The value of Valencia's players

Superdeporte today had an article on the increase in value of Valencia's players. Unhelpfully, the source material it's based on is only available in the print edition. Interested, I had a look through the two main sources. The CIES football observatory and Transfermarkt to get a rough idea of how much our players are worth now and produced the table below. The CIES data is slightly more recent, dating from 1 February, while Transfermarkt's is from 1 January. Values are in millions of euros.

	CIES	Transfermarkt
Guedes	36.3	40.0
Zaza	34.0	25.0
Soler	32.9	25.0
Rodrigo	23.0	25.0
Kondogbia	22.4	25.0
Mina	17.2	10.0
Gabriel	14.5	15.0
Parejo	14.3	18.0
Murillo	13.7	15.0
Gaya	13.4	25.0
Vietto	13.4	10.0
Pereira	11.9	7.5
Coquelin	11.7	12.0
Neto	10.8	10.0
Garay	9.4	15.0
Lato	8.0	8.0
Montoya	6.8	15.0
Maksimovic	5.9	2.0
Ferran Torres	5.2	1.0
Vezo	5.1	4.0
Vidal	3.3	2.0
Jaume Domen	2.0	2.5
LOANED
Cancelo	17.2	20.0
Nani	4.8	7.5
Medran	3.3	2.0
Bakkali	2.9	1.8
Nacho Gil	2.8	0.3
Abdennour	2.5	4.0
Orellana	1.9	2.0
Santos	1.2	3.0

In most cases, both sites more or less agree on the player values, but there are some discrepancies. I'd tend to agree more with CIES on the value of Montoya and Ferran Torres and more with Transfermarkt on the value of Zaza and Gaya. The values of Soler, Mina and Maksimovich are somewhat in between the two.

The other take away from all this is that Valencia really can't expect to get much from players already loaned out. Cancelo is the main one that the club hopes to sell, but his 32 million buy option for Inter looks too high and the 20 million value looks more reasonable. For the rest, we are basically looking at loose change in relative terms. Nani could possibly fetch more if he agreed to go somewhere like China. He's rejected that idea before, but if a club came in with a crazy salary offer, it's doable.

Valencia CF 3-1 Levante UD Match Report

The bad run of games finally ends with a good performance against our local rivals in the Valencia derby. The win sees us jump back to 3rd place, a point ahead of Real Madrid (they have a game to spare), 6 ahead of Villareal who dropped points but 9 below Atletico above.

LINEUP

Marcelino started with a familiar lineup. The midfield comprising of Kondogbia and Parejo, with Guedes and Soler out wide is finally back together again to start a game. This was the preferred composition earlier in the season and was vital in today's victory. No surprises in the defense with Paulista and Vezo occupying the central positions with no other choices available following Garay's injury. The front featured Mina and Vietto together for the first time. With the Copa finally over, I wonder how Marcelino will use Jaume from now on or will Neto just command the posts barring any injuries?










MATCH

Valencia started the game with intensity and intent backed by a very vocal and supportive Mestalla. It was clear from the get go it was going to be a competitive game with both teams fighting for it. Valencia needed the win after a string of poor results and to maintain a top 4 position while Levante needed points to distance themselves from the relegation spots. They came in with the confidence of a draw against Real Madrid from the previous week.

It would take 17 minutes for Valencia to find a goal through a corner. Parejo delivered and Santi Mina broke free of his marker and made a run for the back post to meet the delivery and beat the keeper at the back post with a header. Good work by Mina to make the space for himself and get in position.

The joy of the goal would be short-lived though as Levante struck back almost immediately from their own corner. They played theirs short and then squared the ball straight across to find Postigo who had made an unmarked run from edge of the box, past Parejo and slotted the ball past Neto. Neto had about a cluster of defenders in front of him obscuring his vision of the ball and the shot caught him off-guard. The defending in general on this play was lazy. We had them outnumbered in the box and some players just stood by not marking anyone and only blocking the keeper's vision. Parejo, who was just inside the box, could've picked up the run. On the initial corner pass that was played shorted, you can see Guedes standing nearby with Vietto at the right-side edge of the box. He chose to keep his distance and was trying to get Vietto to mark the free man in case of a short corner but Vietto either didn't hear him or ignored him and moved in the opposite direction. Montoya  also started out of position having wanted to do the same role as Guedes initially and then only opting to join his teammates in the center at the very last second. A jumble of errors.

The match would carry on with the same intensity for the duration of the first half and into the second half with Valencia ahead, even in possession. A few minutes past 60 in the game, Levante would score following a corner kick, only for the referee to disallow it and rightly wrongly so after a challenge on Gaya. Replay shows that it was Paulista who pushed Gaya and Coke's goal should've stood (EDIT). On the very next play, Soler took the ball and went on a driving run beating a Levante player, then another, and managed a shot from inside the box. The goalkeeper parried towards Santi Mina who wrestled with his marker for it. Vietto made a run the loose ball found him in space for a straight-forward finish and his first in the League.

Valencia would get several chances more to score. A few minutes later, Kondogbia wins back the ball in midfield and starts a Valencia counter. The Levante players were outnumbered 4 to 2 and it looked to be a real danger if the right ball was played. However, Kondogbia chose to go for glory and fired the shot from the edge of the box, which the goalkeeper parried. I personally think he should've passed as there were available players in space.

This dominance would continue with Guedes doing something similar from the left side of midfield and going on his own wild run. He blasted by players with his fully regained pace after injury and found Santi Mina in the box but he couldn't finish the great chance. A few minutes later, Guedes would find Santi Mina in space again, who dummied the defender to make a great chance but the keeper saved. These were almost certain goals and he should've scored at least one of them to seal the game.

The game would get sealed regardless after a quite controversial decision. A loose ball in the Levante box was contested by both Zaza and a Levante player. Both had an even chance at getting the ball and in their attempt to get the ball, they collided and both went to ground. The referee deemed it a foul against Zaza and awarded the penalty which Parejo calmly finished after some mind-games with the keeper. I personally think it was not a penalty and should not have been awarded. As I said, it was a fair challenge for the ball from both players who went at it in the same manner.

There would be one final chance in the game. A through ball from Guedes would find Zaza in space inside the box but the striker couldn't even hit the target and sent the ball over the cross bar. I expected him to at least hit the target and cause trouble for the keeper but it was quite a poor effort.

GOALS

1-0 Santi Mina (17')
1-1 Postigo (18')
2-1 Vietto (65')
3-1 Parejo (89', pen.)

PLAYER RATINGS

Neto 5 - barely called into action so hard to judge as they only had one shot on target. His vision was obscured for the goal and I place the blame on the defending.
Vezo 6 - decent performance, did well in controlling opposition to a 2 shots only in the game.
Paulista 7 (EDIT: 6) - good run of performances, saved us a couple of times with last second challenges (replay shows he could've caused us to go behind by pushing Gaya which the referee took as a challenge from Coke and disallowed his goal. What was he doing?)
Gaya 4.5 - defensively had nothing to worry about, makes decent runs but his crossing seems awful these days.
Montoya 4.5 - did decently well apart from the goal where he was lost in terms of positioning
Kondogbia 7.5 - always delivers and was prominent in offense and defense, had one selfish moment but easily forgiven for his great performances.
Parejo 7.5 - calm and composed, reflected in his penalty as well, great passing, provided the assist for the goal. Good to seem him being more active and vocal as a captain by directing teammates.
Soler 8.5 - awesome to have him find his form again and he made a huge difference in moment of brilliance which gave us the lead.
Guedes 9 - did everything apart from score. He was a constant threat to the defense, tearing them apart with his dribbling, runs or incisive passing.
Santi Mina 7.5 - good sense and sense to make space for the first goal and involved in the buildup tot the second. He's now matched Rodrigo at 8 goals and one behind Zaza with less minutes. It's a shame he couldn't convert the other two chances he had.
Vietto 6.5 - it was an easy goal to score but he did well to anticipate the loose ball and get into position. Didn't help Guedes for the conceded goal. He held the ball up well and had a few smart runs.

Subs:
Coquelin 7 - as good as Kondogbia is, it makes it difficult for him to get time but I want to see him play more, he plays with such intent and contests every ball, great to watch.
Zaza 5.5 - I still value his work-ethic but in front of goal, seems uninspired.

