RCD Mallorca vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Mallorca vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Iberostar Stadium

Date: 23.09.2012; 12:00 CET

5th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Joaquín Caparrós and Mauricio Pellegrino

RCD Mallorca

RCD Mallorca is coming to this match after an away draw with Osasuna, for some the toughest place for any team to play at and certainly that is proving true this season as well, though Mallorca did manage a draw which is significant. In fact Mallorca is on a very good start to the new season and after 4 matchdays are sitting at the 3rd position on the table with 8 points, level with Sevilla.

Last season Mallorca finished at respectable 8th place, coming very close on points to actually qualifying for the Europe League though not doing enough in the end. Mallorca has not been very consistent in the last couple of seasons, as at one point they finished 5th in 2009/10 and were on the bring on qualifying for the Champions League, just 1 point difference at the end, the next 2010/11 season they finished a low 17th place and barely avoiding relegation and the last season they've bounced back up finishing 8th place.

Joaquin Caparros has been with the team for less than one year now, but he has stabilized the team since their 17th place 2 years ago and has instilled some confidence in the players, making them an effective unit that doesn't concede many goals. He is an experienced coach, has coached many sides, including top teams like Sevilla and Atletico Bilbao with witch he had good success.

Some of their most recognizable players are Dudu Aouate, former Valencia CF player Javier Arizmendi and recent talent for them Tomas Pina. In fact there were reports that Valencia CF might be interested in Tomas Pina, though I think any such talks are premature and likely just wild speculation. 

RCD Mallorca squad: Aouate, Calatayud, Joao, Anderson, Pina, Antonio López, Pereira, NSue, Tomer, Javi Márquez, Geromel,  Bigas, Pep Lluis Martí,  Alfaro, Arizmendi, Kevin, Víctor and Ximo.

Technical Details RCD Mallorca (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Aouate; Ximo, Pedro, Anderson, Lopez; Javi Marquez, Pina; Nsue, Victor, Pereira; Hemed
Tactics: Low defensive line, own half pressure, counter attacks, mostly long passing, doubling down defense.

Valencia CF

Valencia CF on the other hand are coming to this match after a hard fought 2-1 win against Celta Vigo at home and then an away 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Right now Valencia CF is 11th on the table with only 5 points out of 4 matches, though at least now Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are behind us and we can focus on the upcoming matches and start gaining some points and winning of course.

Valencia CF coach Mauricio Pellegrino still has troubles with injuries as I've reported on my blog Fernando Gago will be out of the field for another two weeks as the doctors decided to keep it safe with him, while David Albelda, Jeremy Mathieu, Pablo Piatti still have some time to recover as well, Mathieu being the first to return sometime next week. Ever Banega will return to normal training this next month, though we are not going to see him in a match for at least another full month. Sergio Canales is even further down the line, probably about 2 months away from a recovery.

Valencia CF has been having problems primarily in the midfield with complete and utter lack of any control of possession. In fact against Bayern Munich Valencia CF barely had any possession for most of the match and lost a lot of balls in the middle, which is unacceptable and Mauricio Pellegrino called out the players on it, saying he wasn't pleased with the performance, but wasn't desperate and said the players and the team can improve in the coming matches. Nelson Valdez and Roberto Soldado also called the play bad and said called for the team to improve and start playing good.

Valencia CF is going to face Mallorca with the players being quite tired from the midweek match in the Champions League and we will likely see some changed to freshen up the team, although the options right now are limited as there is only Sofiane Feghuoli for the right wing, only Parejo and Alberto Tino Costa for central midfield, Cissokho only at the left back. The most likely change that will occur is probably Guaita for Diego Alves. I really though Guaita is going to start for the Champions League, but the fact the he didn't means he is very likely to start against Mallorca.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Vicente Guaita.
Defense: Joao Pereira, Barragán, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Cissokho.
Midfield: Dani Parejo, Portu, Tino Costa, Viera, Guardado, Bernat, Feghouli.
Forward: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-4-2
Line-up: Guaita; Pereira, Rami, Costa, Cissokho; Feghuoli, Tino, Portu Viera; Jonas, Soldado.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own third pressure, counter attacks, mixed passing, wing attacks mostly.

Result Prediction:
RCD Mallorca 0-1 Valencia CF
RCD Mallorca have been a low scorer this season, but last season as well and so not much has changed and its not likely to change now, while Valencia CF have also been low scorers this season so I don't expect a match with many goals, although you never really know. I think its probably going to be a tight match, especially since Valencia CF is coming after the Bayern match and aren't likely to play with high tempo.
The battle is probably going to be in the middle with few chances between the sides and Valencia CF just managing to score one goal and hold on the the lead and win.

Valencia CF interested in Vicente Iborra

Vicente Ibbora Levante

Valencia CF is seriosly interested in Levante's Vicente Iborra and Valencia CF sporting director Braulio was seen in the match between Levante and Helsingborg closely monitoring the player, though few other players as well.

I actually forwarded the idea of raiding some of the best players of Levante last season and was actually pretty sure we'd get at least one player from Levante, but it didn't pan out like that. Now Valencia CF staff is thinking along those same lines and Braulio and Llorente think Valencia CF can raid one or two of Levante's better players, right now Valencia CF is most interested in Vicente Iborra.

Vicente Iborra is a defensive midfielder, though he can play and often plays as central midfielder as well. Mostly though he is used as a defensive midfielder for Levante and he's had fairly good success, though he also often plays as a central midfielder. So it really depends, its important that he can play in two possitions very well.

