Paco Alcácer (Álvaro Negredo, m. 33).

Goals:
Felipe Caicedo 1-0, 78 min.
Felipe Caicedo 2-0, 88 min.

Player Ratings:
Yoel 5 - Slow to react to the cross for the first goal and could have been positioned better for the second goal, though the second one would have been extremely hard to save either way.  Doesn't ooze confidence.
Barragan 5 - Average performance from the right back who found it hard to go forward and defensively was good but not great.
Mustafi 3 - He got himself a red card, yes it was very harsh, but he shouldn't have put himself in that position and losing the ball like that.
Vezo 6 - Decent match, swooped in few balls and was generally secure at the back.
Otamendi 4 - Poor match from the one of the best players for Valencia CF this season, he had an uncharacteristically poor match, played Espanyol onside for the first goal, was nowhere to be found for the second and generally bad defending.
Gaya 7 - Was constantly challenged on the left wing and deal with the attack reasonably well, but it was his forward moved that were the highlight with him almost singlehandedly at times moving Valencia CF forward.
Fuego 5 - Rather poor performance from the defensive midfield, when he needed to shield the defense the most he failed and couldn't bring the ball forward from defense.
Enzo Perez 5 - Poor performance from the new signing, yes he had some forward arrays from the right wing and provided few crosses, but he needed to control the midfield more and play good football with the other midfielders.
Gomes 5 - Again as the most forward midfield he was very limited since the team was playing with 10 players, but was decent going forward, but as the rest of midfield couldn't hold the ball in the midfield.
Paco N/A - Not enough time, replaced early due to injury.
De Paul 6 - One of the more dangerous players for Valencia CF, but for the most part was playing alone and thus couldn't do much.
Subs:
Negredo 5 - Substituted for the injured Paco, but failed to have any meaningful impact on the game. Had one chance in the second half, but his shot was blocked. Very limited performance.
Orban 4 - At fault for the second goal, completely destroyed by the Espanyol winger who dribbled so easily past Orban. I don't think he is even 1/3 as good as Gaya overall and in defense.
Parejo N/A - Brought on in the last few minutes of the match in order to look for a draw at that time, but didn't have big impact. 

RCD Espanyol vs Valencia CF Match Preview

RCD Espanyol vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Estadi Cornellà-El Prat

Date: 13.01.2015, 20:00 CET

Round of 16, second leg, Copa del Rey

Coaches: Sergio González and Nuno Santo

The second leg of the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey is upon us and Valencia CF is coming in with a 2-1 advantage over RCD Espanyol in what was a hard first leg match, one which Valencia CF barely won thanks to a late second half penalty.

Valencia CF had since had their win small win streak ruined thanks to a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo in the Spanish league and the team has looked vulnerable after since the Real Madrid win. Against RCD Espanyol the team will need to show character and be determined more than ever to win if they are to go through to the next round in the cup. Espanyol have shown that they are a dangerous opponent who are capable of winning and they won't make it easy on home terrain playing in front of their crowd.

Valencia CF is coming in with a very small advantage from the home game, so there is no option for mistakes, the defending will have to be at superb levels, keep a clean sheet and then use our chances when the opportunity arrives. 

RCD Espanyol just lost 3-0 to Real Madrid so they will be frustrated by such a big loss, especially since Real Madrid were wounded in a manner of speaking after their two defeats at the hands of Valencia CF and Atletico Madrid. Never the less Espanyol are still 10th place on the table with 20 points, so they haven't lost ground to their opponents, but I think any big loss is a bit demoralizing.

Nuno Espirito Santo just extended his contract with Valencia CF to 2018, so he can relax a little bit in terms of securing his short term future and hopefully he can celebrate by leading the team to victory against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey.

Most of the players are available, except obviously for the injured Piatti and for the first time we won't be seeing Carles Gil in the squad at these cup games, since he's been sold to Aston Villa for 5 million euros. Moreno is also not in the squad, while as everyone already knows Feghouli is with his national team for the African cup. 

