Valencia 0 v 1 Sporting Gijon La Liga

I do not believe in god but I can only imagine that the Sporting Players go to church every Sunday without fail and are very good to their mothers.  How they won this game today should be added to one of the wonders of the world and they certainly had somebody looking over them.

Chance after chance came and went in a first half totally dominated by Valencia.  It had to be only time when we would take the lead.

Negredo and Feghouli missed more than one easy chances and we could and should have gone into the second half with 4 or 5 goals, whilst Gijon had not one half chance.  We have witnessed some frustrating games this season but nothing could compare with this. I cannot blame any particular player because it was, in my opinion a good all round performance even with Piatti and Barragan who have been taking a lot of criticism this season playing well.  During the break the supporters were discussing how it was that we were not well ahead and surely the goals would come in the second period.

Not for the first time this season the away team sensing that we were getting a bit nervy began to have a bit more of the ball after the break and then the impossible happened.  Danilo appeared to trip a Gijon player in the 49th minute, the ref awarded them a penalty and Sanabria stepped up to leave Ryan no chance.  It was cruel and we all know how cruel football can be but this was cruelty at another level.

Still 40 minutes to go and plenty of time to get the 2 goals to give us the win we deserved. Time after time chances came and went and this is a game that Negredo will never in his life forget.  If he has any sleep tonight I will be surprised as today he missed 3 or 4 chances that no professional footballer should ever miss.  I just do not know what to say about Negredo. No player ever goes out on the pitch to play badly and miss open goals or give away own goals, it is a players worst nightmare but tonight Negredo will be waking up in cold sweats no doubt.

                                                     I thought you had it,  No I thought you had it

I am writing this still wearing my scarf having just got in from the match and therefore may need to make some alterations later but my feelings are that the players really went out with a will to win and played some really good football, some of the best this season in my opinion and the scoreline does not reflect this.  However it will be seen as a disaster for the team and Neville to lose at home to such a poor side as Gijon, and they are a poor side.  My thoughts are now is that we should stay focused and look forward to the games against Barcelona because believe it or not I see signs of improvement each week.  Also lots of talk about a couple of new signings today. In my opinion they would have made no difference whatsoever today as we did not have GOD on our side that is for sure.

Player Ratings:
Ryan 6.5  No chance with the penalty and apart from that had nothing to do. He could have read a book in the first half he was so unemployed.
Barragan 6.5  Had a very good game today following his solid performance midweek against Las Palmas. Gary Neville is making a defender out of him possibly.
Abdenour 7  Showing some of his earlier season form again before his injury. now looking a lot more assured and making some great tackles. For some reason I really like this guy.
Mustafi 7  Showing again his best form and much more assured today hardly putting a foot or a head wrong.
Gaya  6.5  Getting back to his best again and linking up well with
Perez 7.5  He is the main reason the team is looking more balanced now with his tackling and bringing the ball out of defence. Proving to be worth the vast sum spent on him. Just hope he stays fit.
Gomes 6  Not one of his better games today, seemd to lose the ball to many times IMO and his passes were going astray too much.
Danilo 4  A bit of a disaster day for this guy, passes going wrong, caught out of position and then giving the penalty away. I think he is lucky with 4
Feghouli  6  Had some great runs considering he is just back from injury and will soon be back to his old self I am sure.  However today he missed some easy chances.
Piatti 6  Half decent game compared to earlier in the season, but still not strong enough. Had a great first time shot that was well saved.
Negredo 2  An absolute nightmare of a game today, missing so many open goals that it was just unbelievable.
Subs
Parejo  7  Brought some added skills to the game that were, at times missing in the first part
Bakkali 7  Caused all sorts of problems when coming on and made a number of good openings that were wasted.
Rodrigo 6.5  Had a couple of headers that were just wide.

Gary Neville 7  Put out a good strong team and used the subs well. Cannot be blamed in any way for the outcome of this. We have to remember the adulation Negredo got from many supporters when he was left out by Nuno.  Neville cannot kick the ball in the net for him, that is up to him.  Another thing is when the supporters were canvassed as to where the team needed strengthening 90% said it was midfield and only 6% said we needed a new striker.

More to come later

Deportivo La Coruna 1 v 1 Valencia La Liga

Negredo saves the day from what could have been a disastrous evening in Coruna.

With Zahibo making a start in defensive midfield and Ryan retaining his place in goal Gary Neville was looking for his first win in La Liga.

The game began well enough with Valencia making the better of the chances and Negredo was unlucky when firing just wide of the far post.  Unfortunately though, as has been the case too many times recently we fell behind.  To be fair it was a well worked goal with dangerman Lucas Perez putting the home side ahead after catching the Valencia defence out with a smart through ball. Maybe Ryan should have stayed on his line and maybe Mustafi was caught in two minds, maybe Zahibo gave his marker too much space, however, it was a goal and we were one down in 27 mins.  It could have been much worse when a short time later Perez was adjudged offside when he was clearly not and it would have been 2.0 but for a very dodgy linesman decision.  If that was not a bad enough decision, he made an even worse one when again flagging Perez offside when he was a good 3 metres in his own half.  Maybe our luck is changing.

In an open game chances were being made at both ends but Barragan had to be taken off after a clash of heads when Mustafi inexplicable ploughed into him as he was about to head the ball away. Why Mustafi didn't just hold back to cover if Barragan missed it, only he can say.  So Barragan now has a broken nose and will be out for at least 3 weeks.

Vezo came on for Barragan but looked uncomfortable as usual in that right back position. Gary, that was your position surely you can see he is not a right back, for f'#ck sake. Bakkali replaced Zahibo and Rodrigo came on for Mina who was having a poor evening.

When all looked lost and the time was clicking away, a great cross from Parejo managed to pick out Negredo in a crowd of players and he made no mistake with a powerful header to rescue a well needed point. It silenced the noisy crowd and sent the Valencia bench into a frenzy.  It really seemed like we had won the game and I would say that in normal circumstances a point away to Depotivo is not a disaster but 3 points were needed today.  However after last season's 3.0 defeat, it has to be seen as an improvement I suppose.

Player ratings:
Ryan 5   Maybe should have stayed on his line to prevent the goal but mad a few easy saves and was not troubled too much.
Barragan 5  Just OK but we really need to replace him soon and maybe this week is a good time to bring somebody in because Vezo is a disaster.
Mustafi 5.5  What has happened to him, he really has dropped his level recently, but still a good player needing to get back to form.
Abdennour 6  The last 2 games he is looking like the good player he is in my opinion. I am not surprised on the rumours that Chelsea are looking at buying him.
Gaya 6  First game back and looked a little rusty but overall he had a reasonable game.
Zahibo 5  A little disappointing after his good game in midweek against Las Palmas.  Maybe should have got tighter in midfield to prevent the through ball for the goal but he is learning but I expect he will be replaced when Perez is fit this week.
Danilo 5  I can't quite make up my mind about this guy, he can win the ball well but then gives away possession too much in my opinion. Sees good openings but the his passes are just not sharp enough.
Parejo 6  Takes a lot of criticism but would be missed if not in the side.  Sprayed the ball about effortlessly and lovely cross for Negredo to score.
Mina 4.5 A poor game again tonight.  He is so inconsistent it must be a worry for Gary.  I hate the way he keeps falling over trying to win free kicks when he loses possession.
Gomes 5  Not a good night for Andre Gomez,  lost possession far too often and gave the ball away. He is another player who needs to find some of his old form.
Negredo 6.5  Maybe the loss of Alcacer is a blessing in disguise if Negredo is given a longer run in the team. It may be all he needs to find some goal scoring form. Took the goal well to steal the point in the final minute.
Subs:
Vezo  4.5 for Barragan   Looked out of his depth again. Where has his past form gone
Rodrigo  5.5 for  Mina   Definitely an improvement on Mina tonight but needs the final touch improving.
Bakkali 5  for Zahibo   He always seems to liven things up in the final minutes of a game. Often runs into dead ends but causes panic in defences and draws players to him away from the middle when he gets the ball.