He is also quite young at 24 years old and can obviously improve. I haven't seen many games of him, so I can't really comment if he is really good, though I'll try and keep a closer eye on him from now on and see if he is Valencia CF material.

Gago still injured, Banega to return soon

Fernando Gago Valencia CF

Well there is some bad news about Gago. He is going to be out of the field for at least 2 more weeks as the doctors staff want to give him time to fully recoup and do some more analysis as he has been complaining on some pain. Scans and analysis so far haven't found anything wrong with Gago, but they think he should get a good rest and not risk anything. Gago is going to be doing light training though and he is going to be monitored all the time.

Jeremy Matheu is still injured as well, but his return is expected within a week and he should probably be ready for next week match in La Liga.

Ever Banega is close to returning as well and doctors says that within a month. He can start training normally and play within 10 days, but he is not going to be rushed into a competitive match for at least a full month from now. Either way this is good news as it means late next month we may even see Banega start in some match.

Sergio Canales is also coming along nicely and is going to be ready within about a month as well, though after the last time when his injury returned, he is not going to be rushed and is probably the last one from the injured bunch that will start playing, but expect him to start a match until the end of this year.

Bankia breaks contract for Nou Mestalla with Valencia CF

Nou Mestalla stadium

Well sad new today in regards withe the new stadium Valencia CF was supposed to build and reached an agreement with Bankia last year to give them the old stadium and they finish the new stadium within 2 years and Valencia CF would still owe about 170 million dollars to the bank, which is a reduction. This contract won't happen as Bankia just broke it as they are in financial trouble and are basically not solvent as a bank with very little actual capital and liquidity.

But since Valencia CF actually owe Bankia the money, if Bankia goes bankrupt Valencia's debt will be fully erased. In fact if Spanish laws are similar to various international bankruptcy laws than all debt to the debtors is wiped, while the bank assets are sold to cover for the bank debt.

Valdez and Soldado: "we played bad"

Roberto Soldado vs Bayern Munich Champions League

Roberto Soldado and Nelson Haedo Valdez gave press conferences and both said that Valencia CF played bad and that they should have done a lot better.

Soldado said: "We played quite bad, especially in the first half and we did a lot of mistakes in the middle of the park, loosing too many balls." He then concentrated on the next match vs Mallorca and said: "Ahead of us is a tough match against Mallorca and we must be focused on that right now, I'm sure we have room to improve".

Nelson Haedo Valdez goal celebration vs Bayern Munich

He then went back to the Bayern Munich match and said: "Tonight was a special match for me as I played the 100th match as a Valencia CF player. I hope I will continue to play much more games in this dress".

Valdez said: "We respected Bayern Munich too much and we allowed them too much space and possession, when we should have played our own recognizable game. We also lost the ball too many times and against German teams that is inconceivable". Someone should inform Valdez that our game is what we played last night without Ever Banega or at least Gago in the team.

He also said: "Bayern Munich was a big favorite, but we should have played better, I know we can and we have room to improve and I'm sure we can be a lot better in the next matches".

About his goal Valdez said: "I'm happy I scored tonight, but I don't think I will become a starter now, not with Soldado and Jonas in good form, but I will continue working hard and using my chances".

Bayern Munich 2-1 Valencia CF Match Report

Well it was a classic in terms of history and tradition, Bayern Munich vs Valencia CF clashing for the first time since the Champions League final in 2000/01, that match finished in a 1–1 draw at regular time, but Bayern clinched their fourth title by winning 5–4 on penalties.

Andres Guardado Valencia CF champions league

The match tonight wasn't as interesting or as prestigious as in the past several years Valencia CF hasn't really been a top contender, while Bayern Munich have won many titles and reached the Champions League final last season. The expectations was that Bayern Munich will win and I predicted a result of 2-0 for Bayern, though it ultimately finished 2-1 and Bayern had a chance to score a goal from penalty in the last minute of extra time, but Mandzukic shot was poor and Diego Alves was able to save the goal.

Anyways the match started as one would expect with Bayern Munich dominating possession and proceedings, while Valencia CF was sitting back and defending, trying to get something going on the counter attack. Even though Bayern would have huge possession and were constantly attacking, they didn't really have any real chances. There were some weak shots here and there and few tries with through balls, but Valencia's defense stood secure.

On the counter attack Valencia CF weren't any better than Bayern, as any ball that came to Feghuoli or Guardado or Jonas was a wasted ball as all of these were too slow, too clumsy and most of the time instantly lost the ball. The central midfield didn't help either with both Tino Costa and Daniel Parejo making silly mistakes and giving the ball away numerous times, not to mention their inability to control possession at all.

The first goal would happen in the 38th minute and just to ilustrate how bad some of the forward play was, it was because of Jonas who's first touch was like a small boy who started playing football for the first time. I mean it couldn't have been worse, he literally gave the ball away at least 10 meters backward going in the path of Bayern players and they didn't have too much trouble forming a quick counter attack and ultimately Schweinsteiger scoring from the created opportunity by Jonas. Diego Alves was also a bit at fault here, his positioning was very poor and it is very hard to score from such an angle, so if Alves was positioned better he could have saved that shot.

After the goal Bayern Munich got even better as some of the pressure fell of their shoulders and they would come to have few decent chances, most of which were ruined by Pizzaro. I mean he was unexpected starter and actually reacted really bad in the few situations and chances he found himself.

At the start of the second half Ribbery was out and in came Thomas Müller for Bayern, possibly an injury for Ribbery, though he was very ineffective against Joan Pereira and I wouldn't be surprised if he was subbed for his rather ineffective performance.