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Yoel
Defenders: Barragan, Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Felipe, Parejo, Enzo, Gomes, Felipe, Roberto, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Yoel; Barragan, Mustafi, Otamendi, Orban; Fuego, Enzo, Gomes; Paco, Negredo, Gaya.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own third pressure, mix passing, deep laying defensive midfielder, counter attacks.

Match Result:
RCD Espanyol 1-1 Valencia CF
I think its going to be a draw, with Valencia CF moving forward due to the win at home. I mean RCD Espanyol aren't in the best of form and they just lost 3-0 to Real Madrid, while Valencia CF have also not been in great form either, so I can see either a goalless draw or a 1-1 draw.

Valencia CF extend Nuno Santo contract

Valencia CF coach Nuno Espirito Santo just extended his contract with Valencia CF to 2018. When he joined Valencia CF in the summer he signed a one year contract in case he was a failure and the club needed to rescind the contract, but now that he's been very successful in his first season, the club decided to extend his contract to 2018.

Carles Gil sold to Aston Villa

Carles Gil has been sold to English Premier league club Aston Villa for 5 million euros. Aston Villa have been following the young player for most of the season and when the transfer window opened were determined to purchase the player.

Valencia CF wanted to send the player on loan as the club believes the player has huge potential for the future, but Aston Villa insisted on purchasing the player and a price tag of 5 million euros was enough to persuade Valencia CF into selling.

The player is reportedly to make the trip to England and officially sign for Aston Villa once the medical tests are done.

Celta Vigo 1 - 1 Valencia CF Match Report

Valencia, looking to add to the 3 points against Real Madrid came into this game full of confidence whereby Celta are having a torrid time trying to get a result with their last win against Barcelona away on November 1st of last year.  However, looking at their results they are obviously a tough side to break down and even though that was the last time they scored a goal, they also keep it very tight at the back and concede very few.

It was the home team that started the strongest and looking more like a team near the top than their visitors.   They moved the ball around well and looked far more comfortable in possession. I was disappointed to see Negredo playing and Javi Fuego sitting in the dugout.  To me it would have been an opportunity to rest Negredo and play Fuego with Enzo Perez in a more attacking roll in place of Parejo. With Piatti and Gaya not available it was left to Andre Gomez to cover the left attacking side.

In the 27th minute an angled ball into the Valencia area saw Charles tackled from behind by Otamendi and although it looked as if the ball had been won cleanly the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. It was rather harsh but any tackle from behind in La Liga is liable to invite a free kick. However, Diego Alves dived to his right to push the penalty from Orellana wide much to the delight and relief of his team mates.
If that wasn't bad enough for the hosts, 3 minutes before the break a mistake in midfield allowed Rodrigo to steal the ball, He ran on and fired in from the edge of the area and fortunately for us the keeper made a bit of a hash of the save to give us the goal advantage. It proves the old saying if you don't shoot you won't score, and that is what the game needed. This is how it stayed until half time with not too much to shout about in the first 45 minutes.

The second period continued as the first with Celta looking the more lively team and on the hour the scores were level.  A corner from the left was headed on by Charles for that man again Orellana to volley home past a bunch of Valencia players to level the score.  I guess it had to come as the home team amassed 11 corners to Valencia's 2.  The law of averages says that sooner or later you will manage to make on count.  Orellana had been giving Orban a torrid evening with his skills but the Valencia man had managed to keep him at bay until then.  The game fizzled out after that with both teams although trying to get the 3 points seemed reasonably happy with a point each.

It was a weary looking Valencia who trudged off at the end but will have to start all over again on Tuesday with a trip to Espanol in the Copa Del Rey.