FINAL COMMENTS

This win gave us 3 valuable points and a confidence boost after a poor spell of games. The team did well to carry themselves and proceed with the same intensity that we saw flashes of last game. Great to say 2 players who have recently recovered from injury (Soler and Guedes) put on stellar performances and they will be a huge boost to reach our goals for the season. The 4 players in midfield made the difference tonight with good all-round performances. Also good to see Vietto pick up a goal for his confidence and Coquelin unaffected by the knock he took last game. I think we deserved to win this game. With the chances we had, even a bigger margin could've been expected but the finishing from clear chances wasn't good enough to warrant a bigger scoreline. They did have a goal that was wrongly disallowed as well as a controversial penalty against them and we don't know how it would've changed the game had it stood. We did also have a penalty call for us but the referee deemed it a dive by Vietto. The game was shaped by some controversial decisions which somewhat takes away from the win (EDIT).

With the Copa games out of the way and the League being our only competition, we can focus completely on the top 4 spots, a luxury our competitors for the spots do not have. Hopefully, we will also recover more players from injury in the next few weeks. Murillo could be returning in the next while and it would be another added boost. As such, I expect similar and consistent performances in our next games. Next game Valencia is away to Malaga who have really been struggling this season and find themselves dead last. While it should be an easy game, we need to proceed with humility and carry the same level of intensity and determination that we saw this game.

As usual, let us know your thoughts on the game. Penalty or no penalty? Who impressed? Who disappointed? What can be improved upon? Is Zaza still first-choice or do other strikers demand the spot more?

Valencia CF 0 - 2 Barcelona CF Match Report

Valencia went down battling in the 2nd leg of Copa against Barcelona in Mestalla. It was a scintillating game with great game plan from Marcelino. Unfortunately it was not to be, but the players can keep their heads high. My only hope is, now they can be confident in themselves and start being more consistent with this kind of footballing ideas.

Lineup:
                   Juame
Montoya-Garay-Paulista-Gaya
Coquelin-Parejo-Kondogbia-Rodrigo
               Vietto - Zaza

First Half:
The first half again started out similar to week, with lot of high press from Barcelona. But what might have paused them was the counters from Valencia. Lot more threatening, lot more direct. Marcelino set up Valencia counter attack beautifully IMO. The 4-4-2 version deployed  was very flexible and transitioned into 4-3-3 which transitioned into 4-3-1-2. The way the formations were changing was brilliant with the game plan again being to clog up the middle. Another pleasing thing to see was Marcelino had set up Coquelin, Kondogbia and Rodrigo as robbers! Whenever Barcelona went back to re-stretch the field, the robbers would be waiting for those side-side swing passes. Rodgrio and Coquelin executed the moves very well and stole lot of passes to initiate counter attacks. It was a very well oiled machine! Zaza was pressing Umtiti, Vietto was running in between the line with his intelligent runs and Rodrigo was having an insane game! This is the kind of play I want to see from Rodrigo day-in day out. Had a great header of the bar. Was sitting right in front of Parejo and was finding himself in nice soft zones in Barca defense and when he received pass here, progressed on the drive and then gave nice through balls. Kept the game flowing! Not a single selfish ball hogging decision making. At the end of first half Valencia had the best chance, with Rodrigo's shot of the bar with Cillessen beaten.

Second Half:
Second half started with even more purpose with Valencia attacking Barca higher up the pitch. Boy were we threatening. It's a pity that we conceded the goal at the most inopportune moment. Suarez did couple of moves on Garay who defended him as well as he could and then found a left footed cross far post, where Coutinho finished it with a deft shot. To me Gaya made a mistake in not being physical enough with Coutinho and let him past him, but still Coutinho had to do lot of work with Juame having covered the near post. My reaction is - this is what money will buy you. Suarez turning Garay around or Coutinho finding the only possible solution for goal - Until there is no fair financial policy or acquiring of talent in laliga, rest of the teams will be forced to eat this kind of goals.
Because from what I have seen from financial fair play - if your team doesn't have high quality players for which a team is willing to pay enormous amount you can't afford better players.

Anyhow, the goal deflated the team. Barcelona were toying with us. Hate watching it - just passing to each other and egging us to rush into tackles so that likes of Alba can display some of the patented writhing around moves. Marcelino tried to bring some juice in with Soler and Guedes on for Coquelin and Rodrigo. We played great attacking football but just couldn't get a goal. Garay seems to have popped his hamstring and it didn't look good, Vezo replaced him. Guedes had a good games as well and played in a great cross to Soler, who headed it into Gaya's path whose shot was kept out by a reflex save from Cillessen. Just unlucky. Barcelona scored one more with Rakitic.

Valencia 0 - Barcelona 2
                     Coutinho(48)
                     Rakitic(82)

Final thoughts:
This was a great game by Valencia. As I have always said, Valencia always does well against teams that attack as they afford more space in counters.  But what was good today was players were playing free flowing, unselfish football. It was pure joy to watch. This has to be used as stepping stone because on any other day we might have scored 3 goals against any team.

Player Ratings;
Juame - 6: Very hard to save the first goal. 2nd goal also looked to be placed well.
Gaya - 4.5: At fault last week for the goal and same this week. But imo, these kind of mental errors usually have very low probability of getting punished and was unfortunate. Karma will average it out. He should move on as he had a terrific game otherwise. His crossing game was also really great today.
Paulista - 5: Had a great game. Lots of last ditch tackling.
Garay - 4.5: Got turned around from suarez, but defended it as well as one could. Had a great game. His injury looks bad.
Montoya - 6: Another strong game. Slowly is getting back to form which is good news.

Coquelin - 6: Did his job effectively. Was physical but clean in tackles. Stole the ball. I liked his physical game against Messi.
Parejo - 5.5: Had a good game as well and very neat in his passing and defended well. With 2 CDMs around him had ton of insurance, but passed around well.
Kondogbia - 6.5: Such a great physical player and it's super hard to get the ball off him. Another stellar performance.
Rodrigo - 7: I might have given Rodrigo a 9 if the we hadn't lost the match. This is the kind of performance which I want to see consistently from Rodrigo. I didn't even have issues with him taking shots outside the D today, because they were all good situational plays!

Zaza - 6: Made himself a nuisance and played hard.
Vietto - 5.5:  Had a decent game as well. Slipping in between lines and entering into the D with delayed runs. Understood his position and where to press when Rodrigo moved into 3rd striker position.

Subs:
Guedes - 6: Was a threat on the left. Like how he calmly controlled the ball to let Sergi Roberto slide and the picked out cross to Soler.
Soler - 6: Was a threat with winning the ball and moving it forward. Was all over the pitch
Vezo - 5: Came in for Garay. Didn't notice him making any mistake. Maybe for 2nd goal could have closed down Raktitic better. It was like 4 Vs 2, so just too much to handle imo.

Atletico de Madrid 1-0 Valencia CF Match Report

Another loss for Valencia and our string of poor games continues. In the last 10 games, since and including the league game against Barcelona, we have 3 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses in league play. With all our other rivals for Champions League spots dropping points earlier, we could've built up more cushion points.

LINEUP

Marcelino broke his pattern of pairings with Zaza starting alongside Mina instead of Vietto. This was due to a clause in Vietto's contract that prevents him from playing against Atletico. On the left side, recent weak performances in defense from Lato made Marcelino push him further up the pitch with Gaya behind him in defense. This is also due to the recent Pereira injury against Barcelona after an absurd challenge from Sergi Roberto. The lineup also featured the returns of Kondogbia in midfield and Garay in defense, whereas Vezo was preferred over Montoya in the right-back position.

MATCH

This section has been pretty much the same story for the past few games so I won't spend too much time detailing it. I am not seeing any difference in the way we approach games. It's more of the same and to no avail.

From the first few minutes in the game, we already gave away possession and almost everyone back to defend. Most counter-attacks that we started had thrown away possession with poor passes or with our players taken out by Atletico fouls with the notorious Diego Costa the culprit of several in a row and being warned by the referee several times. He received many "last warnings".

Neto was forced to make a couple of really good saves to deny Atletico several times and he had a generally good game. Kondogbia was something else today though. He brought much needed stability and retained possession quite well even when several Atletico players team up on him, he manages to come out with the ball at his feet. His passing and distribution both vertically and laterally were great and he did better than Parejo today in that regard.

The ball reached the Atletico box several times but that's just about it. Atletico wouldn't let us into their box. Shots from outside the box ended up in the clouds than in the net. Of the 5 shots we had all game, we managed to get none on target. Absolutely none. This was despite the added fortune of Atletico losing 2 of their center backs due to injury, one early on and one in the second half. Meanwhile Aletico got 5 of their 7 on target. Which brings me to the goal we conceded. Correa receives the ball and runs towards our box surrounded by 4 of our players but all keeping their distance. Kondogbia gets feinted and Correa fires from long range into the top left corner, beating Neto at his near post. I don't really know if Neto could've reached that ball since it was in the postage stamp of the goal. I blame this one more on the defenders who failed to close him down.