Anyways the second half started as the first with Bayern dominating proceedings and Valencia CF mostly content to sit back and defend, though we started seeing Bayern slow down little bit and Valencia CF started to get back some control. There were few chances for Valencia CF in this period as Feghuoli would have a very good chance, Cissokho did provide few decent crosses and there were some attacks coming from Valencia CF, but it would be for nothing as Feghuoli not to be outdone in being bad by Jonas provided Toni Kroos with a pass basically and this one scored to make it 2-0 for Bayern Munich.

Bayern would start slowing down the match from here on and this gave Valencia CF more freedom in the midfield and in attack, although neither the wings, nor the center were creating any serious chances or dangers in front of goal.

When all seemed to be over Valdez scored a goal, a great header on a great cross by Viera and this gave Valencia CF some small hope, but that will almost instantly diminish as Rami fouled Robben in the penalty area, earned his second yellow card and automatic red.

Mandzukic would step up to take the penalty, but his shot was rather poor and Diego Valdez was able to save the goal. And this is basically when the match ended and the result is rather decent, I mean away against Bayern Munich its only 2-1, but the result doesn't tell the whole story, truth is the play was really poor and we essentially couldn't really create any decent chance, apart from the one where Feghuoli found himself in front of goal, but his shot was blocked and went into corner and then the goal that Valdez scored.

Technical Details:
FC Bayern (2): Neuer, Dante, Ribery (Muller, min. 46), Javi Martínez (Luiz Gustavo, min. 68), Robben, Pizarro (Mandzukic, min. 63), Boateng, Lahm, Badstuber, Schweinsteiger y Kroos.
Valencia CF (1): Diego Alves, Cissokho, Rami, Jonas (Valdez, min. 62), Feghouli, Soldado (Barragán, min. 85), Pereira, Guardado (Viera, min. 70), Ricardo Costa, Parejo y Tino Costa.
Goals: 1-0 Min. 37 Schweinsteiger 2-0 Min. 76 Kroos 2-1 Min. 90 Valdez.

Player Ratings:
Diego 6 - Mixed evening for Diego Alves. He was rather poor on crosses, in fact he is lucky he didn't concede a goal from such situations, could and should have done better for the first goal, had no chance for the second goal and did have few rather good saves, especially the penalty, even though the shot was poor, at least he guessed the side.
Pereira 6.5 - He had a very good match by my standards, didn't allow Ribbery to beat him and did well enough in attack the few times he went forward, more dangerous than Feghuoli.
Rami 4.5 - He had quite a good evening, in fact he made few interceptions and can't be blamed for any of the goals, but the red card and penalty he caused were bad and bring his score down.
R. Costa 7 - Very solid and secure, he defended great, stole several balls and made few tackles to stop Bayern attacks, not at fault for the goals as he was let down by basically the midfield and attack even.
Cissokho 6.5 - Very good game by Cissokho, solid at the back, barely allowed any space for Robben and Kroos and did help out immensely forward, providing few crosses, but lost his concentration towards the end and gave away few balls that could have resulted in goals.
Tino Costa 4 - Very poor game by Tino, lost the ball countless times and often in dangerous positions, his overall passing wasn't very accurate and while he did cover good at the back and run a lot, he failed to control possession and only had a small brake late in the second half when Bayern were 2-0 in the lead and started defending.
Parejo 4 - As Tino he too gave the ball too many times to even count, he couldn't string two passes together and his passing consisted of passing to Tino and back to the defense. Almost gave away a penalty as well, though at least he was decent in defense, but that is hardly an excuse.
Feghuoli 3.5 - Apart from one chance he had and failed to score from a rather good position he was useless and even enabled Bayern to score for a second time as he basically gave away the ball to Kroos who scored.
Jonas 4 - Invisible for the whole time, his only contribution was to Bayern for the first goal. Essentially he and Feghuoli defeated Valencia CF.
Guardado 5 - Invisible in attack, rushed one pass to R. Costa who was offside, when he could have shot or pass to someone else, but did really well in defense, he helped out Cissokho, but unfortunately that was his major contribution, helping out in defense.
Soldado 5.5 - Isolated for most of the match, lacked any service, though he was helping out in defense, won some challenges and fouls to give Valencia CF some position and was fairly dangerous for the lack of service.
Subs:
Valdez 6.5 - Ran like hell after coming on, didn't stop running and was trying to get involved in everything and it payed off as he scored a goal with a header on an assist by Viera.
Viera 6 - Didn't have much time and didn't get much ball time, but class with every move and showed his class by providing a great assist for Valdez.
Barragan N/A - not enough time

Bayern Munich vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Bayern Munich vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Allianz Arena

Date: 19.09.2012; 20:45 CET

1st matchday, Champions League

Coaches: Jupp Heynckes and Mauricio Pellegrino

FC Bayern Munich

What can be said or written about FC Bayern Munich that isn't already known? Bayern Munich is the most successful football club in the history of German football, they have won more trophy's domestically and internationally than any other German club and are one of the most successful clubs in Europe and the world as well. Bayern Munich have won 22 national titles and 15 cups, 5 DFL supercups of the newer competitions and 4 champion league titles, the most recent one interestingly in 2001 when they actually beat Valencia CF on penalties and went on to lift the champions league trophy. Bayern Munich played in the final of the Champions League two years before actually, but lost in the final minutes of the match to Manchester United after basically leading the whole match 1-0. Interestingly enough Valencia CF played two consecutive times in the final, first against Real Madrid and then against Bayern Munich and lost both times.