Technical Details:
Celta Vigo: Sergio; Hugo Mallo (Nolito, m. 46), Sergi Gómez, Fontas, Jonny; Radoja, Krohn-Dehli, Augusto (Borja, m. 78), Pablo Hernández; Charles, Orellana

Valencia CF: Diego Alves; Mustafi, Otamendi, Orban; Barragán, Dani Parejo (Javi Fuego, m. 80), Enzo Pérez, André Gomes, Rodrigo (Joao Cancelo, m. 92); Negredo (De Paul, m. 65), Paco Alcácer.

Goals:
Rodrigo Moreno 1-0, 43 min.
Fabian Orellana 1-1, 61 min.

Player Ratings
Alves 6.5 - Did not really have much to do but had no chance with the goal that went through a number of players
Barragan 5.5 - Not a good night for him contributed little in attack and looked sluggish just when I thought he was looking better recently he seems to have gone backwards tonight.
Mustafi 7 - His usual solid display and as reliable as ever hardly missed a tackle or header
Otamendi 7 - Another solid display and was a little unlucky with the penalty although slightly reckless in his challenge.  Looks like he needs to miss a game to rest but he is too valuable to leave out.
Orban 7 - What a gem of a player we have picked up,  sometimes a bit over enthusiastic, shall we say in his challenges but opponents will know they have been in a game when he marks them.
Gomez 6 - Unusually  quiet night for him apart from a few good runs that unfortunately came to nothing.
Parejo 6.5 - Caught in possession a couple of times but laid of his usual array of pinpoint passes and made some good challenges.
Perez 6.5 - Seemed to be playing in the Fuego role and did OK but I would rather see him in a more forward role with a bit of freedom to use his skills.
Rodrigo 6.5 - He is looking good at times and scored a well deserved goal.  Needs to make better decisions at times in his passing. I would like to see him used as a striker with Paco
Negredo 5.5 - To me he looked right out of it tonight and I am glad it's not my money that is being paid for him. I said before the game he looked tired during the Espanol game. I understand he may have picked up a bad foot injury we will have to wait and see.
Alcacer 6 - Didn't really have any opportunity to score but worked hard,  maybe we will need some more options up the front when things are not happening for us with our strikers. For a team 4th in the league there would normally be a striker with a hat full of goals but we seem to be sharing them out.  Good to see others scoring but we really need more from our front men.
Subs:
De Paul 6.5- Looked lively when he came on and maybe should have come on earlier to make a difference
Fuego N/A - Not enough time really.
Cancelo N/A - Not enough time

Conclusion ;   2 points dropped I would say rather than one gained,  however a point away from home and Almeria at home next should keep us up with the leaders. We have to be able to raise our game more though against the lower clubs. That is the mark of a top team compared to an average team and we certainly looked average tonight.  But hey tomorrow is another day and we are still near the top

Celta Vigo vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Celta Vigo vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Balaídos

Date: 10.01.2015, 20:00 CET

18th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Eduardo Berizzo and Nuno Santos

Valencia CF have started 2015 in the best possible fashion, beating Real Madrid 2-1 at home at the Mestalla in front of a full stadium and then beating RCD Espanyol 2-1 in the first leg on the round of 16 as well. The team will be looking to extend the good streak and make it three wins in the new year.

Enzo Perez was rested for the cup match so its likely that is he is going to start again today, but in who's place in the answer. Will he start in Parejo's place, Fuego's place and even Gomes place as he can play on all three positions. He is most comfortable in the center midfield, dictating play, sort of the box to box style, that spot is obviously reserved to Parejo in this team, while the defensive midfield spot was reserved for Fuego who's done a great job so far, but at times has lacked that forward push that the team has need. 

So my bet is that Fuego will start on the bench and Enzo Perez will start in his position, it just seems logical that would be the case, but he may rest Parejo, since he's played in two back to back matches, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

Celta Vigo have been doing pretty well this season, they are currently 9th position at the table with 20 points which is more than anyone would have given them credit for at the start of the season, but they've proven that they are a good side and will present a hard challenge for Valencia CF today. They have strong counter attacks, just like our side and defensively they've been very well organized. The only exception has been against a very in form Real Madrid side in 2014, but against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and other weaker teams they've been quite solid.