After the goal, Marcelino predictably resorts to bringing on a 3rd striker in Rodrigo to replace Lato. A few minutes later, Soler was introduced to replaced Maksimovic. Rodrigo's introduction didn't change much, he was barely noticeable but it's difficult to influence a team that's struggling this much. Carlos Soler did cause some trouble for Atletico with his quickness but he's still not at his full potential after the injury. A few minutes after his introduction he was taken out by Gabi who couldn't deal with him and was rightly booked with a yellow. A few minutes after Kondogbia was on another wild run and Gabi couldn't deal with him either so he pulled at his arm for a while and still couldn't deal him so he takes him out with a challenge. At this point, almost all the Valencia players surrounded the referee to ask for him to get sent off but he escaped it. Even with a man advantage, I don't know if we could've scored. We really didn't look like scoring.

GOALS

1-0 Angel Correa (59')

PLAYER RATINGS

Neto 5.5 - Crucial saves, especially in the first half. I don't know if he could've done much for the goal, maybe a better starting position? It's hard to tell. I blame the defense more.
Vezo 4 - decent performance in defense, not much trouble from his side. Offensively, a different story. It's not his usual position but he looked so lost going forward. Usually lost possession or produced a poor cross.
Garay 5 - another decent performance. Still think his best partner is Murillo but did well to control their strikers
Paulista 5 - also a decent performance, especially relative to past performances
Gaya 3.5 - just watched Correa's run for the goal and didn't attempt to help. Didn't produce much going forward.
Parejo 5 - his passing is still far from his best, was outshined by his partner in midfield
Kondogbia 7.5 - the work ethic this game, should be an example to everyone else. Did everything: win the ball, maintain possession, distribute the ball, help out the defense and went on mad runs forward
Maksimovic 3 - just when I was starting to think he's proving himself in the team a few games back, recently he's been less than average. Reckless challenges and wasteful possession
Lato 3 - he didn't do much for me. He can't compete with the physicality of Atletico's players.
Zaza 4.5 - glad to see him back in the lineup and was quick to make a nuisance out of himself for the opposition. Did his best with the scarce supply he got
Santi Mina 5 - even with few chances in the game, he managed a great one-two with Zaza, only Zaza's touch back was too heavy and escaped him. Could've been a decent effort to get a goal.

Subs:
Rodrigo 4 - credit for work ethic but still wasteful in possession
Soler 5 - caused some trouble in the half an hour he was on but his efforts weren't rewarded

FINAL COMMENTS

The predictability of our gameplay, the long list of injuries and a period of difficult fixtures, produced some unfortunate results in recent weeks. It is getting to a point where the Champions League spot is in jeopardy. Even though, in comparison, the financial benefits and reputation of the Champions League dwarfs the Copa del Rey, Marcelino seems to have intent on reaching the final. Whether or not that makes up for recent results is debatable. It's still early to count us out but things need to change. I was thinking and realized that a lot of the players we have on loan with a purchase option, will not stay if we don't make the Champions League. Our best chance to retain these players is to get a top 4 finish.

Our next fixture is against Barcelona at the Mestalla for the second league of the Copa del Rey semi-final. With the first leg finishing 1-0 in Barca's favor, we're still in the game but it will difficult to say the least. After this Copa game, we will have either have only the League to focus on for the rest of the season or one more game against Leganes or Sevilla. That match is still far off, in mid-April, so we can still focus on the league either way.

In terms of optimism, the next few matches after the Copa match, are much less demanding. We did have to face the top 3 teams in La Liga over 4 games in a short time with a lot of injuries. After those games, we have Levante and Malaga which are at the very bottom of the table. This should hopefully give us some room to build up confidence and produce a decent string of results.

As usual, please let us know what you thought of the match. All comments and opinions are welcome and appreciated. What's to blame for the recent string of bad results? What can be fixed? Who impressed today? Who disappointed? Do we stand a chance in the Copa game?

Barcelona CF 1 - 0 Valencia CF Match Report

Barcelona hosted Valencia for the for the first leg of Copa Del Rey semi-finals at Camp Nou. Marcelino went with a strong starting XI. Valverde's lineup also was pretty strong. I mean Messi never misses a game and they have ton of talent everywhere.

Line up:
                   Juame
Montoya - Paulista - Vezo - Gaya
Soler - Parejo - Coquelin - Periera
           Vietto - Rodrigo

Valencia's game plan was to park the bus and strike on counters. It's a pity we don't have players with the technique/ first touch to execute the idea of counter attack, because in the first half I think we had 20% possession and were gifting Barcelona possession even when there was no pressure applied by the Barcelona player, when all we had to do is string three passes together and out race Barcelona's defense. Watching this was particularly painful as Barcelona were camped in front of Valencia's D the whole half and with no threat of counters they were pushing even higher up.
We actually defended really well. I think Barcelona had 0 shots on the goal in first half. But the problem was transitioning defense to attack. Defense would win the ball or Coquelin (had a stellar game) and pass it to the middle of the field where Rodrigo or Vietto would loose the ball almost immediately either by a very poor first touch or a very poor first pass. The times the were able to pass - Periera would loose it and on it went. I think the Ref was not that great as well. Sergi  Roberto's tackle on Periera should have been a red. There was a visible swelling on his thigh and he was hobbling for the last 10 mins of first half. Compare this to the tackle Periera put on Messi. Periera won the ball and his momentum caught Messi's standing leg and for this it was yellow. Just inconsistent refereeing.
In 45th minute we had the best attacking move of the half - Vietto drove the football and after some interplay out-muscled Pique by the goal line - but his cross lacked quality. The clearance landed at Montoya's feet who played a nice 1-2 with Rodrigo and had a good shot from outside the D.

2nd half the game opened up with Valencia attempting to push men front. Periera was subbed in for Maksimovic who again showed  his quality. Had a great run down the wing but the final cross was a let down. The deadlock was broken in 65th minute. Messi finding Suarez who headed the ball in. Gaya was caught watching the ball instead of marking his man and Suarez drifted off to get open. A lapse in concentration - Gaya had a good game tbh. Ferran Torres came on for Carlos Soler and Rodrigo Moreno came off for Santi Mina. Mina had 3 really good attacking forays with two difficult chances. The first was a through ball from Ferran which pitted Mina against Cillessen. Mina should have tried a chip but instead tried to round the keeper who cut him off. Tough chance and the angle of his run resulted in the ball on his weaker foot but still he should have the cojones to take the shot. The 2nd was a ping ball from Maksimovic in the dying minutes of the game and I felt Mina jumped a little too early and couldn't get control on the header. Nice try on a very tough chance.

Barcelona 1 - Valenica 0
Suarez (65)

Final thoughts:
The strategy/ tactics were very good. Clog the middle and force Barca to go out wide. The defense and midfield organization was impeccable. Very happy to see that Marcelino had put attention to details. Montoya basically picked up every run that Alba made without loosing the defense shape. That's learning from mistakes(given how Alba got behind him and scored the equalizer in mestalla)! We conceded free kicks but looked like we were prepared for it. The let down was triggering the counters. It's just lack of quality in out attacking players. Nothing much to say about that.
To me this tie is in a very bad shape. We need to score atleast 2 goals without conceding. Seems like a tall ask and considering how faltering our counter attack is and putting 3 past Barca at Mestalla and conceding only 1 would be a miracle. The most likely result would be a 2-2 at Mestalla. Will be over the moon if we qualify for the finals - let's see what Marcelino can inspire!

Player Ratings:
Juame - 6: Didn't have much to do. When called upon was assured. Couldn't do much about the goal. Had a nice deflection if first half which put the ball out of Suarez's reach. I like his keeping skills more than Neto.
Gaya - 4.5: Except for the mistake on goal, had a good game. Just needs to get more aware instead of being drawn to the ball. Used his hands to keep the ball from going in - this could have been a direct red.
Vezo - 6.5: He is continuing to impress me. Looks fast, assured in defending and today was one of the ultimate challenges.
Paulista - 6: Had a good game as well. Little aggressive but played well.
Montoya - 6.5: Seeing some of his last season form. He and Soler defended very well on the right.

Periera - 5: Helped out in defense. Wasteful in possession. Unlucky injury - hope it's nothing serious but there was an obvious swelling
Coquelin - 7:   He played really well. Intercepted the balls, put in tackles. Very impressive performance.
Parejo - 5: Defending is not his forte, but tried his best. Couldn't get the counter attacks going and when he did, up front would mess it up.
Soler - 6: Very good game by Soler. Was tested by Initesta, Messi, Alba on numerous runs, but combined well with Montoya. The only guy in first half trying to jail-break.