Goals
Perez  27 mins
Negredo 93 mins

Yellow Cards
Gomes and Vezo

Valencia CF 2 - 2 Rayo Vallecano Match Report.

A hard-fought draw in the end for Valencia CF, and Rayo would feel hard-done by the result as they were dominant for huge portions of the game.

Neville had some players returning from injuries that he could finally field today with Mustafi and Andre Gomes in the lineup. Cancelo started as left-back with Barragan on the opposite side and a central duo of Santos and Mustafi. Ahead of them Parejo, Gomes and Danilo with Rodrido, Negredo and  Mina in attack.

The first half of the game was almost complete Rayo dominance, in fact they would create a chance from the opening minutes of the game as they hit the cross bar. This would go on for most of the first half as Rayo dominated possession and create multiple chances. If it was a bigger team, most of those would've gone in and we would be down 2-3 goals in the first half. They did manage to score one though as a cross from the right found its way to Jozabed who buried it in the back of the net. It was 3 Rayo players to 5 Valencia players in the box and still he managed to find the space and time to finish. Only Mustafi moved and even then it was a slow reaction. Barragan and Santos on the other hand stood and watched. There was no attempt to block the cross or stop the effort. Parejo and Danilo who had ran back to support the defense in the box were also bystanders. Note the cross came from Rayo's right wing, where Cancelo was out of position

Valencia CF were lucky Rayo didn't score again at the beginning of the second half with continuing Rayo possession. It was very painful to watch, nobody was making the effort to stop or intercept passes, or pressure opposing players. One exception at the time was Negredo. Following a close Rayo effort that was cleared to the midfield, Negredo wrestled the Rayo player in possesion off the ball and, spotting the keeper off his line, attempted a shot from the center of the pitch which sailed into the Rayo net. It should be noted that Negredo hardly did much the whole game but for this one moment where he had the confidence to try this shot. Neville tried to go for fresh legs bringing on Piatti and Alcacer for Mina and Negredo. A few minutes later, a Rayo corner falls to Diego Llorente who, yet again, has the time and space to volley the ball into the net. Again, no one was marking. Diego Llorente is a big player, and those are usually the most tightly marked in the box during set pieces. But the defenders tonight felt it not important to go after him and allowed him to, not head, but volley the ball into the top corner.

That goal woke up Valencia, or at least the attacking players as they would strike on the counter quickly bringing a period of Valencia dominance lead by Andre Gomes and the incoming Bakkali. It would be Rodrigo though who finds Alcacer with a great through ball and the Spanish International would bury the ball in the net. However, the referee calls it offside when it's nowhere near offside. Another ripoff, another blunder by the referees and for some reason it's mostly against us. Aside from that incident, this referee stopped the game too many times and barely let the game flow IMO. Nearing the 90 minute mark, a Valencia attacking play finds Bakkali who skillfully cross the ball to meet Alcacer foot perfectly tieing it up at 2-2. With 4 additional minutes added, it was anybody's game with the advantage to Valencia who had just scored and the momentum was with them. However, Rayo really wanted the point and the time wasting tactics began. Rayo is well known for possesion football and it Valencia could hardly win the ball off them. You can't really complain about time wasting, team's do it all the time, no matter how big or small. It's a strategy that pressures and frustrates opposition. However, Rayo chose the digusting route and were time wasting by doing stupid things like trying to hit the ball out of Ryan's hands. Nothing by the referee against that.

I know we're talking a lot about referees these days but it's really hard not to when you see these things. It's clear that some teams gets away with things. Today for example, a Sporting player got past Ronaldo, so Ronaldo kicks him in the thigh. You could watch the replay and he didn't even go for the ball, the ball was too far and he wasn't anywhere close to getting it. Not red? That's pushing it. But not even a yellow? Outrageous.

Anyway, back to Valencia. The game ended 2-2 and it was quite disappointing. I mean Rayo's a good team at their best and I have respect for them but they are in the top relegation spot and have had a poor run this season, even losing 10-2 to Real Madrid. Of course, I'm not expecting us to beat them by that margin but a win should've been the least requirement.

Who's fault is it? I believe in no way or form it's Neville's fault. I mean he's changed the team for the better and it's clear. There are fundamental parts of the game that were wrong under Nuno but have improved under Neville. I believe a few specific players are in the wrong but due to lack of alternatives we are forced to play them week-in week-out. Barragan and Santos are two names that come to mind. I can forgive one mistake in one game that costs us. But we already have Abdennour struggling and now those two, our defense is in terrible shape. We are forced to play Cancelo as left back due to Gaya's injury and Orban's terrible form. I mean playing him as right-back is bad enough cause he should be a right winger but due to circumstances, he's forced to play there. Again, not Neville's fault but due to lack of alternatives. I mean Barragan, Santos and Piatti are players that barely contribute this season and they are experienced players and as such this is unacceptable. Someone like Danilo on the other hand who also has bad performances, lacks that experience and that can be excused. And it's not a matter of they're trying but they're just having a bad day, they are barely putting in the effort. It's clear that there is going to be another change in the team players but it's probably going to happen in the summer and not now. At most, I can see one new signing for Valencia this window. And even that is in doubt so far.

Goals:
0 - 1 Jozabed (16')
1 - 1 Negredo (56')
1 - 2 Diego Llorente (69')
2-2 Paco Alcacer (89')

Ratings:
Ryan (6) - Nothing he can do about the two goals, when the defense has that many openings it makes your job that much more difficult. Pulled out a great triple save to keep the game from getting away from Valencia
Cancelo (4) - Decent in attack, left many openings in defense. Played significantly better on the right that the left.
Mustafi (4) - Coming back from injury to a defense filled with problems. Only one who even attempted to stop efforts.
Santos (1) - Inexcusable, should be called a stander not a defender, more standing around than defending.
Barragan (1) - Seems like he's lost the will to play, slow, sluggish, will barely need a shower after the game.
Danilo (3) - Invisible for huge portions of the game and is really not suited to playing CDM, but again due to injury/form crisis he ends up doing it.
Gomes (7) - Glad to have him back, one of the only players who had the desire to win every minute of the game.
Parejo (5) - Really tired and barely moving, really needs a rest. Maybe play de Paul as back up.
Rodrigo (5.5) - Decent play, had a few shots on goal. However was somewhat selfish at times and should've passed to players in more dangerous positions.
Mina (4) - A few games of magic, but the magic seems to have died out.
Negredo (5.5) - Quiet for majority of the game but what a goal!

Subs:
Piatti (5) - Slightly better work rate than in previous games but still not much impact.
Bakkali (6.5) - Clearly, Neville wants to use him more to exploit tired legs at the end of the game and that's why he doesn't start games. Instant impact sub and great cross for Paco's goal.
Paco (7) - The man is lethal, two chances since coming on, and buried both but one was disallowed unjustly.

Neville (6) - Really difficult to give him a rating since he has to deal with all these injuries and poor form. The changes he made though had an instant impact, definitely knows what he's doing but clearly frustrated with lack of effort from some players as well as lack of a win in the league thus far.

Conclusion:
We're on the brink of a form crisis if we're not in one already. Great cup performances but the league perfomances leave a lot to be desired in the last few games at least. We're already in an injury crisis but it will soon come to an end. Diego Alves should be back in 2 weeks, Gaya and Feghouli should be next week or the next. Huge boosts for the team no doubt. I believe we can also restore our form. Our next four games in the league are to Deportivo, Sporting Gijon, Betis and Espanyol. All winnable games. Although it's hard to believe in winnable games at the moment, all it takes is one win to build momentum. Also the mid week games for the Copa del Rey quarter finals are against Las Palmas. Again very winnable games. Let's see where this goes.