More recently Bayern Munich played in the final of the Champions League last season where they were beaten by Chelsea on penalties no less. Of course now they have lost two times in the final of the Champions League to English teams, no less in the Allianz Arena which hosted the Champions League final last season.

Bayern Munich also finished second in the Bundesliga as well as the DFB Pokal final, both times loosing to Borusia Dortmund. 

Bayern Munich are actually the favorites to win the Champions League this year as well, along with the likes of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The path is going to be difficult though and even though on paper they have an even stronger team that last season, the competition is even fiercer than last year and there are some dark horses that may surprise like Juventus and Manchester City and even Borusia Dortmund, although the last two are in the group of death so tough luck for them. Bayern Munich are in an easier group with us of course, French Lille and Belarus Bate Borisov.

In the German Bundesliga Bayern Munich are currently first with three wins out of three games and are on a good path, at least a very promising start to win the domestic league. Their record is 12 goals scored and only two conceded, though the competition so far hasn't been tough and they are yet to play with some of the  top clubs where we'll see how they do. Either way they are favorites for the domestic title as well and certainly after two years abstinence are likely to bring it home as rarely have they not won the title for more than two years.

Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Muller have been in great form so far, both scoring 3 goals each, while Bayern brought Javi Martinez this summer transfer window from Athletic Bilbao for a staggering 40 million euros, basically matching his release clause and being able to snatch him from Bilbao, but the player did took a serious pay cut in order to facilitate the transfer. Lets just say Bayern Munich are breeming with top talent right now and have such squad depth, they truly are top club in Europe right now with few names who often sit on the bench as Xherdan Shaqiri the new arrival, Luiz Gustavo, Toni Croos and so on... Of course lets not forget the ones that are regulars like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller, Philip Lahm, Franck Ribbery and Ajren Robben.

Bayern Munich squad: to be announced...

Technical Details FC Bayern Munich (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Dante; Schweinsteiger, Luis Gustavo; Shaqiri, Muller, Ribbery; Mandzukic.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, keep possession, mostly short circular passing, spreading the ball to the wings, cut inside the penalty area from the wings.

Valencia CF

Valencia CF on the other hand isn't as decorated as Bayern Munich and certainly isn't the most successful club in Spain, but it is the third most successful club in Spain and while Valencia CF has never won the Champions League it came really close twice, the last time actually against none other than Bayern Munich when they lost on penalties. Valencia CF also reached the final the previous season, but lost to Real Madrid 3-0 actually. I'd say from 1999 to 2003 was the most successful period in Valencia CF history with one of the best squads of the century. Certainly players from those years have been officially reckognized by Uefa in their team of the year, and some even for team of the century. You can search it on my blog and found the article on it, I covered it.

Unfortunately since 2001 we haven't really even been close to reaching the Champions League finals again, in fact it went pretty bad for Valencia CF after 2003 with sporting wise not going great and financially going even worse. Ultimately after few administration changes, after few key sells of top players we are back in the game and for the past 3 consecutive years have been qualifying for the Champions League automatically by finishing 3rd in the Spanish league. Just playing the in the groups stages has brought Valencia CF great financial benefits and two years ago for the first time in god knows how long Valencia CF actually had a profit of 16 million euros and has been in the positive ever since. But just playing in the group stages isn't cutting it anymore, heck even round of 16 isn't going to cut it anymore and Valencia CF must look into going further in the Champions League, not just for financial reasons, but for prestigious reasons and fans reasons. There hasn't been any major trophy for so long and even a semi-decent cup win in 2007 isn't going to cut it.

Right now there are absolutely no stars in the team, one could argue Soldado being a star, but I doubt it and so its more about the collective than anything else. Unai Emery is of course gone and went on to coach Spartak Moscow who did qualify for the Champions League and it would be pretty ridiculous if Emery managed to go further with Spartak Moscow than he went with Valencia CF or even what Valencia CF will do this year. Anyways we have a new coach in Mauricio Pellegrino who was part of the squad that played in both Champions League finals, so he has huge experience as a player in this competition having played twice in the final. I also believe he is part of the dream team of the decade if I'm not mistaken.

Our current players though don't have such experience, in fact most of them will play in this competition for the first time in their careers, as most are young and come from lower clubs. Some have played, but barely and some of most experienced are Soldado, jonas, Tino, Rami, Mathieu and Cissokho.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Vicent Guaita, Felipe Ramos.
Defenders: Joao Pereira, Barragán, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Carlos Delgado, Cissokho.
Midfielders: Dani Parejo, Portu, Tino Costa, Viera, Guardado, Bernat, Feghouli.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Guaita; Pereira, Rami, Ruiz, Cissokho; Tino, Parejo, Portu; Guardado, Soldado, Feghuoli.
Tactics: Low defensive line, own third pressure, counter attacks, mostly long wide passing, wing attacks mostly.

Match Prediction:
FC Bayern Munich 2-0 Valencia CF
Bayern Munich is going to win this easily, they play at home, they are in the best form possible, they have huge depth and talent and Valencia CF on the other hand is with several key injuries, including Gago and Albelda who can play as a defensive midfielders, so right now we have no defensive midfielder and a duo of Tino and Parejo that can't control possession even against Celta Vigo. I don't see any way how we can manage a draw, Bayern have very quick wingers and some strong and physical players to get in the penalty area and cause havoc.

Valencia squad to travel to Bayern Munich

Mauricio Pellegrino released the list of 20 players that will travel to Munich and face Bayern Munich in the Champions League this Wednesday. Absent from the list are Mathieu, Piatti, Banega, Albelda, Canales and Gago, who I hoped will be ready, since out midfield is really bad with Parejo.