Vietto - 5: Wow, Simeone has really done a number on this kid. Abysmal in first half. Slowly grew into the game and had a better second half.
Rodrgio - 2:  Apart from his header to Montoya for the shot in 45th minuted, didn't notice he was playing.

Subs:
Maksimovic - 6.5: Played really well on the right and then on the left. good player!
Mina - 6: 10 mins and 2 great chances. Got to give some credit.
Ferran - N/A: Had one great pass for the goal and one bad pass which started Barcelona's counter, but looks really good with ball at his feet.

Valencia CF 1 - 4 Real Madrid CF Match Report

Shocking game. It was frustrating to watch for most of the duration. The scoreline is quite misleading. I was looking forward to a close game and even hoping for a win but I think the referee killed the game and quite early at that. Not to say that our play was great, it wasn't. But the referee definitely is the major player in this game. The news in recent weeks was that the players were noticing that since the Barcelona goal that was disallowed in our favor, the refereeing decisions have taken a noticeable and obvious direction against us.

LINEUP

The lineup is mostly the same as previous La Liga lineups with the biggest changes being Coquelin in defense to cover for our suspensions, as well as Gaya being pushed up to the left midfield and Lato covering left-back.

MATCH

The game started quite even. Both sides were going for it and both defenses had a moment of panic at the first few minutes in which half-chances were made. A few minutes into the game, a Valencia counter ended with Rodrigo who went for a shot from outside the left-side of the box, despite an incoming run from Gaya who was wide open. A bit selfish considering he's never scored from there. At around 16 minutes in, Real Madrid played their own counter led by Marcelo, Ronaldo and Benzema. A bit of interplay found Ronaldo in some space in the box, Montoya cut in front of him and reached for the ball with his leg but didn't get it. Ronaldo dropped to the ground, the referee calls for a penalty and Ronaldo easily converts. This was a fifty-fifty for me and against the big 2, they often go against us. I'm sure many of you have seen this sort of challenge not given as a penalty. Was it a reckless challenge from Montoya's part? Yes. Did Ronaldo make the most of it? Yes.

At one goal down, the game proceeded in a similar fashion with our best chance coming after Kondogbia dribbles past 2 players and fires from the edge of the box but was denied by Navas. Edging closer to the end of the half, a Madrid attack builds up and a ball is crossed towards Benzema from the right. Montoya jumps to contest the ball but Benzema opts to stay on the ground, backs into Montoya looking for contact. He drops to ground very easily and the referee calls a penalty again which Ronaldo converts again. This was in no way a penalty in my opinion. Montoya had every right to jump for that ball and contest it. He didn't push or use his hands, Benzema backed into him, it was a clear dive. 

On the other end, Parejo gets tripped up in the penalty spot with clear contact that was nowhere near the ball and the referee sees it but says to play on. Last minute of the first half, Guedes fires from the edge of the box and Navas parries for a corner. The referee end the half and doesn't let us take the corner. Again, the issue here is the inconsistency. Some teams get several minutes beyond the half to keep taking corner after corner and we can't even get one. Two goals down at half-time with a lot of decision going against us, in a half that was quite even otherwise is a big confidence knock. Guedes suffered from some uncomfort and Soler was brought on to replace him in his first game back from injury.

In the end of the first half and then into the second half, a lot of silliness happened. Madrid players, aware that decision were going their way and that Valencia players were frustrated, starting going down at every little touch. This is to be expected. This is an often overlooked effect of one-sided decisions, players take advantage of it. This is especially true if the antics go unpunished as was the case. A few minutes in and Ronaldo fell in the box again and was told to get up quite rightly by the referee but wrongly escaped booking for a clear dive. 

Valencia would pull one back nearing the 60th minute from a corner. Parejo found Mina who was amidst a cluster of Madrid players but soared above them to head it past Navas on his right. This was when Valencia roared back into the game as the crowd found their voice again and cheered the team on. There was attack after attack and Madrid would keep getting dispossessed to start a new attack. Marcelino brought on Zaza for Rodrigo and Perreira for Lato (Gaya returned to left-back) as he senses the possibility of another goal. 

This was not to be the case and the team drifted off. Passes started getting misplaced and the ball was lost too easily. Crosses were aimless and shots. We had one really good chance from Rodrigo who was found in the center by Mina with a gaping net as Navas was out of position. But the shot was difficult for him and he sent the ball over the bar. 

In the final ten minutes we would be caught off guard twice. The first an attempt that exploited the right side of our defense. A run by Marcelo with a quick one two found him in space and he slotted it past Neto. Very questionable keeping. Beaten at the near side through his legs. The second was 5 minutes later, another one two this time from the center which finished with an effort from Kroos from the edge of the box, beating Neto again. 

GOALS

0-1 Ronaldo (16', pen.)

0-2 Ronaldo (38', pen.)

1-2 Santi Mina (58')

1-3 Marcelo (84')

1-4 Kroos (89')

PLAYER RATINGS

Neto 2 - Is it just me or his keeping looking really shaky compared the beginning of the season. Stays frozen most of the time or doesn't commit fully to a leap. Beaten at the near side is another con.

Montoya 1 - We are really in need of a functioning right back. Despite the referee's harsh decisions, his decision-making wasn't too great either. Every time an attack comes from his side, he looks shaky and we look vulnerable to concede.

Coquelin 3.5 - For a make-shift center-back he did just as much as could be expected from him. He only really looked vulnerable in the last 10 minutes for the third and fourth goals. 

Garay 4 -  took a knock to head early on but fought through and like his partner only looked vulnerable for the last two goals.

Lato 3.5 - at times he looks solid and at others he gets overwhelmed and seems lost.

Kondogbia 5- good game, commanded the midfield alongside Parejo and caused problems with his dribbling and shots.

Parejo 4.5 - decent game but his passing which should be his specialty is really lacking at times, loses possession at crucial moments. 

Guedes 4.5 - got shut down pretty well and didn't get much of a chance to shine save for a shot on goal at the end of the first half, went off due to injury afterwards. 

Gaya 4.5 - decent going forward and tracking back but was a bit wasteful with his crossing at times. 

Rodrigo 2 - selfishness doesn't go well and it's becoming a habit. Opted to shoot from long-range where he's hardly scored before despite an open players available. Also should've done better with an open goal from Mina's cross.

Santi Mina 5.5 - gave us a way back in this game and almost to a tie but Rodrigo couldn't finish

Soler N/A - needs more time, still miles away from his best but maybe this wasn't the best game to reintroduce him.

Zaza 5 - caused a decent amount of trouble in the time he was on, always fights for every ball and tries to pressure the opposition

Pereira 3.5 - hardly made an impact

FINAL COMMENTS

A combination of one-sided refereeing for the majority of the game and really bad play in the final minutes of the game resulted in a misleading scoreline. All the cushion points we had have now run out. Real Madrid are now two points away from us with a game to spare. Effectively we could be in 4th place and 3 points ahead of 5th (where Villareal are currently sitting as I type this as they are leading Real Sociedad). Some of these players could be tired from the extra time during the midweek Copa del Rey game, but the tight schedule is about to continue. In the next two weeks, we face Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and then Barcelona again. It's a gruesome schedule and that's an understatement at that. 

A lot of our players are falling to injury and suspension, so our squad is being stretched. Hopefully we can get Murillo back soon and he quickly finds his way into the team as that will be a huge boost. Our woes in the league have begun right about when he got injured. The partnership with Garay is our best defensive lineup and allows everyone else to commit forward in peace. I don't know if the last 4 days of the market will bring a right-back for us, but we need one. 

As for the refereeing, we just need more consistency in decisions and, a bit more protection and good decision-making (from our end too), as we really can't afford more injuries and suspensions. 

Next game is on Thursday, away to Barcelona for the Copa del Rey semi-finals. We need the game to go way differently that what we've seen today. The first leg result could make it our break it for us.

As usual, let us know your thoughts about the game. Is the scoreline a fair indication of the game? Do you agree with the players that the refereeing is against us since the Barcelona game? Who impressed? Who disappointed? All comments and opinions are welcome and appreciated. 

Nacho Gil loaned out to Las Palmas

Valencia CF midfielder Nacho Gil has been loaned out to Las Palmas until the end of the season. Nacho Gil featured several matches for Valencia CF, mostly substituting for Guedes, but with the upcoming return of Soler, Guedes fully fit, Andreas Pereira in the wings and of course Maksimovic being converted to a winger it was going to be tough for Nacho Gil to get significant playing time to continue his development, so the team decided to loan out the player until the end of the current season.