P.S. I missed the first half so anything that happened then I write about from what I heard from the commentary team or I've seen in the highlights. If and when the match replay comes out, I'll see what I can adjust.

Granada 0.3 ( 0.7 ) Valencia Copa Del Rey

Valencia move through to the next round of the Copa Del Rey thanks to a less than inspiring win at Granada.  With already a 4.0  advantage from the first leg it was always going to be just a matter of not doing anything too silly to advance to the latter stages of the competition.

Time to give the B team players Zahibo and Villalba a start against struggling Granada and they stood the test reasonably well.

With a back line of Vezo Mustafi Santos and Orban, Zahibo defensive midfield and Villalba more forward in midfield  and Piatti playing in what appeared to be a more central role, the team had a new look to it.  However, it was Granada who had the better of the first half hour while our players were still getting used to the new system.

The scoring was opened by Zahibo heading his first senior goal on 42mins from a Piatti corner after Villalba had nearly scored his first goal.  This was the end of Granada and the already near empty stadium began to look even more sparse as supporters perhaps hoping for a miracle finally gave up and went home or to a local bar.

We can criticize our players for a poor first half but just for a moment think about the home side's followers having to watch what was a dreadful performance by the men in the red and white stripes.

Bakkali came on in the second half for Cancelo and in the 63rd minute Paco Alcacer made it 2.0 on the night.  A great through ball from Danilo found him in space and he made no mistake with his low shot. Paco had just replaced Negredo a minute earlier and took no time at all to get on the scoresheet.
Danilo was replaced by Diallo in the 70th minute.

A great run in the 83rd minute by Bakalli saw him tripped in the area and Piatti was allowed to do the honours by placing the ball in the bottom corner to make the score 3.0 on the night and take us comfortably through to today's draw.

Player Ratings

Ryan 6.5  Made a few good saves but was not called upon too often. Looks very assured when used.
Vezo 4.5 Vezo is and never will be a right back. His tackling is dreadful and I am not sure what is to be done with him.
Santos 6.5 Looks to be improving all the time and is a no nonsense player, nothing to adventurous just gets the ball away.
Mustafi 6  Not a good night for the German and looked very slow at times and out of position. Never thought I would be saying this about our defensive rock
Orban 4.5  Another dreadful performance, what has happened to him, I do not know. made some good strong tackles but in my humble opinion he just gives the opposing wide players far too much space when they attack and allow them to run at him. Just not good enough
Zahibo 5.5  The game will have been good for him and it was right that he had the opportunity to play. I think he will be very pleased with his goal but his all round  performance was a little disappointing.
Villalba  5  missed a good chance to score when robbed at the last minute.  I thought he looked a bit nervous and although played a few nice balls is not ready for the big games just yet.
Danilo 6  A great ball to set up Paco for the goal and provided that bit of steel in the middle to help out the smaller players around him.
Cancelo 5,5   A game to forget really tonight. He seems to have lost his way a bit in the last couple of games since I gave him the 10 points a few weeks ago. Let's hope he gets back to form on Sunday.
Piatti  5  Playing a bit more central I thought it was a good idea as he should have been able to use his speed to cause problems down the middle but it didn't seem to work out that way. He got the chance of the penalty as Negredo and Parejo were not there and Paco was obviously feeling generous.
Negredo 4.5  Oh dear, not a night to remember for our 30 million euro striker.  Hardly had any effect on the game against one of the worst teams we have played this season.

Subs
Bakkali  5    for Cancelo 45 mins
Alcacer  6.5    for Negredo 62 mins
Diallo  5      for Danilo 70 mins

Goals
Zahibo 42 mins      Assist Piatti
Alcacer 63 mins    Assist Danilo
Piatti pen 83 mins  Assist Bakkali

Referee Estrada Fernandez   6  let the game run without too many silly cards

Gary Neville  6.5  Good to give the young boys a chance and I think he told the players to go out, not get injured and keep at least the 4 goal advantage.

Cards  Orban  Yellow

Review of the season, part 2: the players

In the previous post, I looked at some of the issues surrounding the club. In the second part of the mid-season review, here's how I think the players have done.

JAUME. Got his chance with the injuries to Ryan and Alves and has seized it with both hands, even saving 2 penalties from 2, Alves-style. Has been let down at times by poor defending. Breakout player of the season without doubt.

RYAN. Unluckiest member of the squad, losing his place to Jaume due to an injury. Has been fine, though at times, looks shaky in the air. I could see him being loaned out in the summer and eventually departing, especially if Alves returns. He’s too good to sit on the bench.

ORBAN. One of three players ostracized by Nuno and has done little to prove him wrong. Has been a major flop this season. His positioning is usually poor and he’s forced to rely on risky tackles around the box. Not good enough for the side.

GAYA. One of the few solid players. Good in tackling and getting forward, however, his crosses have lacked the incisiveness of the previous season and another weakness is that he often gets caught too far forward, something teams have exploited against us. Injuries are another worry. He’s been out twice this season.

MUSTAFI. Has stepped up to the plate after Ota’s departure, but the lack of a reliable partner has meant that he’s often had to do the job of two defenders, creating gaps for other teams to exploit. Needs to work on avoiding bookings.

ABDENNOUR. Supposed to be the big replacement for Otamendi. Big disappointment. Error prone and unimaginative in playing out from the back, while unable to produce offensively at corners.

SANTOS. Had a shaky start but has improved in recent games. Still has a way to go to cement a regular place, but moving in the right direction. May prove to be a better signing than Abdennour.

VEZO. Had a couple of good games at the start of the season, but looks a back-up player at best.

CANCELO. Jekyll and Hyde. As an attacker, can be lethal going forward and scored great goals against Zenit and Barakaldo. As a defender, his positioning and tackling is suspect and leads to unnecessary cards. Better as winger than a defender and Neville seems to realise this.

BARRAGAN. On a good day, can link up well on the right wing, but there have been few of those good days this season and it’s time for a change of scenery at another club.

FUEGO. Was a solid player last season, but this season has frequently been outpaced, caught out of position and has mistimed tackles trying to make up the ground. The fire has gone out of Fuego and it’s time for him to light up another team.

DANILO. Shaky start, but has looked like a decent potential, needs more experience. Has been better at central than defensive midfield.

ENZO. Has had a couple of quality games, but hasn’t lived up to his price tag. Has serious fitness issues, as he has been subbed off in 12 of the 16 games he’s started this season. Needs to do much better.

GOMEZ. Remains one of the best players on the team, but needs to show it more often as he has had a number of average games. Injuries are a worry.

PAREJO. Needs to shape up or ship out. The game against Celta showed what he could do, but just as often he’s gone missing, with sloppy passes and lack of effort, waltzing around looking like he’s out for a walk.

DEPAUL. Great potential for the future. Unfairly excluded under Nuno and a decent crosser, but needs to be better with through balls and improve his discipline, as he’s picked up stupid bookings.

BAKKALI. One of the better summer acquisitions, but needs a lot more experience before he’s granted a regular place.

PIATTI. Only 5 players have played more games than him, but that doesn’t tell the full story, as most of his appearances have been as a sub and usually haven’t improved things. He’s physically weak and can usually be muscled off the ball too easily. There are better players in the same position. Thanks, but time to move on.

RODRIGO MORENO. Clearly has quality, but only shows it in flashes. Needs to start taking his chances, otherwise his career at Valencia will end with him tagged as an overpriced flop.

SANTI MINA. Good potential, but his only good run was a few games from the Barcelona game on, where he showed intelligent running and good link up play. Otherwise, he’s been too static, loses the ball too easily and has a poor first touch.

FEGHOULI. Out since November, and the team has missed his contributions. Hopefully a new contract can be agreed.

NEGREDO. Ostracised under Nuno, he’s now back in the team but missing easy chances like the one against Real is not the way to prove how hard done by he was. Needs to vastly improve otherwise should be sold in the summer.

PACO. Has continued his development this season, especially in the air and his hold-up play, but has been let down by lack of service. However, he has also missed easy chances himself and needs to be more lethal.