They had a blunder just recently though, conceding 4 goals to Athletic Bilbao and losing the match 4-2, but apart from that they've been overall solid in the back and attack, so they are certainly going to represent a challenge for Valencia. Hopefully Nuno would have closely studied the match against Athletic and be able to inform the team how to approach this match and be able to secure a win.

Winning against Celta Vigo is so important, those 3 points are absolutely necessary since the team will continue catching up with the table leaders and put pressure on them, as well as establish parity with Sevilla who still have one more match to play more than Valencia CF.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Yoel
Defenders: Barragan, Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Parejo, Enzo, Gomes, Felipe, Gil, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Diego; Barragan, Mustafi, Otamendi, Orban; Enzo, Parejo, Gomes; Moreno, Negredo, Paco.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own third pressure, mix passing, deep laying defensive midfielder, counter attacks.

Match Result:
Celta Vigo 0-1 Valencia CF
I think its going to be a very close game, if I look at Celta Vigo results its mostly been losses or wins by only one goal difference, mostly 0-1 or 1-0, Valencia CF hasn't been scoring 3 goals every match or every match for some time now, so I'm expecting a slow grind fest with Valencia CF likely scoring from a set piece, most likely a corner kick. 

Transfer Market Update

The transfer market for Valencia CF has already kicked off with the long speculated arrival of Enzo Perez. There will be a bit more action to look forward to in this transfer market, input and outputs.

For outputs, we have Zuculini who has just about had enough (both him and Manchester City) of his lack of gameplay and will look elsewhere for gametime - maybe Getafe is his destination. We also have Felipe Augusto who has really been the worst player on the team so far, hasn't impressed anyone including Nuno who advised the club to bring him in the first place. He will likely leave on loan and even more so if another midfielder arrives. Then there are rumours about interest for Carles Gil from Aston Villa, who is willing to spend 5 million euros on his signature. Finally we have a loan proposal from Elche for Robert Ibanez. Should the loan deal go through, it would mean shortage of two right wingers with Feghouli gone to the African Nations cup. However, if Valencia CF play by the 3-5-2 system as in recent games,  the wing backs are already plenty.

For additions, the rumours are centered on midfield players to replace Zuculini and Augusto. Some names that have been mentioned recently are Pedro Obiang and Soriano from Sampadoria in Italy, Marcelo Brozovic of Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, Fredy Guarin from Inter, as well as Ayala's favorite - Matias Kranvitter of River Plate (he is of course Argentinean). So far, Kranvitter is where most of the interest is and it seems the most credible. Ayala has been really impressed by the player and he himself is willing to join while River Plate seems willing to sell. He is liked for his ability to break up play and transition into offense quickly.

Valencia CF acts to shield Andre Gomes

Andre Gomes has surprised just about everyone ever since his arrival to Valencia CF. A great talent, young and passionate for the club and the sport. He arrived with Rodrigo from Benfica thanks to Peter Lim but has been the bigger contributor of the two. That is not to say that Rodrigo hasn't done anything at all or that Andre Gomes doesn't have a lot to improve on. Quite the contrary, he is good and has the potential to be one of the best.

His current release clause is currently set at 50 million euros which is already more than most players at the club. It is now being discussed what the details of his full deal contract would be. On top of securing his services till 2019, Valencia CF have also moved to shield Gomes  This move comes about after big clubs, particularly in the EPL(both Manchesters and Chelsea),  started being too interested in signing him. In fact, thier scouts have become regulars at the Mestalla. The new contract would take care of that, as it will take his buyout clause from 50 million to...150 million euros! That's right, the contract would triple his buyout clause and make even the richest of clubs think a lot more than twice before trying anything.