There are rumors that Valencia CF are also looking at a big name like Lucas Moura who's been told by PSG that he is surplus to requirements and should be looking for a new club, so Valencia CF supposedly in interested in acquiring the player on an initial loan move with a must buy clause at the end of the loan for 30 million euros.

Chances of Lucas Moura coming to Valencia CF are very slim though and it seems like an out there rumor, first the asking price of PSG is 40 million euros, at minimum maybe get his price down to 30 million euros, but he isn't going to come any cheaper, he also has a big salary which VCF can't afford and there are few other clubs with deep pockets that are interested. 

Deportivo Alaves 2 - Valencia CF 1 [Alaves 2 - Valencia 3 (in Penalty shootout)] Match Report

Valencia CF and Alaves engaged in an entertaining second leg duel for a semi-final berth in Copa del rey. After winning the first leg, 2-1 at Mestalla, we needed a good defensive performance to qualify for the semis. Marcelino went with a strong starting XI.The only surprising start was Maksimovic over Andreas Periera on the right wing.

Line up:
                     Juame
     Montoya - Paulista - Vezo - Gaya
Maksimovic - Kondogbia - Parejo - Guedes
                     Zaza - Vietto

Bench:
Garay, Neto, Periera, Lato, Coquelin, Rodrigo, Mina

First Half:
Fairly cagey affair. Neither team was creating too many chances and the game was bogged down in the middle. Though Alaves were more threatening and employed semi high press. I don't think we had a single shot on goal in first half.  Gaya had a great chance to pass it to Guedes but instead went for Zaza and was defended very easily. The only major incident was Paulista's injury in the 19th minute. Paulista went up for a header on a free-kick from Parejo and landed awkwardly. You could make out his left knee buckled when he was landing. He tried to shrug it off and continue but  it was not to  be. Hope it's nothing serious as Paulista has been an important part of our defense. Initial reports said it was hyper-extension and not an ACL tear. I would take it with a grain of salt and still hope it's nothing serious! The logical sub for Paulista is Garay who was being rested keeping the match against Real Madrid this weekend, but it was not to be.

Second Half:
Started with lot more purpose from Alaves. They started pressing us high in our part of the field. At a time there would be 3 players surrounding Kondogbia and Parejo to steal the ball or prevent them from starting our counter (This I guess has been the recent allusion to opposition figuring out Marcelino). Vietto was replaced by Rodrigo in the 57th min. Though Alaves was pressing us high up they didn't have clear chances in front of goal and were contained to long range efforts mostly outside of middle. Having already been burned by Sobrino in the first leg it was heartening to see the press by Kondogbia and Parejo in the middle to clog up the shooting lanes.

Kondogbia had the first direct chance of the match for us but it came of the bar. Tough chance, nice take, unlucky. Alaves made their subs and ex-Valencia player Munir came onto the field who had an immediate impact with a nicely take header from a cross from near the half line. It was a very good cross and and good run by Munir. Gaya should have done better and not let Munir through. Juame could have come to collect the cross as well. It was just one of those things - One mistake which could prove costly as the aggregate was 2-2 and Alaves had the away goal. Santi Mina came in for Maksimovic and immediately made an impact. A long ball from - I believe montoya, was misjudged by Alaves CB and it fell nicely to Zaza who was able to control the ball and pass a through ball to Mina who hit a nice low left foot finish. Good goal and nothing Sivera could do about. This should have put the duel to rest but Valencia ended up making one more mistake on a long free kick in 86th minute. Vezo over jumped on the free kick and it hit his torso and fell nicely for Sobrino who finished it first time. With Score being 2-1 and level on aggregate extra time loomed large.

Regular Time:
Alaves 2 - Valencia 1
Munir        Mina
Sobrino

Extra-Time
This was one thing that none of the Valencia fans wanted - with so many crucial fixtures in laliga coming playing an additional 30 mins is not ideal.

First Half:
Alaves started very strong in the first half of extra time but lacked quality in final third. Guedes had a strong shot from outside the D at the end of first half of extra time.

Second Half:
Second half, Alaves just petered out and we were dominating, but just couldn't find find the spark in final third to get a chance on goal. The one real good chance that Rodrigo had was deflected by Sivera and went of the bar. Montoya was impressive with his motor and had a nice shot at the end.

Penalties:
Alaves 2 - Valencia 3

Juame was impressive in the penalties. Guessed the right way 2 times and saved on both occasions. Sivera saved well as well.

Alaves     - Valencia (PK shootout)
Pina             Rodrigo
Pedraza(x)   Mina
H.Perez(x)   Kondogbia(x)
Munir          Gaya
Sobrino(x) 

Very impressive penalties by Gaya and Rodrigo. Looked very confident and hit the inside netting. Had read once that the highest probability of scoring penalties is if you aim for the top-underside  or the inside-side netting as they are toughest to reach for the keeper.

Player Ratings:

Juame - 9: Impressive in penalties. Seems to have picked up some mind games from Diego Alves. Great stops. Could have done better with the crosses but overall assured game.
Gaya - 7: Got beaten by the legal push-off from Munir and burned for the goal. But otherwise a flawless game with an excellent penalty.
Vezo - 7: I thought Vezo had an impressive game. Except for the goal where he misjudged the whole thing, very assured defending and I am also seeing a never before seen burst of pace. Just needs to cut out mental errors. He could keep up with many of vertical runs made by Alaves players and get better of them. Saved Guedes whose heavy touch had Pedraza off on the counter with only Gaya left until Vezo put in the tackle to get the ball off.
Paulista - N/A: Looked assured until injury
Montoya - 8: Montoya had a quiet good game. He might not be good at heading, but grew in strength as the game went on. Was amazing in extra time with time and again cutting the through ball and driving the ball to opposition third and had a great left footed shot in 117th min which just went over. No wonder he is the fittest in the squad ( I believe Marcelino conducted this test as soon as he became the coach).
Guedes  - 7: Didn't have much of an impact. But was the best offensive player. Had a strong shot in extra time and good combination play with Gaya and Parejo.
Kondogbia - 7.5: Very assured ball handling and defending (tackling). Just makes me nervous when he tries to dribble out of 3-man rush.
Parejo - 7: Struggled as the rest with offense facing so much pressure. But defended and committed with all heart. Free kicks were a miss and had as usual few astray passes but nothing which became catastrophic.
Maksimovic - 7: Played well. Smart player. Got into attacking positions and passed the ball. Defended well when required.
Vietto - 4: Forgettable day for Vietto. Couldn't get much going in attacking play. Don't think it's just his fault but when he got the ball lost it very easily.
Zaza - 6: Good assist for the goal. Only thing of notice. His first touch is too heavy and Alaves stole the ball of him very easily in the first half by pressing

Subs:
Mina - 7: Took his goal very nicely. Had me worried with his stutter step for penalty but Sivera bit the bullet first and was able to place it to the right.
Rodrigo - 7: Rodrigo imo is way too inconsistent. Today also it was on display. He did all the hard work getting the ball down the wings and just controlled it out of bounds. He followed that up with a beautiful pass to mina who passed it back for the shot that went of the bar in extra time. Had couple of wild swings at the goal(on one occasion complete missed the ball) inside the D.
He just needs to became consistent with decision making and be more poised.  Next season in UCL and Europa - away games you might have 5 chances. Need to score at-least 1.
Garay - 9: Was very assured and great defending. The talk might be the penalty not given. Maybe he was rusty but as soon as he came on got beaten and was a blatant hand ball which the ref didn't give. Lucky! but other than that very assured.
_________________________________

Sivera - 8: Being 6 feet. I was worried about Sivera's height in goal and the first leg was a disaster for him. But he makes up for the lack of height with good position and anticipation and played very well today. Had a save in penalty shoot out as well! Hope to see him grow more in Alaves.

Overall, I am happy with the result. I want this young team to experience these kind of situations. Directly facing them in UCL or Europa might be hard. Marcelino will have a tough time to recover players for Laliga, but all this is required for next season and in fact to qualify for ULC or Europa next season!

UD Las Palmas 2-1 Valencia CF Match Report

Valencia CF was handed their fourth defeat of the season today against Las Palmas. This was familiar opposition as Valencia played in two legs against Las Palmas in the Copa del Rey which ended 1-1 away and 4-0 at home. Before this game, Las Palmas was flat at the bottom of the table, with the most goals conceded. This slip was again made worse by the fact that Atletico Madrid, despite being held back to a draw earlier in the day, still gained a point advantage over us. We're still at a great standing in the league, but the game was a massive disappointment.