RAFA MIR. Surprisingly called up for the Zenit game, but failed to do enough to cement a regular place. May have potential, but not yet ready for the first team.

ZAHIBO. Had a couple of good games in the cup, looks a reliable back-up player.

DIALLO. Has potential, but not enough quality for the first team as yet.

VILLALBA. A real potential future star. Needs to be carefully nurtured and given game time to continue his development.

TROPI. Only played a few minutes. Might be an idea to loan him and other potentials like Diallo out to see how they manage at a higher level than Valencia B.

Review of the first half of the season, part 1: The club

The season’s halfway point finished with Valencia going down 0-2 against a weak Sociedad team which had been heavily affected by injuries. It was the type of frustrating day which will be all too familiar to anyone watching us this season: only marginally better against a team which has much weaker players than us, failing to take our chances, losing to a couple of soft goals from poor defending and losing players to injury. Positive emotions from a good performance in a previous game erased by a poor result. How did we get here?

The seeds were laid in the summer. The civil war over control of the club ended with the departure of Salva and Rufete. Nuno, who found himself the winner of that battle, would ultimately go on to lose the war. Transfer policy at this time also proved highly questionable, with Otamendi sold, Abdennour (and Santos) replacing him and three young “prospects” coming in: Danilo, Mina and Bakkali. Aside from the signing of Ryan to cover the injured Alves, Valencia entered the new season with largely the same squad that had fought the previous campaign, but with the added responsibility of European football. Friendlies rang alarm bells, with Valencia’s games against teams like Porto, Roma and Bayern showing clearly that they were not yet up to the challenge of taking on top clubs.

In Europe, Valencia got the worst possible draw: AS Monaco. Although, the team won 3-1, the problems were clearly there, with the team being outplayed for large periods and being fortunate to come away with a 2-goal advantage. In the league things just didn’t happen. Even though we were handed an easy run of opening fixtures, points were dropped in lacklustre displays against Rayo, Deportivo and Betis, with only a last minute goal against Gijon salvaging something. This would be followed by further weak displays: losses at Bilbao and Espanyol and the team making a meal of home victories against Granada and Levante.

In Europe, things went little better. Having qualified for the group stage, Valencia drew one of the easiest possible groups, avoiding most of the tougher sides in each section. However, a devastating defeat at home to Zenit set the tone for things to come. A win at Lyon, against the run of play, was the exception as the team then struggled to beat Gent at home, before producing one of the worst performances I’ve seen in 13 years following the team in the away leg. This proved the beginning of the end for Nuno, as massive supporter discontent had built up and only a sustained run of wins could have turned things around at this point. It wasn’t to be.

Even though the following game saw Valencia’s best win of the season: 5-1 at Celta, this result flattered Valencia, as we only had 5 chances the whole game and the match fit into the general pattern, as this good result was quickly followed by three poor ones, which resulted in Nuno resigning. While he was, to a large extent, the focus for unhappiness over Mendes influence, Nuno made some questionable decisions. Ostracising DePaul, Negredo and Orban, constantly rotating players and, very often relying on inexperienced line-ups, with the call-up of Rafa Mir to the first team squad for a key champions league game particularly dubious.

After speculation about the replacement, with Rijkaard, Laudrup and Bielsa mentioned as successors, to considerable surprise, Gary Neville was unveiled as the new manager until the summer. The change has made little difference to results, which if anything, have been worse than under Nuno. Fortunate to scrape a draw at Eibar, conceding silly goals to draw at home to Getafe and losing games at Sociedad and Villarreal where we failed to take chances. There have been bright spots: at home to Barcelona and Real Madrid, Valencia displayed more passion and commitment and were probably unlucky not to get a win from one of those. But those have been exceptions rather than the rule. The team is weak in away games and the players only ever seem able to raise their game against the big Spanish clubs.

Where has it gone wrong? In a number of areas:

1)      The political situation clearly affected the team for much of the early months. The negative atmosphere at the Mestalla won’t have helped the players perform and this has resulted in a change of managers, which will also affect things, as players need time to adapt to a new manager and new playing style.

2)      The overall transfer and squad policy has been very dubious. It seems to be focused on having as many young players as possible and hoping that they’ll develop into star players, but often their inexperience shows and we have no old hand players that will make a difference.

3)      A by-product of that is that we seem to be rotating far too much in order to try and develop as many players as possible. The result is that we don’t have a settled team, players have to play with different teammates each game, which can’t help understanding and anticipation. At this point last season, we’d used 18 players, this time we’ve used 28.

4)      Transfer policy needs to be more balanced. Signing the occasional hot prospect is fine, but the team’s focus going forward should be adding more experience, so that we have mentors for all these youngsters, otherwise it’s like having a class of school kids and no teacher.

5)      Mendes. I think we need to take a more balanced view than simply “Mendes bad.” Yes, we overpaid for Rodrigo, however, the fees for Abdennour and Enzo were fair market value for the time. Cancelo seemed expensive, but it’s hard to see us not making a decent profit if we sold him, same with Mina. Gomez for 15m and Bakkali for free are bargains. The sale of Gomez alone would easily recoup any losses on Enzo/Rodrigo/Aymen combined. Obviously, though, we need to cast our net further than Casa Mendes and keep his involvement to a reasonable level.

6)      Injuries have also taken their toll. Every game, there seem to be several players missing, which makes planning ahead difficult. We must work more on fitness, players like Paco often look tired at the end.

7)      Managers. Nuno made questionable decisions and alienated the fans with internal politicking. Any manager succeeding him would therefore have a big reservoir of good will to draw on. It’s far too early to draw conclusions on Gary Neville, but, unless the team starts winning, fans will turn against him (and Lim.) If that happens, a more experienced manager will be needed.

8)      Tactics have often been too predictable, allowing teams to counter us easily. The team almost always plays 4-3-3, getting overrun in midfield. At least the team has moved on tactically from some of the early games, where the sole tactic seemed to be to endlessly cross to a lone striker.

9)      The defence, the bedrock of our previous successful season, has looked especially suspect. It’s very clear now what a world-class player we had in Otamendi. Without him, goals have been conceded which wouldn’t have been last season. Suarez’ goal, at least one of the Zenit goals, the Gent goal, Martinez’ goal for Atletico are just some which spring to mind. Poor passing out of defence and mistimed tackling has allowed weaker teams to get results.

10)   Most of all, the biggest problem has been the players, who, talented as they may be, have often disappointed on the pitch. In the second part here’s I’ll look at how the players have done so far.

Few key points from Real Sociedad match

Lucas Orban is not good enough for this team even as a reserve player and deputizing for Gaya. He almost cost us a goal here if it weren't for Jaume heroics. He is slow, cumbersome, heavy moving and lacks the technical skills needed for high level play. We should be looking to offload him, either in the winter or most certainly in the summer.

Aymen Abbdenous has been really terrible for us, he looks lost and without purpose in the team. Wthether its lack of communications due to the language barrier, maybe he is still not yet settled, some players do actually need a full year to settle well, the country, city, climate, club, language, team, gameplay, etc... so he might be one of those people that need long term stability overall in their life to perform good on the pitch.
Either way he's been disappointing to say the least for us and I think Gary should be playing Santos together with Mustafi.

Gary Neville rushed Mustafi too soon to action and it showed. He was lacking fitness, form and coordination against Real Sociedad and was nowhere to be found for both their goals. Won't say he was the primary cause for the goals, Orban did let many dangerous crosses from his side to fly to the penalty area and our midfield was getting dominated in the 2nd half, so we were under constant pressure, but still, his lack of playing time showed today. He should have been introduced slowly to playing, rather than thrown into action.