Pelegrino called up three B team players to fill up the gaps, though its unlikely anyone of them will get a chance.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Vicent Guaita, Felipe Ramos.
Defenders: Joao Pereira, Barragán, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Carlos Delgado, Cissokho.
Midfielders: Dani Parejo, Portu, Tino Costa, Viera, Guardado, Bernat, Feghouli.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.

I've set up a Champions League Fantasy Football league. Click the link to join, http://en.uclfantasy.uefa.com/UEFA/15804/userentry.do?privateCodefromMinileague=584265-431055&privateC=true

Valencia CF 2-1 Celta Vigo Match Report

Valencia CF recorded its first win in the Spanish league against Celta Vigo with a result of 2-1. It was supposed to be a regular and secure victory, but Valencia CF barely escaped with the win.

Valencia CF coach Mauricio Pellegrino had some troubles in choosing the squad for this match as few players were injured, few were returning from their national teams where they played and there was a lack of a defensive midfielder. Knowing what happened last time when Parejo and Tino Costa played it was a risk to pair them both again, but the only alternative being Portu from the B team, Mauricio Pellegrino decided to field Parejo and Tino Costa at the midfield. He also gave Joao Pereira and Andres Guardado rests, while he retained Soldado and Jonas in attack and the pair of Rami and Ruiz at the back, with Jonathan Viera starting on the right wing.

The midfield operated much as anyone expected with big frailties, many mistakes in the passing and some chaotic last ditch tackles to subdue the Celta Vigo attacks. You only have to look at the ball possession to know the full story, as Valencia CF the last time I saw the ball possession statistics Valencia CF were with 48% ball possession, to 52% ball possession of Celta Vigo. Knowing that Celta Vigo is likely to fight to avoid relegation this season, we really made them look like a top team in that regard.

The flanks though were much more dangerous this time around and Viera almost immediately showed his talents by providing a great assist to Feghuoli who scored the first goal. I've said it many times, but I'll say it again Viera is pure raw talent with great vision and instincts. Feghuoli also showed good composure in front of goal and unlike in some of the previous matches was dead accurate this time around.

Celta Vigo would return the favor soon though as what would have otherwise been a non event, Diego Alves decided to basically gift them a goal to make the match more interesting. I mean he was out of position, missed the ball completely and the goal was empty for Krohn-Dehli to score. Cissokho was also partially to blame as he was slow to close down, but this shouldn't have been a goal if Diego Alves reacted in the right way.

Anyways most of the battle from then on would be in the attacking third of both teams with Celta Vigo actually having the initiative since Valencia CF couldn't control the middle and allowed to be pressured deep in its own half. Luckilly the defense was quite solid and dealt with the attack quite well.

On the other side Jonas was quite inactive with having made barely any play and for the most part being anonymous. Soldado was the more active and was involved in the play often, having several runs, few shots on and off goal and providing few crosses and passes himself.

On the wings Feghuoli was more active than in previous match and Barragan gave him huge support, going forward on every occasion. Viera on the other side was also very dangerous with few piercing passes and some shots as well. Cissokho also doubled down on the left side nicely, providing few decent crosses and beating his marker numerous times. Cissokho would also score the winning goal for Valencia CF in the second half with a powerful header after a free kick by Tino Costa.

Jonas became more visible in the second half, linking up with Soldado and Viera few times, having even one decent chance on goal, but this wasn't his game and was rightfully replaced early by Valdez. Unfortunately Valdez didn't improve over Jonas and while he ran more than Jonas, he had some suspect moments on the ball.

Overall Celta Vigo did attack more and had more ball possession, but they didn't threaten Alves too seriously and apart from few quite dangerous shots that went off goal, Alves actually had very little to do.

Ultimately it was unconvincing play by Valencia CF with only parts of the team working at a given time and the team feeling like its in the early building stages, when it shouldn't feel like that because most of the players have been here for over a year. There were some positives in defense, but then again some negatives as well, some positives in attack, but also some negatives. For example Soldado was quite engaged and had several runs on goal, but he actually missed two decent chances and could have done better, in fact he should have scored at least once. Jonas was absent this time and barely touched the ball.

Technical Details:

Valencia CF (2): Alves; Barragán, Rami, V. Ruiz, Cissokho; Feghouli, Tino Costa, Parejo, Viera (Joao Pereira, min. 77);  Jonas (Valdez, min. 66) y Soldado (Ricardo Costa, min. 93).
RC Celta Vigo (1): Javi Varas; Hugo Mallo, Cabral, Túñez, R. Lago; Álex López, Borja Oubiña; Augusto (Bermejo, min. 71), Natxo Insa (Quique de Lucas, min. 61),  Krohn-Dehli; Iago Aspas (Park, min. 71).
Goals: 1-0, 4min Feghouli; 1-1, 15min Krohn-Dehli; 2-1, 49min Cissokho.