Before I get into the game, I want to talk about the lineup.

The forward and defense lines are something we've seen recently with the exception of Gaya being replaced by Lato due to suspension. The midfield was a strange one, with both Kondogbia and Coquelin featuring. While Parejo is absent due to suspension, those 2 players are meant to rotate the same CDM position. Looking at it before the game, I thought that we were going to lack creativity from the central midfield and that was indeed the case. As for the wingers, usually at least one of Pereria or Guedes would start but we got to see Nacho Gil and Maksimovic, both of whom have impressed the coaching staff in recent game, start together. 

You couldn't have guessed what was going to happen later in the game by watching the first 5 minutes. That's all the time it took for Valencia to find the back of the net. There were two similar corners, delivered by Nacho Gil, the first dealt with by the opposing defense but the second one beating them completely and headed in by Santi Mina. Valencia's early dominance would continue with Santi Mina being set up for a one on one against the keeper, who would get a touch on his shot but the ball would keep it's motion only to hit the post. Unlucky not to score. 

The first 10 minutes would also feature many tackles by Las Palmas in an attempt to press us off the ball. The referee stopped the game so many times in quick succession and the flow of the game was often stopped. After the goal though, we would lose control over the game and Las Palmas would put together attacking move after move. Viera would start a move and make an unmarked darting run into the box. The ball was lifted into the center, met by Calleri who found Viera's run who blasted the ball into the net from point-blank range between Neto's outstretched arms. In the next five minutes, both Lato and Vezo earned yellow cards. 

With the remaining first half being more of the same, I thought we would bounce back in the second half as we normally do. It was more dominance from Las Palmas and it would become worse very soon. Fifty second minute, a Las Palmas ball struck Paulista's outstretched elbow and the referee calls for a penalty and books him with a yellow card. Paulista gets up in the referee's face and starts complaining about the decision for quite a while and the referee gets fed up and send him off. A goal behind from Calleri's penalty and a man down against a team that has dominated us for most of the game. Again, you could argue with these that sometimes they're not given or that it's too harsh to give a penalty and send a player off but that's the way it went. The last 30 minutes of the game would see Montoya, Neto, Zaza (from the sideline), Vezo and Coquelin get booked. Of course, that meant a second yellow for Vezo as well who was shown a red card. 

Valencia did step up in the final minutes of the game and put together some good moves but it was to no avail. Guedes, Vietto and Zaza were all brought on after the 2nd goal but none could influence the game enough to score. The second sending off killed off the game and even with 4 added minutes everybody knew it was going to be a Las Palmas win. 

GOALS

0-1 Santi Mina, 5'

1-1 Viera, 20'

2-1 Calleri (pen.), 53'

PLAYER RATINGS

Neto 3 - Caught off guard for the first goal but it was shot right between his arms, maybe could've done better. Half-dove for the penalty then frozen.

Montoya 5 - A decent performance, generally covered well in the three man defense after Paulista's red card and then the two-man defense with Vezo off.

Paulista 0.5 - Last second challenge saved us from a possible Las Palmas goal, but cost us the game by running his mouth at the referee. He's one of the more experienced players in the lineup and shouldn't throw the game with one silly moment. Also, barely jumped to contest the ball into the box in the lead-up to the first goal.

Vezo 3 - Didn't track Viera's run from his side for the first goal. He did get sent off, but it was a bit harsh and the Las Palmas player was making the most of it. 

Lato 4 - Should've done more defensively for the first goal, he was left in the dust by Viera. Tactical foul to stop a dangerous Las Palmas counter attack

Nacho Gil 6 - great corner assist for the first goal, put in a lot of effort out there.

Kondogbia 5 - solid in the midfield but the lack of creativity is due to the lineup wouldn't blame him

Coquelin 4.5 - great work rate, helped out the defense when needed

Maksimovic 5 - worked hard out there offensively and defensively, his creativity didn't have a chance to show as we were constantly being pressed

Rodrigo 3.5 - barely noticed he was out there, but then again the offense didn't have much work to or supply

Santi Mina 6 - took his chance and scored following Nacho Gil's corner

FINAL COMMENTS

Some of the changes could have been due to the Copa game mid-week in mind. Marcelino seems really intent on getting us to Copa Final. However, there was a lot of silliness out there. We had a similar number of fouls (they had 19, we had 15) but a disproportionate number of bookings (they had 2, we had 11 of which 2 resulted in players sent off and 1 just off the sideline for kicking away a loss ball). We were missing both Gaya and Parejo due to suspensions but we keep picking up more bookings. We're third in the league, not only in position, but in number of yellow cards (61) and are tied at top for number of red cards (4). This is definitely an issue. 

Our next game is the 2nd leg of the Copa del Rey quarter finals against Alaves. We have a good advantage from the first game which finished 2-1 at home. They have an away goal but we lead on aggregate. The first leg was close and we were rescued by Rodrigo's goal and a red card but the win will not be straightforward. I am optimistic for that game though and it would be a great boost to make the semi-finals. 

Let us know your thoughts on the game? Are bookings an issue for us? Who impressed? Who disappointed? All comments and opinions are welcome and appreciated.

Deportivo Coruña 1-2 Valencia

With Atletico Madrid winning and Villarreal springing a surprise victory at Real Madrid, the pressure was on us to get a result here and the team responded with a mostly decent performance to land three points.

The line-up provided a few surprises.

New signing Coquelin started, with Maksimovic at right midfield. Up front there was full rotation, with neither Vietto nor Zaza starting and Rodrigo and Mina taking their place. Another notable selection was at right back, with Vezo playing there instead of Montoya or Vidal. Vidal was absent from the squad completely and has clearly lost Marcelino's trust.

The first half was a fairly even affair, with neither side creating many chances. Depor adopted the same tactics most teams take against us. Putting men behind the ball when we have possession and targeting our right back. They nearly scored in the 12th minute from a corner, though it would have been by luck. Their player missed a header, with the ball bouncing off his shoulder and on to the crossbar. Our main chances came from an active Guedes. In the 26th minute, he hit an excellent curling shot which the keeper did well to stop going in the top corner. Shortly after, he shot just over. After Depor having most of the best of the 25 minutes, Valencia exerted more control, passing the ball around patiently. A good move featuring Maksimovic on the right could have resulted in a penalty, as their player slipped and handled the ball when falling, but the ref judged it accidental. He was probably right, but we've had those given against us.

Not to be outdone, Valencia took the lead due to good play by the forward three. Mina made a driving run, beating 2 Depor defenders, then finding his way blocked, wisely decided to pass to Rodrigo, who found Guedes in space and his shot beat the keeper, who should have done better. Depor headed just over soon after, but it was advantage Valencia at half time.

The second half was mostly even, with Valencia defending solidly and looking more likely to score on the counter. Guedes was having a great game and was leading a counter when he was fouled for a yellow. But unfortunately, Parejo picked up a yellow soon after and will miss the next game. Valencia doubled their lead in the 64th minute with the same front three involved. Great persistence from Mina, robbing the ball, finding Guedes who passed to Rodrigo and the latter's shot was deflected past the keeper.

It looked more likely that Valencia would wrap it up by adding a third and the team tried. Rodrigo headed wide, Guedes shot wide.... it just didn't happen. Marcelino changed the front two bringing on Vietto and Zaza. Despite Zaza's knee problem being clear again, he added to the attack and was unlucky not to hit the target.

It should have been game over but the team nearly threw it away with a shaky last five minutes. A cross from our right side should have been dealt with by someone including Neto. It looked like Garay was pushed, but either way, Depor had pulled a goal back and we looked vulnerable. With three minutes of added time it was nervy. Adrián should have scored when put through, but one-on-one with Neto, shot over the bar. Then there was a last minute which I just didn't understand. Valencia had the ball at the side of their box with Vietto. Instead of just holding it up, we passed it around, lost possession and conceded a corner, which fortunately they couldn't do anything with.

With the exception of that last period, this was a decent game, we should have put it to bed and I'm still not convinced by any forward two which doesn't feature Zaza. For all that, three points at a difficult stadium gives us our first away league win since 19 November, which was also the last time we won three in a row. Valencia ends the first half of the season in an excellent position, third, 8 pts ahead of R.Madrid (who have a game in hand), 9 ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal with Sevilla a full 11 pts behind and under pressure to win tomorrow's game. A great first half of the season and credit to all involved.