Daniel Parejo was terrible in the second half, didn't catch the first half and from the stats it seems as Valencia CF actually enjoyed a good first half, but after Enzo Perez was forced out due to injury, Parejo was nowhere to be found. Completely outplayed in midfield and his nonchalant passes cost us so much trouble. He was literally walking all of the second half, did not see him run even once. I mentioned in my match preview that he's played pretty much all of our matches this season and would be getting fatigued and I think it showed against Real Sociedad.
I think he needs to be rested more, sign a new player if you must in the winter transfer who can play at that playmaking position, we have major problems with injuries this season, especially in midfield with Enzo and Gomes getting injured all the time, so another proper backup would be nice, especially to rest Parejo.

There is still a ton of work for this team to perform better, I think Peter's Lim naivete in his buying decisions has cost us, sure we have a ton of talented young players for the future, but zero proven players for the present. So while our young talented players are "brewing" for the future, we are lacking results now. It would be mistake to overbuy in the winter anyways, it won't solve anything, but I think bringing in one proven and older player would be really good for the team. Some proven player at the highest levels who maybe doesn't have the age to compete for titles, but can offer a lot to a team like Valencia CF.

Real Sociedad vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Real Sociedad vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Anoeta

Date: 10.01.2016 16:00 CET

19th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Eusebio Sacristán amd Gary Neville

Valencia CF scored their first win in the last 5 matches against Granada CF in the Spanish cup and it was a much needed win and a confidence booster for the players who've played well overall before, but couldn't quite convert it into wins.

In order for last match victory to count for something the team must continue winning though and what better chance than to continue winning against Real Sociedad. The team must continue with the good play and become more consistent if the team has any hope of reaching a champions league spot or even an European league spot at this pace.

Gary Neville will be glad to have Shkodran Mustafi back in the squad, though I'm not sure if he'll use the player right away, I think he might be careful with him and not start him. Gaya and Feghouli are also recovering and doing some recovery and light training, but still won't be available to him. On the other spectrum Andre Gomes is out with an injury and while it doesn't seem to be serious, its still a set back for the coach and player. The spot will be covered with the recovery of Enzo Perez though who already played in the match against Granada.

It will be an interesting match and I'm hoping for another strong performance from Valencia CF, of course we are still not at full strength with injuries, but some of the players were rested against Granada, the biggest problem I guess is Parejo who's been playing pretty much all of our games this season, so he might be a bit fatigued overall.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Doménech, Ryan
Defenders: Cancelo, Barragan, Mustafi, Santos, Vezo, Aymen, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Danilo, Parejo, Enzo Perez, Piatti, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco Alcácer, Santi Mina, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-4-2
Line-up: Jaume; Cancelo, Santos, Aymen, Orban, Mina, Enzo Perez, Parejo, De Paul; Paco, Moreno
Tactics: High defensive line, own third pressure, short passing, counter attacks, flood the midfield

Roberto Soriano on Valencia CF radar

Valencia CF are interested in Sampdoria's midfielder Roberto Soriano and could make a move to purchase the player this winter. Sampdoria coach has already admitted that the player could move in the winter and the club would be willing to sell him at the right price.

Roberto Soriano main position at Sampdoria is central midfielder and he's scored 6 goals and provided 2 assists in the Italian league for them this season. He is currently valued at about 10 to 12 million euros, prize tag which is acceptable to Valencia CF, though Sampdoria would be pushing for higher fee, somewhere is the region of 15 million euros.

Sofiane Feghouli to sign new contract

Sofiane Feghouli is yet to sign a new contract with Valencia CF, as his current contract expires in the summer of 2016 and the player and the club have been in negotiations for over 6 months now trying to reach an agreement and it seems that the perseverance from the club has paid off and the player is said to be signing a new contract that will keep him an additional 4 years at Valencia CF and significantly improve his salary, making him one of the most paid players on the team.

Sofiane Feghouli has had several offers on his table, including one from FC Barcelona, some from Germany and one offer from England as well. He clearly understands that he has the best chance for regular football at Valencia CF and it is the team that gave him a chance at the big stage as Valencia CF brought him as a very young and talented player and has been grooming him since.

SSC Napoli interested in Andre Gomes

SSC Napoli are interested in Valencia CF midfielder Andre Gomes. They've been following the midfielder for a longer period and the scouting reports have come up positive. The biggest hurdle for Napoli is obviously the high release clause for the player and considering that Valencia CF paid 30 million euros for Andre Gomes, nothing short of 35 million will even be looked at by Valencia CF.

Napoli are not the only club after him, several other clubs are interested in the player and are inquiring about acquiring his services. Valencia CF doesn't have a monetary need to sell players though, so any potential buyers would have to dish out huge sums of money to acquire the player and we are likely talking about in the region of 40+ million euros.

Manchester City and Liverpool are some of the interested English clubs with the deep purse to make such a move monetarily.

Andre Gomes had a terrific first season at Valencia CF and even though he's had a big injury this season he's recovered well and is playing better and better each match. Gary Neville will also be reluctant to sell the player, as he knows how important it is to have a deep squad and more options in midfield.

Valencia 4-0 Granada Copa Del Rey

There has been many different views on our new manager whether he is experienced enough and whether he can communicate with the players well enough but in the last week I think he has begun to answer a few doubters.  This was never going to be one of our most difficult games this season but as we all know the games still have to be taken seriously if you want to win.
With Ryan back in goal,  Orban and Barragan as fullbacks and Santos and Vezo central defence. Parejo and Perez midfield and Mina, Moreno and Negredo.

Valencia took control from the start and Negredo opened the scoring when he robbed a defender and calmly slotted the ball home in the 7th minute to put us ahead.  It was pretty much one way play from then on with the home team creating chance after chance and it was no surprise that just after the half hour it was 2.0. Santi Mina calmly and unselfishly slotting the ball across goal to give Moreno the opportunity to open his scoring this year with an easy tap in. 2.0 at half time did not do credit to Valencia who totally dominated.
Piatti replaced Parejo at the break, that's how commanding we were. Negredo made it 3.0 from a penalty in the 63rd minute after Mina cleverly slotted the ball between two defenders and was fouled in the area when he tried to follow it through.  In the 64th minute Perez was replaced by Zahibo and De Paul came on for the tiring Moreno in the 76th minute. Negredo himself was then assaulted in the area by a defender who tried to wrestle him to the ground and he made no mistake with his second penalty to make it a resounding 4.0 win.

To be honest the scoreline barely told the true story as it could have easily been 8.0.  At last it makes the return game next week a forgone conclusion baring an absolute disaster. It will possibly give an opportunity for players to be rested and youth to be tested.

Conclusion  An easy win and a certain style is now being seen with more consistency in the play. Our play no longer consists of crosses aimlessly pumped into the area but players are playing the ball through the defence more especially with Perez playing a more forward role.  A few big negatives though that I will mention below i.e. some great performances but some really poor ones also.

Player Ratings
Ryan 7  A faultless display, cleared his lines with strong punches when called upon.  I don't know if we will run with 3 keepers till the end of the season but I hope that we do.
Barragan 4  Just not up to the standard that is required here in my opinion.  Made so many mistakes and only really settled after the game was safe.
Santos 7   I am glad he is settling down and I believe he is looking better and more confident in every game now. A really reliable central defender in my opinion.
Vezo 6  An OK performance but gave the ball away in a very dangerous situation that nearly ended in giving a goal way.
Orban 4  Another poor performance, he is so easily beaten at times and made to make rash recovery tackles. Picked up a yellow that could have been red for an absolutely crazy lunge when just holding back would have been more sensible. Must be giving Gary bloody nightmares at times.
Fuego 3  Sorry to have to say this on which was his 100th appearance for the club but his contribution this season has been really awful and today typified this. Just did not contribute and gave the ball away so many times when not under pressure. Time for Javi to be replaced I think.
Parejo 6  Strolled around spraying passes in his usual casual way.  Took command of the midfield without any real threat from Granada. Replaced at half time to rest for the Sociedad game.
Perez  6.5  Had a lively typical Perez game getting involved in everything and working hard for the team.  Picked up his usual yellow for a bit of a tough foul from behind.
Moreno 7   Good to see him back but should have had a couple more goals.  Made some great chances and was full of running. Surely his luck has to change soon and he will start scoring regularly, although I have been saying that for a long time now.
Mina 7  Had another great game setting up the goal for Moreno and winning the penalty. Since his goal against Barcelona, or if you like, when Gary Neville took over he has gained so much in confidence and endeavour. He is looking a real steal at 8 mill euros.
Negredo 8  I had a feeling before the game that this would be his day today after the miss on Sunday. He was involved in the the forward play and his one touch passes were causing havoc to the Granada defenders. I think we will begin to see the new Negredo now or the old Negredo more like. He has a lot to prove but I think this could be the start of a lot of goals from him.