Player Ratings:
Diego 4.5 - At fault for the goal, apart from that didn't have much to do, but was reacted nice on few shots.
Barragan 6 - Bombarded forward at every possibility, albeit leaving his flank empty few times, though didn't have trouble dealing with Celta attackers.
Rami 6.5 - Assured performance at the center of defense, actually used his strength to throw few players out of play and generally stable performance.
Ruiz 6 - Assured performance as well, maybe half a point weaker than Rami, but did well and covered nicely few times for Cissokho.
Cissokho 7 - For the most part positive performance, could have reacted better closing down for the goal and was suspect once or twice more, but did have some great interventions as well.
Tino Costa 6 - Provided the assist for the Cissokho goal, some decent ball passing and closed down fast in the middle, but the lack of ball possession hurt him.
Parejo 4.5 - Did somewhat decent in a defensive fashion, but he also gave away the ball few too many times and did provide space for the Celta midfield to put pressure on goal.
Feghuoli 6.5 - Improved over the past matches, scored a goal and was more dangerous, but still lacks that penetrative ability.
Jonas 5.5 - Invisible for most of the match, improved a little in the second half and tried few passes and shots, but they were ineffective and substituted early for Valdez.
Viera 7 - I liked his performance, he provided the assist for the first goal, it was amazing pass to find Feghuoli alone on goal. He was consistently active and dangerous, going numerous times in the penalty area, having few shots and provided some good piercing passes. Went on occasions out of play and obviously needs more playing time if he is to improve and become even better.
Soldado 6.5 - Very dangerous, very active, had several runs on goal, few shoots and was involved in the build-up play and wing play often. Too bad he couldn't score a goal.
Subs:
Valdez 5.5 - Not an improvement over Jonas and lost few balls trying to dribble or pass, quite clumsy on the ball, though he ran more and even covered defensively.
Joao Pereira N/A - not enough time
Ricardo Costa N/A - not enough time

Valencia CF vs Celta Vigo Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Celta Vigo

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 15.09.2012; 18:00 CET

4th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Mauricio Pellegrino and Paco Herrera

Valencia CF

Valencia CF is coming to this match after a loss to Barcelona and with only 2 points from three played matches. Just as a reminder Valencia CF went to a great start to the season with a draw against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, but then stumbled at the Mestalla against Deportivo, against who we dropped a 2 goals lead in the first half and only managed a draw, before loosing, albeit some would say unfairly to Barcelona, with one very suspect decision by the linesman disallowing a clear goal as offside.

Anyways we can't dwell on a refereeing decision and live in the past so we must look towards out next match which is against Celta Vigo and Valencia must look to win, its that simple. We are now over the two biggest obstacles in the league in Real Madrid and Barcelona and at their stadiums nonetheless, but tomorrow is a must win situation before things get messy, at the least.

Celta Vigo is going to be a tough opponent that's for sure and with Valencia experiencing trouble with injuries its probably going to spell another partnership between Tino Costa and Daniel Parejo in the middle of the park. We all know what happened last time when the pair played together, so this is a major concern for tomorrows game. David Albelda got injured earlier and will be out for about a month, so our only pure defensive midfielder in injured and out for a month and the second player that could play as a defensive midfielder decently Gago, well he got injured as well in his last match for Argentina, after an opposing player fell on his head. Also injured are Jeremy Mathieu and Pablo Piatti.

Mauricio Pellegrino called up Portu and Gaya from the B team, Portu is a defensive midfielder, while Gaya is a left back or a left wing. Its difficult predicting what the coach is going to do, since he is so new and I know I would have trouble choosing the midfield duo after the disastrous result last time, but I mean is a B team player better than Parejo? I really feel for Pellegrino, he is already under pressure and the Spanish Valencia fans aren't known for being patient. I mean he didn't get a pure defensive midfielder in the summer transfer window, he only has 3 defenders and Pablo Hernandez left in the last days of the transfer window. As if that wasn't enough the main back-up for the right wing Piatti got injured and will be out for at least a month.

Whatever the case may be though everyone will be expecting a win tomorrow and nothing less. I expect a win, you expect a win and realistically so, as Valencia CF has quality and our attack has been very potent between Jonas and Soldado, Valdez seems very energetic when he's on the terrain. The problem though is both the wings haven't fired up yet, Feghuoli is a shadow from last season and Guarado hasn't shown even a glimpse from his Deportivo form, so they need to step up their game immensely at this point. 

The midfield without Albelda and Gago is a problem as well, and as I've said its going to be a problem for Pellegrino to choose. Celta Vigo isn't known for their midfield prowess or close, but neither were Deportivo and they looked like a top team playing against us in that second half.

Valencia CF squad:

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Barragán, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Cissokho, Pereira.
Midfielders: Dani Parejo, Tino Costa, Gayá, Portu, Bernat, Guardado, Feghouli, Viera.
Forwards: Valdez, Jonas i Soldado.

Celta Vigo

Celta Vigo on the other hand come after a home win against Osasuna. This was an important win for Celta Vigo as it had two defeats previously at the hands of Malaga and Real Sociedad and win the last match win they are now 13th on the table. Celta Vigo is likely to fight to avoid relegation this season and as such they are going to be looking at getting a point from the match against Valencia CF.

Celta Vigo are coming from the second division after they've finished second last season behind Deportivo La Coruna. They are coming to the first division after a long pause, basically since 2006/7 when they were knocked down to the second division.

One of their better known players is Hugo Mallo who's been linked with Valencia CF on several occasions, especially last season, but this season as well. Other than that, there is Javi Varas the goalkeeper who is on loan at Celta from Sevilla.

Celta Vigo squad: to be announced...

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Diego; Pereira, Rami, Ruiz, Cissokho; Parejo, Tino Costa; Feghuoli, Jonas, Guardado; Soldado.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, counterattacking, mostly short wide passing, deep laying central midfield.

Results Prediction:
Valencia CF 2-0 Celta Vigo
There are no more excuses left and Valencia CF must win against Celta Vigo. Mauricio Pellegrino is already under pressure and anything but win will surely start the alarm bells for many. He also knows what to expect from the players by now and knows them well enough to be able to make smarter decision so I'm expecting a regular win tomorrow that shouldn't have any surprises.