PLAYER RATINGS
Neto 5 - not a lot to do, but didn't shine
Vezo 6 - had some problems and was targeted but made no glaring mistakes
Garay 7.5 - very good game, was dominant on the ground and in the air
Gabriel 7 - really solid game, cutting out dangerous moves when needed
Gaya 6.5 - the attacking on the left was mostly left to Guedes, but he was defensively sound
Maksimovic 7 - things are going to get competitive now in midfield but he really stepped up for this game, contributing well in an unfamiliar right midfield position and deserves more games
Coquelin 5.5 - quiet game, didn't notice him much, no mistakes but neither was as dominant as Kondogbia is, too early to form any opinion
Parejo 6.5 - the usual controlling performance, there were a couple of times when he nearly got caught in possession but he came out of it well
Guedes 8.5 - excellent game, was our main attacking threat and was back a number of times to help out in defence
Rodrigo 7 - did well, linking up well with the midfield and got his first league goal since November. Is now the team's top scorer this season with eleven goals.
Mina 6.5 - under pressure due to the arrival of the new forward, but had a good game, worked hard and was involved in both goals

SUBS
Vietto 5.5 - had limited chances with the team defending its lead, but continued to look a handy addition and could have had a penalty near the end
Zaza 6 - put in hard work as always despite his knee condition flaring up again
Montoya N/A - limited involvement, but nothing negative

Deportivo vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Valencia CF just finished the signing of Francis Coquelin from Arsenal FC and the player has already been put on the squad list to face Deportivo La Coruna. Coquelin is replacing Kondogbia in the squad who's unavailable and might even get his first start as well. I reckon we are going to see Maksimovic and Parejo in midfield, though you never know and Marcelino might even start Coquelin, though I must say that would be a surprise, especially after Maksimovic had some good games recently.

These days every match is a must win match and the players need to get into a winning mentality, where the team has to win every single match, has to beat every opponent facing them. Deportivo La Coruna are going to be a tricky opponent, and its never easy against these types of teams, but I am expecting a 2-0 win here or something comfortable along those lines.

While we are at new players Vietto had an amazing start to his loan move here, scoring 3 goals on his debut for Valencia CF, especially after a long haul being goalless. Will that amazing display grant him a starting place in tonight's match or will Marcelino take it slow with him and go with the standard starting eleven of Zaza and Moreno? Will be fun to find out who gets to start, certainly a few starting dilemmas for the coach, but that is a good problem to have!

Valencia CF squad:
GK: Neto, Jaume
DEF: Montoya, Garay, Vezo, Gabriel, Gaya, Lato
MID: Coquelin, Maksimović, Parejo, Nacho Gil, Guedes, Ferran Torres
ATT: Zaza, Rodrigo, Vietto, Santi Mina

Copa del Rey draw

The draw has just been made and here it is

Valencia got the best draw possible: Alavés, avoiding last season's top four, exactly as Marcelino wanted. We should be favourites for this one, though it's a shame that Barcelona and the Madrids all avoided each other. The first leg will be at Mestalla on 17 January, with the return leg on the 24th.

Francis Coquelin joins Valencia CF

Arsenal FC midfielder Francis Coquelin joins Valencia CF on an initial 6 months loan deal, and as I understand a must buy option in the summer for around 13 million euros. Francis Coquelin has barely featured for Arsenal FC, especially this and last season and while he has been rather good when fit and playing, due to injury or cards or tactical decision he's been unable to provide a consistent performance one way or another.

Personally looking at it from a purely sporting perspective I think its a great move, masterful move to significantly strengthen our midfield and provide a lot of cover and options. My big worry is that we have to pay 13 million for this guy in the summer, where is that money going to come from and how can we afford Kondogbia if we are paying 13/14 million for this guy, paying another Zaza installment, another Murillo installment and possibly buying Vietto?

My big worry is that they've decided they can't get Kondogiba, that its too much money and as such they are securing this move right now in order to have a ready replacement in the summer and say hey we can't afford Kondogbia, but we will buy Francis Coquelin instead, so everything is a-okay!

This is my big worry. Becaue again, how can they afford Kondogbia(25m), Francis(13m), Zaza(6m), Murillo(3.5m), Vietto (13m), lets not even talk about Guedes(40m). Valencia CF will need to spend 61 million to get all of the above players minus Guedes or without Kondogiba that would be 36 million euros.

The only possibility is that we sell Rodrigo Moreno, he still has some decent market value and has been doing well this season, so maybe reach 12-13m for him, use that money to fund Vietto, hopefully sell Cancelo for maybe 20 million euros if his price keeps falling and fund Kondogbia, sell Nani and get 7-9 million euros and in installments pay for Francis Coquelin.

Will have to watch closely and see what happens, so far in terms of sporting transfers I like it a lot, I think this guy has a huge talent and can be a great player if he doesn't end up injured and is given some consistency in playing time. Vietto is also a good move sporting wise, again the issue here is money, if Valencia CF had 100 million euros in the bank just laying around I would buy all these players. 

Valencia 4-0 Las Palmas (Copa del rey)

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, it was advantage Valencia, due to the away goal. Nonetheless, the team didn't take it easy, producing one of their best performances in a while to continue a good start to this year, with Vietto the second Valencia player this season to score a hat-trick.

With a fairly intensive schedule this month, Marcelino went for

giving a first start to Vietto, with players such as Neto, Garay, Parejo, Rodrigo and Guedes rested. Las Palmas in contrast went for almost full rotation, changing 9 players, clearly making a strategic decision to focus on league survival rather than the cup.

More often than not, Valencia get going more in the second half. This wasn't the case here as we had an excellent first half, controlling the game, creating numerous chances and unlucky not to be several goals ahead. Pereira cut inside the 6th minute and his pull back was shot wide by Gil. In the 16th minute, Kondogbia made a good recovery in the centre and his ball forward eventually landed at Vietto, who powered a shot just over. Minutes later, Zaza showing his quality, recovering the ball, holding it up then finding an intelligent run by Gil, who was unable to beat the keeper one on one. 20th minute, Lato's cross found Zaza who sent it just wide. Valencia had started brilliantly, doing everything except score.

The nerves were calmed a bit in the 29th minute, with a counter-attack featuring Gil, Vietto and Zaza, ending with Zaza's attempted diving header being rifled into the roof of the net by Vietto for a deserved lead. Las Palmas pushed forward a bit more after that, but Kondogbia and Maksimovic did a good job of covering the defence, while Vezo marked Calleri out of the game, with the latter forced to push Vezo over just before half time to get the ball in the net. Rightly disallowed.

Any disappointments at the lack of goals in the first period were soon put to rest. Pereira linked up well on the right and his centre was met with a good first touch from Vietto who lifted it over the keeper for his second goal. Nacho Gil was unlucky to get a third, as he had been all game. Instead it was Maksimovic who got it, scoring his first goal for the club and a super one too, a screamer from outside the area. Unluckily for him, it would be overshadowed by an even better goal. The Las Palmas keeper had come out to intercept Zaza, but was still rushing back when Vietto lobbed him from the centre circle for a memorable hat-trick which showcased all his skills. A goal that rivals Guedes' first goal against Sevilla for goal of the season.

Las Palmas were well beaten and their efforts after that came to nothing, with Valencia looking the more likely to score. Las Palmas may not have been at their best, but Valencia certainly were. A very solid performance which continues a good week, as R.Madrid and our more likely rivals Sevilla and Villarreal all slipped up last weekend. Marcelino said that if we keep winning we'll finish top four. Play like this and that won't be in doubt.

PLAYER RATINGS
Jaume 6 - possibly the most disappointed player as he had little chance to show his skills
Montoya 7 - one of his best games in a while, would be great for us if he could play like this more often
Vezo 6.5 - marked well and was there to cut out when needed
Gabriel 6 - like the keeper, quiet game when he didn't have much to do, but did it well when he had to
Lato 7.5 - has been in good form lately and this was a strong defensive performance, with assistance in attack in addition
Nacho Gil 6.5 - had a good game and could have had a hat-trick, really proving his worth to the team
Maksimovic 7.5 - got a chance to show what he could do and take it, scoring a great goal, deserves more minutes and with Kondogbia suspended for the next game, should get them.
Kondogbia 7.5 - solid and consistent as ever, with good recoveries and passing
Pereira 7 - good game but..... could do with being less selfish. That said, always an attacking threat and good assist for the second goal.
Zaza 8 - was really back to his best. Unlucky not to get on the score sheet but did everything besides that, even popping up in defence a couple of times at the end.
Vietto 10 - as I mentioned in a previous post, he's been on our radar for nearly 4 years and so far has proved worth the wait. Will be starter if he keeps this up.