Subs
Piatti 3 for Parejo 46 mins.  A miserable afternoon yet again for the little winger. When you are small you have to be really good like Messi or Aguero but I am afraid Piatti is not Messi and his season has been a disaster.  It is time for him to go and start again elsewhere.
Zahibo 6  for Perez 64 mins   A great prospect, big and strong.  He is a real one for the future and if Gary was brave he would use him again from the start next week on the return leg.
De Paul 6 for Moreno 76 mins.  I like his confidence and strong running but like some of the others he needs to work on his weaknesses like running too much into players and losing the ball without winning free kicks for it.  Great taker of free kicks.

Referee 7  No real howlers and I didn't really notice him, that's how it should be.
Gary Neville  7  He needs to see players to decide who to keep and who to discard. Hopefully he will have seen enough today.

Goals
Negredo 7 mins
Moreno   34 mins    Assist Mina
Negredo Pen 63 mins  Assist Mina
Negredo Pen 83 mins  De Paul

Cards  Perez and Orban  Yellows

Attendence 15,000

Please send your opinions so I don't think I am writing to myself.  You don't have to always agree with me you are sure to be wrong sometimes. ( just kidding )

Valencia CF vs Granada CF Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Granada CF Match preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 06.01.2016 16:00 CET

1st fixture, round of 16, Copa del Rey

Coaches: Gary Neville and Jose Ramon Sandoval

Valencia CF is coming to this match after a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid, and that draw was enough for Real Madrid's president to sack Rafael Benitez and immediately appoint Zinedine Zidane as the successor. Personally I think Real Madrid should be thankful they didn't lost the match, Valencia CF had the chances to win it.

The team seems to be improving on the surface, some of the players are getting into really good form, so a cup match at the Mestalla against Granada is the perfect opportunity for Valencia CF to demonstrate and affirm the improvement. Good play and a secure win against Granada CF today would definitely reassure fans and give the players a good morale boost, especially since Valencia CF is without a win for 5 matches now. Morale and confidence boosting win would be great and we could see the results of the team work in training.

Valencia CF coach Gary Neville is without many key players, some like Feghouli and Gaya are still out with injury, while others have been given a rest today, so it will be interesting how the reserves and B team players perform. Gary has called up several B team players to the first team and will compliment the squad with them.

I think a win here is in due order, anything else would be extremely disappointing and regress the team a lot. Fans confidence will also be shattered and we know how that tends to snowball things out of control. So hopefully we are able to win today, good news is that Enzo Perez is back from injury and could even see some play today.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Doménech, Ryan
Defenders: Barragan, Diallo, Santos, Vezo, Lato, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Parejo, Enzo Perez, Fran Villaba, Zahibo, Piatti, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Santi Mina, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 3-5-2
Line-up: Ryan; Vezo, Santos, Diallo; Barragan, Orban, Fuego, Parejo, Fran; Moreno, Negredo.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, counter attacks, wing attacks

Valencia 2-2 Real Madrid

Billed as the game between the two managers Rafael Benitez and Gary Neville but of course it was much more than that and both teams were desperate for the points for different reasons.  A great reception also for Benitez with a large banner thanking him for the success he brought the club in the past.  Also he would have been very proud to hear his name being chanted by the home supporters. Obviously respected more by the away fans than his own.  Is it possible that Peter Lim will have had a little chat with him while he was here as regards what he may be doing when Madrid fire him ?

The game started in a lively manner with both teams having equal time on the ball but after 16 minutes Madrid went in front.  A poor clearance from  Abdenour which seemed to bounce off him and go straight to Benzema.  He made a quick pass to Bale who flicked it back to him for him to beat Jaume with a low shot into the corner.  Again, unfortunately Abdenour will take most of the blame for that one but there were enough defenders around to maybe have got it away.  The goal was against the run of play slightly and fortunately Valencia did not let it affect them and Cancelo popped up in the Madrid box to head just wide from which would have been a great equalizer from a cross by De Paul.
Abdenour had the opportunity to equalize when from a corner from the left he sliced narrowly wide as he was falling with the goal beckoning. However, right on the half time the scores were level.  A great run by Andre Gomes saw him floored just in front of goal when Pepe brought him down and Parejo stepped up to calmly slide the ball past Navas to send us in on equal terms.

In the second half Gomez had a great shot from outside the area in the 62nd minute which was saved well by Navas.  Then on 68 mins Cancelo was fouled from behind by Kovacic and the referee has no hesitation in sending the Madrid player off for the bad challenge. By now the crowd were left stunned. A penalty against Real Madrid and their player sent off, amazing. and all in one game.

In the 80th minute Rodrigo Moreno came on for Orban who was limping but soon after in the 81st minute the game turned again against Valencia when another needless foul by, this time,  Cancello in a dangerous position,  allowed Bale to score with a header high into the net.  But the game was far from over and for those foolish people making their way to the exits more was to come.  De Paul put in a great cross from the left and Moreno leapt to head the ball to Alcacer to head home and send the large crowd crazy.  Surely this was the end of the drama but no !  In the dying seconds Negredo was put clear having come on for Parejo and missed a great chance to put us in front for the first time.  To be fair Navas made a great save but really he should have done better.  Bale had another opportunity to steal the game in the last seconds but blazed over to leave the score level at the final whistle.

Player scores

Jaume  6.5   Not much to do really considering it was R.M. but did what was required without fuss as always. Could not be faulted for either goal really.
Barragan 6  Steady game with nothing spectacular but defended quite well throughout. a bit slow getting back at times which is not ideal when playing against the likes of Bale and co.
Santos 6.5  Looking more safe as each game goes by and seems more confident now. He does the simple things and gets the ball away when needed.
Abdenour 6  Mainly at fault for the first goal but had a very good second half. Will Gary stick with him when Mustafi is fit or will he keep Santos in the team. I suspect Abdenour will stay in.
Orban 6  Had a good game again but sometimes gets turned a bit too easily.  Not at fault for either goal so that is a plus.
Cancelo 6   A good game generally but maybe should have done better with the header and at times a bit too casual with his passing in dangerous areas. almost gave a goal away when passing across his own goal and needless foul for the free kick for their first goal.
Parejo 6.5   loses points for the number of times he gave away the ball but his vision and passing was excellent apart from the silly lapses in concentration. A great penalty.
Danilo 6  Worked hard but has a way to go to impress.  However, he is young and strong and full of running but still one for the future.
Gomes 7  Made the penalty and full of running.  He really caused the visitors problems every time he had the ball.
De Paul 7  Had a great game with his hard work all over the pitch. So glad he wasn't taken off for Piatti.  He has to be a regular now. I hope you are watching Nuno.
Alcacer 7  Worked hard as a lone striker and got the important header to win us the point. Did not do much but was for long times isolated in the way we played. Can always be relied on though to finish when it is needed.