That being said there is a few more contracts that need to be worked out, particularly Gaya and Alcacer. These contracts have relatively low release clauses and both players have garned way too much interest from other clubs due to their performances.

Valencia CF vs RCD Espanyol Match Preview

Valencia CF vs RCD Espanyol Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 07.01.2015, 22:00 CET

Last 16, Copa del Rey

Coaches: Nuno Santos and Sergio González

Valencia CF is coming to this match off of an amazing and well deserved victory over Real Madrid and the team will surely be extra motivated and extra confident coming into this match, but as the coach said the players mustn't get overconfident and caught up in the hype and its a whole new game against RCD Espanyol and the team will have to work from start and give 100% in order to win against a tough and dangerous opponent.

Sure beating Real Madrid is a very good feeling and a long time coming, but that should be in the past and the team must look to win every match and get the points or in the case in this match, get the advantage in the first game at home, so the team can have an easier and more stable second game.

RCD Espanyol are currently sitting 10th on the table with 20 points from 17 matches, of course Valencia CF won 3-1 over Espanyol the first time the teams met in the league and will be looking to repeat that result. The goal scorers in that league game for Valencia CF were Piatti, Parejo and Paco, with Garcia managing a last minute consolidation goal for RCD Espanyol to make it 3-1.

Valencia CF coach Nuno Santos has decided to rest our new signing Enzo Perez, while Diego Alves and Pablo Piatti are out of the squad with injuries.Rodrigo Moreno is also out of the squad, possibly due to accumulated yellow cards. Sofiane Feghouli is also out and he is with Algeria for the African cup and its going to be at least one month before he returns. As always absent from the squad is Zuculini who at this point needs to return to Manchester City. I think its not fair to the player to never select or play him and the team obviously has no need for him, so both parties should mutually agree to rescind the loan deal. I'm sure Manchester City wouldn't mind to get their player back as well.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Yoel, Jaume
Defenders: Barragan, Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Augusto, Parejo, Gomes, Gil, Roberto, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Yoel; Cancelo, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya; Fuego, Parejo, Gomes; De Paul, Negredo, Gil.
Tactics: Mid defensive line, own third pressure, mixed passing, deep laying defensive midfielder, counter attacks.

Match Result:
Valencia CF 2-0 RCD Espanyol
I think this is going to be a clean game for Valencia CF, the team is really confident right now and they know their play style, the defense is solid, Fuego has returned and he is really fresh so he can provide a lot of cover defensively and while Parejo and Gomes might be a bit tired from the match against Real Madrid, they should have enough stamina to give 100% for 70-75 minutes in this match. We also have De Paul who is likely to start since both Piatti and Feghouli are out. Espanyol are dangerous when going forward, but I think the defense will deal with them and its likely for Valencia CF to score two goals.

Liverpool to purchase Paco Alcacer

According to British media Liverpool want to sign Paco Alcacer by reaching Paco's release clause which is still somewhat low due to the fact that Paco still hasn't signed the new contract Valencia CF has offered him and thus Liverpool will be able to snatch the player for about 20 million euros which is about what Paco's current release clause is.

Liverpool have had trouble filling in Luis Suarez scoring boots, and Paco Alcacer is their latest target that they hope can replace Luis Suarez. Mario Balloteli was signed as a lat ditch gamble in the summer, but that gamble hasn't paid off, so now they are setting their sights on Paco Alcacer and with how rich Premier League clubs are $20-25 million euros is a walk in the park for Liverpool.

Fredy Guarin on Valencia CF radar again?

Some Italian websites are claiming that Valencia CF are still interested in Fredy Guarin and are looking into the possibility of signing the player.

I would usually dismiss this type of news as baseless rumor, but in this case it might be truthful, since we know Felipe Augusto hasn't impressed the coach at all and Zuculini hasn't featured at all as well, so its not out of the realm of possibility that Valencia CF are looking at acquiring Fredy Guarin services.