Interview with Corey from realmadridfootballblog

Hey everyone, I've interviewed Corey from www.realmadridfootballblog.com and he is a Real Madrid supporter for about 12 years. He is also the creator of the website above and along with few other people write primarily reports and editorials about Real Madrid.

• How long have you been a supporter of Real Madrid and what prompted you to become one?
I have been a supporter for twelve years now, and what prompted me to be a supporter is a combination of the first ever live soccer game I saw on television between Real Madrid and Valencia in the Champions League final, and the first soccer game I got for the Playstation, FIFA 2002 where I chose Real Madrid to play as because I saw that game. As an impressionable 12 year old I was quite taken with the white uniforms, star players and huge stadium. As I got a little older I started my research on the club and after reading as much as I could it further cemented that I was a Madridista. I started blogging about Real Madrid five years, which is a whole other story.

• Are you a fan of any other clubs?
I enjoy teams that play the brand of football I subscribe too. Borussia Dortmund and Lyon have always had a soft spot in my heart as they were both strong and attractive clubs right around the time I became a supporter of Real Madrid. Luckily Dortmund has returned to that tradition, while Lyon is in a transitional phase. It is interesting because Lyon in the 2000s looked like Dortmund in the 1990s, so with the resurgence of Dortmund due to sound financial management and a focus on the youth team, Lyon may surprise people again in a few years.

• How long have you been writing about Real Madrid?
Five years, first at the Offside (now defunct) before it was bought up by a sports blog conglomerate. I launch Real Madrid Football Blog a year and a half ago and I think it has been a great success and a whole lot of fun

• Last season Real Madrid won the Spanish League after a noteworthy pause, what was your reaction and what do you think were the key reasons for it?
My first reaction was one of joy, as it had been a frustrating drought, especially when the title goes to Barcelona. My second reaction, as most Madridista’s probably had, was to think of La Decima. Finally, I settled on the fact that Mourinho’s tenure has been stable, has produced titles, and is slowly but surely giving chances to academy players, while making necessary but not totally extravagant signings. Overall I am satisfied, but once we get more youth team players in the squad and reach La Decima I will be overjoyed.

• Real Madrid had a rather bad start to the season, with only 1 point out of 2 matches, though after the Super Cup win they seem to have bounced up. Was this just a rare temporary hiccup or are there more deep underlying problems?
I watched both games, and the Valencia game was close and a point given the difficult rival and the newness of the season seemed fine. The Getafe lose was tough to stomach, but they always ride us close at their stadium, and the team looked a little short on ideas. Mourinho’s substitutions did not help, but it happens. We did not start last season well either but we recovered. I would rather hammer out the kinks now than when the Champions League group stage begins and we have two tough games per week.

• How does this season’s Real Madrid team compare to last season’s and what are the key differences?
The key difference is Modric, but the Ronaldo drama may prove otherwise. Loosing Granero was a bit of a blow, and if Modric is used further forward there is still the issue of giving rest to Xabi Alonso. The defence looks settled, as does the rest of the team, but Mourinho seems to think the creativity of Ozil can often be subdued in certain types of games so he has another type of player to help with the heavy load. I think the team is stronger, but I would have liked to have kept Carvajal as backup to Arbeloa, who is an obvious weak spot, and hopefully Morata, Nacho and Alex will see some time.

• Kaka and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo seem to have some problems with the club, what would you say the reasons for this are and what are the solutions?
I think in Kaka’s case, his body never recovered from his knee injuries in the same way Ronaldo Fenomeno never fully recovered his physical prowess after his multiple knee injuries. Ronaldo Fenomeno was able to still be productive for a few more seasons, but in Kaka’s instance, he came in to a difficult situation where he was not the main player the team was built around, nor was he a guaranteed starter. To me he has failed to psychologically get passed this, and his performances have wavered between tolerable and awful. It is not easy when your coach is not 100% behind you and the fans get on you, but his flirting with moves away has not helped. I never saw the need for both Kaka and Cristiano, so if we were to offload Kaka it would not bother me.

Cristiano’s situation is odd, but I do think he will get the pay increase he wants and surely warrants. Not sure what the wait is, but there is some deception from the agent at hand I am sure, and the complicated nature of his contract may be hard to sort out, much like how Kaka’s move to Milan was not feasible due to tax concerns. It is obvious Cristiano is the most important member of the team, so give him what he wants.

• Real Madrid has two great strikers in Benzema and Higuain, who would you say should be the starter?
Higuain, as he has proven time and again he can get the job done, but there are situations where Benzema’s movement off the ball and link up with others is more useful. His finishing is still not what it should be, but the nice thing is that there is truly room for both.

• Do you think RM sold/released too many players this transfer season and lack depth now and what are the alternatives to Ronaldo, Ozil, Xabi and Arbeloa?
I was hoping they would hold on to Granero, and moving Lass to Anzhi and bringing in Essien seems like a downgrade to me. Carvalho is technically out of the picture as well, while as I said earlier, Carvajal could have been a real asset. Arbeloa’s alternative looks to be Nacho, while Ozil will share time with Modric, and hopefully Modric fills in for Xabi as well. Ronaldo does not really need an alternative, but using Benzema or Di Maria there is adequate coverage. More will be expected from Callejon if that situation arises. Not sure where Essien fits in given Khedira is a much better player at this point in their respective careers, and Kaka is an outsider as well.