Subs
Moreno 6.5  for Orban 80 mins   Hard to judge but looked really lively and hungry and it was almost like we had signed a new player as he has been away so long.   In the short time he was on he looked really impressive and of course helped with the goal. Please keep it up.
Negredo  for Parejo 85 mins Not enough time but should have scored
Fuego for De Paul 88 mins not enough time but the little he did, he did it badly

Gary Neville  8  Some brave substitutions with forwards to go and win the game. Hopefully next week he will get his first win in La Liga

Goals
  Parejo pen 45 mins.  assist Gomes
  Alcacer 83 mins assist Moreno

Referee  7   Nice to get a decent, brave and unbiased referee.

Booking  Barragan

Attendance  52,000

Valencia CF vs Real Madrid Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Real Madrid Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 03.01.2016 20:30 CET

18th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Gary Neville and Rafael Benitzez

Its quite a hectic New Year in the Spanish championship, with games being played on the eve of new year's and now just 3 days later another set of matches, for Valencia CF its a really big and difficult  match as well against Real Madrid.

Gary Neville hasn't had the greatest start to his coaching career, he would have been really pleasantly surprised by the Barcleona result before he took over, but since he took over he's been unable to translate that kind of play and Valencia CF have lacked consistency. Of course you can't blame the coach, he's had several difficult matches and he's not had proper time to work with the group, but sooner rather than later he will have to get some results, else he could be under significant pressure from the fans and media.

Good news for Valencia CF in the new year is that Real Madrid have been really sloppy in their past several matches, I've watched them at the beginning of the season and have caught two relatively newer matches of them and I haven't been impressed as I was in the beginning of the season. In my opinion they were much stronger than Barcelona in the beginning of the season, but now their form has dipped and they've looked vulnerable. The biggest thing going for Real Madrid is of course the bought and paid referees, I've been talking about this for probably two years now directly that there is major corruption in Spanish football and its become so obvious its absurd. 

Everyone acts like there is nothing going on, but everyone knows it in their gut, in their mind, in their essence that there is major corruption. So that is the major thing that is going for them, historically Valencia CF have had terrible decisions against them all the time against Real Madrid AND Barcelona. Many people dismiss Barcelona as benefiting from referees, but that is just naive and silly, they benefit just as much as Real Madrid.

Good news is that Valencia CF seem to be improving, albeit very slightly, and every time the players come out to play they are a little bit better. What we need now is some consistency, we need good proper play all the time, against all opponents.

Valencia CF is still suffering from a series of major injuries to key players, as such Enzo Perez, Gaya, Mustafi, Feghouli, Bakali and others are still sidelined and can't help the team. Gary Neville has tried to cope with the injuries by changing the formation to 3-5-2 last match against Villarreal and the team looked okay, at least in the first half which I watched. Supposedly the second half was better than the first, though we still lost even with supposed better play.

Valencia CF Squad:
Goalkeepers: Doménech, Ryan
Defenders: Cancelo, Barragan, Santos, Vezo, Aymen, Orban
Midfielders: Fuego, Danilo, Parejo, Andre Gomes, Fran Villaba, Piatti, De Paul
Forwards: Negredo, Paco Alcácer, Santi Mina, Moreno

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 3-5-2
Line-up: Jaume; Vezo, Santos, Aymen; Barragan, Cancelo, Fuego, Parejo, Gomes; Paco, Negredo.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, counter attacks, flood the midfield

Result Prediction:
Valencia CF 4-1 Real Madrid
If and this is a big if the referee isn't completely and absurdly pro Real Madrid as to give them insane benefits, then I feel like Valencia CF is going to win this match and win big time. We've been improving and Real Madrid have been regressing in the past several matches, so I expect us to play much better, while Real Madrid to play weaker and I expect a big win for Valencia CF over Real Madrid if the referee doesn't ruin things. 

CORRUPTION ?

I have a prediction to make well before our game against Real Madrid begins.

I guess most or a lot of us will have seen over the last few days how Real Sociadad and Betis were robbed by disgusting referee decisions in favour of Real Madrid and Barcelona.  I will not call them mistakes because that is an insult to their ability to referee a football match.

Firstly there was Barcelona against Betis when the Betis keeper Antonio Adan came out to make a clearance by punching the ball away.  A type of save you see regularly in football most weeks. After the save Messi collided with him and at no time did the keeper make any type of foul on Messi. However, now it is the time for the referee to intervene and to everybody's amazement, including Messi and his team mates a penalty is awarded to Barcelona.  What a surprise !   a dubious penalty awarded to Barcelona.  It wasn't the winning goal of course because they then went on to get 3 more. However, what a sickener when you are playing against Barca to join the never ending list of teams to go down to a goal that wasn't.

Then we come to the 'mighty'  Real Madrid.  Firstly Benzema goes into the area shoulder to shoulder with a defender and falls to the ground. Maybe not quite obvious enough for him to be booked for diving, but needless to say the ref points to the spot and a penalty is awarded to Real Madrid. The kick is taken and missed.  Don't worry boys says the referee, and sure enough a short time later a defender goes to ground and saves a cross with his leg and the ball bounces up glancing his arm. Penalty says the referee and the ball is duly tucked away for a goal.

If this was just a one off we would just say that these things happen in football.  We know that some decisions you get and some you don't. I would like to know why it always fall in favour of  R.M. and Barca.

So this Sunday we have the dubious pleasure of inviting Real Madrid to the Mestalla.  This is a game we should all be looking forward to pitting ourselves against one of the best teams in La Liga.  Unfortunately, I and many others will be waiting to see how we will be cheated yet again out of the points like we did when we played Barcelona at home last month and the offside goal was given to Saurez.

Update.  OK apart from the offside goal by Bale I thought the referee had a pretty good game. He made a few mistakes but that is normal and at least they were mistakes against both teams.

Villareal CF 1 - 0 Valencia CF Match Report

The first win for Gary Neville's Valencia eludes him once again. Not for lack of effort though but for lack of time. As a result Valencia CF finish 2015 in 10th place on the league table.

We saw significant improvements in the team tonight. It was a team that played with an intensity, fought for every ball and made some chances on goal. Sure it wasn't enough to get a win tonight but it is a very important sign that we are taking steps in the right direction. A lot of those elements that were missing in Nuno's Valencia are starting to take shape. This Villareal team has been pretty stable every since their comeback into the first divison in terms of coaching, finances and structure. Meanwhile, we all know the ups and downs Valencia CF has gone through this season. A season riddled with injuries, a coaching change, as well as players being left out and not getting game time. And that's indeed the effect of leaving players out with no chance of coming back. Not only do you destroy a player's confidence, belief, fitness and passion for the club, but when the player returns under a new coaching system, they're out of shape and do not gel well with other players out on the pitch.

That's was the case for Negredo. First few games under Neville he's looked out of shape and couldn't communicate with other players on the pitch. After a few games now, he's finally getting into the rhythm of things, looking more fit and was chasing every ball he could.

Neville fielded a very unusual system from what we're used to, with a backline that featured five players in a 5-3-2.  This I guess was Neville's way to deal with the absence to Mustafi and Gaya who play major roles in the defense. This was in Neville's view the most stable defense to deal with those losses. It worked for the most part with Villareal having trouble creating chances from open play and the game moving back and forth between Valencia chances and Villareal chances. In fact, the only goal that Villareal would get was through a set piece. A direct free kick just outside the box was perfectly put into the Jaume's top right corner, out of his reach and he could've done nothing about it.

Neville would then shift the system to a 4-4-2 with the introduction of Piatti and Santi Mina as subs to add more fire power. Valencia CF did have a few chances, most notable were from Alcacer. A long ball from the back found Negredo who brought the ball down into Alcacer's path only for the young striker to fire too high. Alcacer would have another try but again too high. They were half-chances and would've been nice to score but they weren't easy.

Valencia CF pressed and created so much pressure in the last few minutes of the game but to no avail and Villareal walked out winners of the derby. I thought the team played great and deserved a win. Neville is definitely improving every game. We haven't seen one game were he took a step back, its always been forward and only time will tell how much he can boost this Valencia CF side.