SUBS
Parejo 7 - I'd have let him rest for the league, but this was a comfortable and confident performance as usual.
Rodrigo 5 - wasn't involved much after coming on, as the game was in the bag and he looked a bit sluggish
Ferran 6 - continues to look a good prospect for the future

Valencia 2-1 Girona

Three points and a much better performance but still not quite back to the level that we saw up until the end of October so this is one that leaves mixed emotions, as it was not quite the resounding start to 2018 that we were hoping for.

With Montoya and Zaza suspended, Nacho Vidal and Mina got a start and a chance to stake their place for a claim in the starting line-up, which neither would take.

Apart from that, Gabriel being preferred instead of Vezo was the only other selection of note.

The opening part saw both teams have chances. Neto saved low down from a corner, while Guedes had a shot just wide. Poor defending saw Girona take the lead. Both Vidal and Pereira were unable to handle Mojica in the corner and neither Garay nor Gabriel picked up the former Valencianista Portu who planted a header past an all-too-static Neto. A poor goal to concede and the sensation was reminiscent of last season's Valencia rather than the one that had an eight-game winning streak this season.

Luckily, the goal galvanised Valencia, who dominated the half after that. Gayà and Guedes proved a particular threat, linking up well on the left and it was from that side that the equaliser came. Mina found Guedes, who dribbled well on the left to create space. His attempted centre would have probably gone wide, but the defender deflected it past the keeper to give us a deserved leveller.

Valencia should have been ahead before half-time. Firstly, a good header from Paulista was saved well, then Rodrigo was denied a clear penalty after being fouled by the keeper. Just before the half ended, Guedes got clear on the by-line but was unable to find our forwards with the pull-back.

Having deserved to be ahead at half-time, Valencia took the lead just after half-time and the decision also looked questionable. Gayà had made a great run to the by-line and was fouled, but it looked like he was outside the field of play when fouled, which should have been a drop-ball and possible caution for the defender under the rules. The decisions evened out, but it would be best if these refs just got it right first time. Parejo slotted home for what would prove to be the winner.

While Girona made more effort after that, it was Valencia that would have deserved a fourth goal of the game more. Guedes broke and found Rodrigo for a half chance in the 52nd minute, but the latter dragged his shot wide. Shortly after that, it was Rodrigo who turned provider, latching on to Mina's header and centring the ball back for Mina, who was just unable to get on the end of it.

Girona also had their chance, Mojica forcing a good save from Neto at his near post and later, Stuani's header being saved well in similar fashion. Despite all that, it was Valencia who still looked the more likely to add a goal, though it was not to be. Rodrigo and subs Maksimovic and Vietto were all unable to score half chances to put the game to bed and a scrappy climax ended with Valencia running out winners.

Girona have shown themselves to be no pushovers this season and are a top ten side for a reason, but this game highlighted the fact that more effort is needed to maintain us in our current position.

PLAYER RATINGS

Neto 6 - too static for the goal, a worrying feature of his game we've seen at times this season, but redeemed himself with good stops later on

Vidal 4.5 - has been one of the season's biggest letdowns. Began the season as a player tipped for better things but below par performances have pushed him out of the running. Got owned today and it was no surprise to see him subbed off.

Garay 6.5 - could be questioned for the goal, but overall had a good game, cutting out their attacks

Gabriel 5.5 - after a disappointing first half, grew into the game later and was unlucky not to get his first goal

Gayà 7.5 - a very solid performance, looking good in defence and combining well with Guedes in attack

Guedes 8 - was back to his best today, always looked a creative threat

Parejo 7 - a comfortable and commanding midfield display, passing and recovering well throughout

Kondogbia 6.5 - good game overall, sceening the defence and helping out when needed

Pereira 5.5 - wasn't able to make the most of his opportunities

Rodrigo 5.5 - made a decent effort but it just didn't happen for him

Mina 5 - had his moments after an invisible first period but was unable to make his mark

SUBS

Vezo 5.5 - an improvement on Vidal, even though it's not his natural position

Vietto 6 - good debut, was passing and linking up well and unlucky not to score

Maksimovic 6 - has quality and definitely deserves more minutes

  

Valencia CF vs Girona Match Preview

We all hoped that Valencia CF would start the new year in winning fashion, returning to the top form that led the team to second position in the table, but that chance was scrambled with a weak draw in the Copa del rey against Las Palmas. Don't get me wrong the result itself is actually in favor of Valencia CF, managing a draw with one goal scored away from home is a good position to be in for the return leg, but the issue was that the play just wasn't there and Valencia CF just did not look like it could score and we were on the back foot for most of the match. It wasn't until the 65th minute when the team actually started playing and in time we managed to equalize the result and get away with a draw.

The team just hasn't been the same for over a month now to the team that easily climbed to second position on the table and actually went head to head with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, easily dispatched Sevilla, and so on... Valencia CF coach Marcelino and the players need to react and this match gives them the perfect opportunity to do so. Valencia CF needs a win here in order to continue the Champions league run, otherwise a loss here would severely wound Valencia CF and when the others smell blood they are going to go for the kill every time against Valencia CF.

Good news is that we have acquired Vietto on a 6 months loan deal, with the options to purchase the player in the summer for a reported fee of about 13 million euros. With the issues we've had with injuries and the lack of goals scored for some time now, this should alleviate some of the issues and provide Marelino with more options, especially as Andreas Pereira hasn't celebrated himself with his performances, nor did we have a proper substitute for Guedes. Marcelino has relied on few of the youth players to provide cover, but that hasn't worked out so well and its clear that they need more time to be ready for the first team.
The cover options have been limited to us and when we've had injuries or when some of the first team have been out of form we've had no one to properly substitute for them and provide the same level of skill.

Valencia CF squad:
GK: Neto, Jaume
DEF: Nacho Vidal, Vezo, Garay, Gabriel, Lato, Gaya
MID: Andreas, Kondogbia, Maksimovic, Parejo, Ferran Torres, Nacho Gil, Guedes
ATT: Mina, Vietto, Rodrigo

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-4-2
Line-up: Neto; Vidal, Garay, Vezo, Gaya; Andreas, Kondogbia, Parejo, Guedes; Moreno, Vietto
Tactics: Low defensive line, own half pressure, fast tempo pressing, mixed style passing, winged attacks, counter attacks

Vietto joins

The first official acquisition of 2018 is here. Vietto, who Valencia have been interested in for at least 4 years, finally joins, reuniting with Marcelino, with whom he enjoyed one of his most productive seasons at Villarreal. The deal is said to be for 2m on loan until the summer, with a non-compulsory buy option of between 13 and 14 million.

Since leaving Villarreal for Atletico, Vietto hasn't yet fulfilled his early promise, finding opportunities limited in Madrid, being sent on loan to Sevilla and then returning this season, where the arrival of Costa would limit him further.

His strengths include dribbling, passing and off the ball movement, all of which will be useful in a transition based counter attacking Valencia side. He could do well in link up play. He is also fine with both feet. Weaknesses would be that he isn't that great in the air and then there's the elephant in the room, he isn't that prolific a goalscorer. 

Wasting no time, he has already taken part in a training session

and there's a good possibility that we may see him feature this weekend, especially as Zaza is suspended. Sub would be my bet.

I can see that some of our fans are already complaining about this one on social media. I don't see why. The club has been following him for some time, Marcelino knows him well and, another plus, he wants to come here, turning down a more or less done deal to go to Sporting Lisbon. Sandro could have been better but Everton's hardball tactics meant that Valencia had to look elsewhere. My response, aside from asking if people will ever stop moaning, even when the team is doing well, is to wait and see. Marcelino and Simeone, two of the best managers in La Liga, rate him highly and if Marcelino can get goals out of underperforming strikers like Rodrigo and Mina, he can do the same with Vietto. Ultimately I trust Marcelino's judgement, which has served us well this season.

In brief snippets of other news, plazadeportiva report that Lazio are interested in buying Nani but want to pay less than the 10m buy option negotiated as part of his loan. Given his limited playing time there, it might simply be a case of Valencia accepting 7 or 8 million just to get him off the books.

Transfermarkt recently updated the value of Valencia's team and it makes positive reading. The overall value of the squad jumps from 181 million to nearly 300 million, overtaking Sevilla and Villarreal. In terms of individual players not on loan, Soler (predictably) and Rodrigo make the biggest jumps, going from around 7.5m to 25m with most other players rising, for example Lato from 3m to 8m. Less positively, Guedes' value this season has gone from 17m to 40m, complicating our hope of buying him.

The last piece of news is a bit like the dog in the night in the Sherlock Holmes story: the series of editorials which Meriton promised in November gloating about success explaining their position did not materialise, which for club harmony is a really good thing. The club is still in a good position to reach Champions league and that will matter more to fans than 300 editorials.