Goals:
1-0  Bruno Soriano (64')

Lineups:
Villareal CF (1): Areola, Gaspar, Mussachio, Ruiz, Marin, J.dos Santos (Leiva, 67'), Trigueros (Pina, 74'), Denis Suarez, Soriano, Bukambu (Baptistao, 80'), Soldado
Valencia CF (0): Jaume, Cancelo, Vezo, Abdennour, Santos, Barragan (Santi Mina, 69'), Danilo (Piatti, 74'), Andre Gomes, Parejo (Villalba, 87'), Alcacer, Negredo

Player Ratings:

Jaume (5) - Wasn't really test today, had a few saves that he was expected to make, could do nothing about the goal.
Cancelo (5.5) - Really active role filling in as left-back for the day. Wasn't as brilliant as last game but decent.
Abdennour (4) - I really dislike how he relies on his strength too much. At times, he just pushes players with his hands or runs into them. I feel like he needs to be more intelligent with his tackling and time them to avoid getting booked every game or giving away dangerous free kicks.
Santos (5) - I didn't see him very much this game. I would'nt have known he was there had the commentator not mentioned his name.
Vezo (5) - lack of game time has hurt him, he looks very sluggish.
Barragan (5.5) - Got into the right channels and areas but the final cross was always lacking.
Danilo (5) - Decent day in midfield, seems to be stable for now compared to previous performances.
Parejo (6.5) - Really put in the miles today was pretty much all over the pitch, giving great passes and making himself available to recieve them back.
Andre Gomes  (6.5) - It seems his recovery is in its final stages after that injury. Really active out there, took on players and beat them and played with a lot of flair.
Alcacer (6) - Got in great positions and linked up well with Negredo up front. Was getting involved in buildup play as well which is nice to see. Good pressuring of the opposing defense.
Negredo (5.5) - Looks a lot more fit and ready to play that previous games. Almost set up Alcacer for a goal and chased down every ball.

Subs:
Santi Mina (5) - Active down the right wing but not really threatening.
Piatti (N/A) - Not enough time
Villalba (N/A) - Not enough time, but looks to have a lot of potential, could be a good mentee for Parjeo.

Concluding Remarks:

This game was a sign of good things to come but it gets harder this weekend as we take on Real Madrid at the Mestalla. Should be an intense and exciting game and hopefully Valencia CF would have improved even more by then. Winning this game could give Valencia and Neville some much needed confidence and would help us close the gap to the top four.

Lastly, I would like to wish all the Valencia CF community a happy, properous and healthy New Year. May you achieve all you want and need to achieve and enjoy an even better year that the previous ones. Hopefully, you will enjoy Valencia CF successes with us this year and continue your support for this blog.

Happy New Year and Amunt Valencia!

The Near Misses

Looking back over the season in the transfer market a lot has been said in past about players who we should have signed and some that we missed out on for one reason or another. Below are just a few who come to mind and I know there were many more.

Gianelli IMBULA grabbed by Porto from Marseille for 20 mill euros when we looked in a good position to sign him.
Now they are looking to get rid of him in the winter break because. ' He hasn't quite lived up to expectations' Which I think is a nice way of saying, He has been crap.
Maybe he would have done better here or maybe this was a lucky near miss by us.

Jackson MARTINEZ  another wonder boy who was talked about as a future Valencia star.  Has found the jump from Porto of Portugal to La Liga a mighty big step.  At a mere 35 million euros I think Athletico Madrid are thinking the money may have been spent better elsewhere. With only 2 goals in La Liga so far this season
how long will it be before they are offloading him.
Another near miss for us I think.

Ellaquim MANGALA  or the new Otamendi was supposed to come and fill the massive gap that Ota has left in our team. I think it was 30 mill they were wanting.
He has recently been described by Man City fans as follows:
"City should have let him go as part of the Otamendi deal"
"Just by the way he runs you can tell he is a rugby player and not a footballer".
"He simply has to go he is just not good enough."

 Javier HERNANDEZ  now this is a player who maybe we should have signed when we had the chance to.  From Man United to Bayer Leverkusen and has scored 11 goals in 14 games so far this season.
Would he have scored that number for us ?  We don't know and never will know now.

Hindsight is a great thing and of course we never know how these players would have performed for us.

Fans have been asked which position needs strengthening in the winter transfer if Mr Lim is to put his hand in his pocket or get out his credit card.  The consensus by the majority is that we only need to strengthen the attacking midfield area.  This is interesting to me because I think it may have been different a few months ago. ( Yes, and I didn't mean it would have been the manager area )

So what are your thoughts ?

Gary Neville report

So Gary Neville has coached Valencia CF for over two weeks now, since taking over he has presided over one loss to Lyon in the Champions league, two draws in the league and one win in the cup. Modest results, if you can even call them that, more on the weak side, but he has also barely got enough time to start working and even if he would have won all games so far, it wouldn't be his contribution, so the poor results so far under him are not at a fault of his own.

Any coach taking over in the midst of the season would encounter big challenges and would require at least a month to start implementing his ideas and tactics and ultimately you need a long term plan and long term objectives and a coach can only be ultimately judged at the end of the season. So Gary Neville still has two more week of grace period, the honeymoon period where he can try stuff out and avoid any consequences and pressure for any poor results.

With all that out of the way has Gary Neville's Valencia CF team started to show any sort of improvements or positives over the previous Valencia CF, are there any seeds being planted for better future play? The short answer is yes, sort of. We can clearly see from the overall gameplay and the statistics that in the past three matches Valencia CF is slowly starting to get more possession, this could of course be a statistical error, just because of the small number of games, but the way the team has started to position and move has some changes to be able to conclude that things are shifting.

Now I don't think we can safely say if the seeds being planet are going to ultimate improve the team, but its certain that we are seeing some small changes that have taken small effect in the last 3 matches.

Personally my biggest issue right now is the defense. Valencia CF has been unable to keep a clean sheet in the league since 31st October in the 3-0 win over Levante. So basically almost 2 months without a clean sheet, where the team has conceded at least one goal in the net. This is simply unacceptable for any top team, if Valencia CF is serious about fighting for a Champions league spot the defense needs to improve. What this entails is another matter, do the midfields need to cover back more, do the wingers need to play more defensive, do we use only 1 attacking full back, while have one sit back to cover better in defense, these are all questions that need to answered and decided tactically. Is it simply that our defenders suck at an individual level? I don't believe so, these are all very good defenders, though some consistency and improvements are needed. Aymen especially has been really poor for us, in fact every time I've written a match report with him in defense, I've rated him lower because I haven't felt his defensive contribution was on a good enough level.

The one big issue that I've already written before, few times in fact is that the team doesn't move as one. There are just huge gaps between defense, midfield and attack. Each of these positions feels separate, it feels as if we only have 4 in defense, only have 3 in midfield, only have 3 in attack and they are all against 6-7-8, sometimes even more players. The biggest reason why we can't control the midfield and have more possession is because there are only 3 players in midfield and only 1(Parejo) can properly retain and control possession, while the opposition moves together in force and overwhelms our midfield and other positions.

When Valencia CF is attacking, all of the players need to move in unison, the defense needs to come forth all the way until the midfield line, the attackers, expect the main one(Paco) need to also fall back a bit and then constantly move back and forth. Whoever the winger is needs to always move, they need to come back, possibly take the ball for a pass, return the pass, move forward and see if they can get in good position, if not move back, then repeat.

Right now the divide between the positions, between the players is too big, so we get overrun in each position. We just don't have enough players concentrated in a certain area. I think Gary Neville gets this, after all he has been an analyst in England, doing a great job, he's a proven winner as a player, has a decent assistant manager career and has trained under one of the best coaches in history Alex Ferguson. So I think Gary knows this and will be slowly addressing the problem in the upcoming weeks, trying to fuse the team together and make them play more as one unit, more as a collective.

Tell us what you think about Gary Neville's work with Valencia CF so far, how do you think its going and do you see any positive changes in the team play so far, no matter how small they are?