• Who would you say is Real Madrid’s most influential player and the weakest player?
Our weakest player is probably Arbeloa, but he is a hell of a competitor and really boosts team morale being as vocal as he is. Pepe’s penchant for full blooded challenges makes him a weakness as well, while I do think Xabi’s powers are declining and that is of concern. The most influential player has to be Cristiano, but Xabi makes the team tick so he should be considered influential and Saint Iker is a living legend at this point.

• Who is going to be Real Madrid’s key player this season?
Tough to say given the early season issues with Ronaldo. I would like to see more starts and goals out of both Higuain and Di Maria, while Sergio Ramos continues to be a rock at the back.

• What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of your team this season?
Strength wise the attack is just as sharp and the addition of Modric adds another dimension. A weakness would be the lack of variation in central midfielder amongst the players, and the right back situation is tricky, while Albiol does not instill confidence as a backup anymore.

• Any young players to watch out for that could be on a “break-out year”?
Morata is practically a first team player at this point so he could have a break out year, while Nacho is fourth choice center back at this point. If the situation arises, several Castilla players could get call ups to fill out the squad, but I think Jese has star power along with Morata. I would hope Raul De Tomas and Jose Rodriguez get some time training with the first team as they both look like tidy players.

• Can Real Madrid win this season’s Champions League, what would be the biggest obstacles in doing so and what about the Spanish cup?
I think that give the group we have drawn, it will be very difficult. But if Real can survive the group, they should be mentally prepared to go all the way. The beauty of the Champions League is that you face the best teams of Europe on the way to becoming champion. That has not always been the case, but this year that is how Real Madrid will start its campaign. The Spanish Cup I think will once again become a low priority, and I would like to see some Castilla players get time in these games once again. But it is a trophy up for grabs and will not be taken to lightly!

• How good do you think Valencia will do this season? Is it feasible to think that Valencia could win the Spanish championship or at least challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid?
It depends how you view ‘challenging’ Real and Barcelona. I have plenty of doubts about Pellegrino, who has very little experience, but Valencia has a good squad and played both Barca and Real close early in the season. Valencia usually has trouble keeping pace through the winter months, and with a Champions League campaign to also consider, I fear the same will happen again. The squad is deep as usual, but often the depth is not trusted.

• What do you think are Valencia’s strengths and weaknesses?
Depth is certainly one, and they have quality in all of their lines. Victor Ruiz has improved since joining from Napoli and I expect a national team spot for him soon. Rami is physically strong but also error prone, while the midfield and forward lines are of high quality. There are several players to name, but Soldado, Feghouli and Jonas certainly stand out, while Banega returning will be a big boost. I do not rate Fernando Gago at all, but he may be an upgrade over the aging Albelda, and Guardado will cover his flank well.

In terms of a weakness I would say the full backs, particularly Mathieu and Cissokho on the left are prone to errors and questionable attitude, probably why Guardado was required as he will shield them well. However Joao Perreria looks to be a very solid player on the right, a huge upgrade over Miguel and Bruno from seasons past.

• Who do you think will win the Champions League and Europa League this season?
The Champions League to me will be between Real Madrid and Juventus. I think Barcelona will come up a little short given Tito Villanova’s lack of experience here, although in the league Barcelona will be stronger than last year. Juventus looks incredibly strong this season even without their head coach being able to sit on the bench, while a dark horse could be Bayern Munich as they always do well in this competition.

The Europa League is impossible to predict and I cannot with certainty say who would win it, but I would say there are some teams with great pedigree like Lyon, Inter Milan, Sporting and PSV that have done well in the competition before. Besides that group, Anzhi, Napoli, and last year’s finalists Atletico and Athletic will be in the mix as well, and although I do not rate them, Liverpool are a big side for this competition. With so many teams in the mix you would be wise to wait until the first knockout round to pick a winner, its just to unpredictable.

I'd like to thank Corey again for taking the time to answer my questions, I really apreciate it and once again you can find Corey's articles about Real Madrid at www.realmadridfootballblog.com

Champions League fantasy football

I've set up a league for Fantasy Football. Click the link to join, or enter the code: 584265-431055 http://en.uclfantasy.uefa.com/UEFA/15804/userentry.do?privateCodefromMinileague=584265-431055&privateC=true

Also David Albelda got injured two days ago in a training session and he's been ruled out now for at least 3 weeks, probably a month.

Fernando Gago who got injured in the match against Peru though he is fine as his injuries have been ruled minor and there doesn't seem to be any lasting issue. He will probably miss the match against Celta though, as he was kept in hospitals for 12 hours and then had two more analysis in different hospitals.

I think there is time for him to return and feature for Valencia CF, but the doctors want him to see a neurologist, so he will likely miss the match. Hopefully we'll have him for the Champions League match, as right now apart from Gago, who isn't even a DM, but at least has some defensive skills, we have no real DM. Pellegrinho may try and play Victor Ruiz there as he has shows he has some good passing skills and he can tackle great, though we'll see what the coach decides.

Valencia CF players on national duty

Last night all of the World Cup qualifiers were played and Valencia CF had several players called to their national teams.

Portugal won against Azerbaijan and Joao Pereira stared and played the full 90 minutes in the game. Judging from the ratings he had a poor game once again, just like in the previous game against Luxemburg. I didn't see any of the games, but if that is the case, he needs to improve his game. Ricardo Costa didn't feature.

Diego Alves started once again on goal for Brazil against China and had a good game, albeit with not much work, but he kept a clean sheet twice. Jonas came in as a sun for Neymar and had a fairly decent game, though he clearly lacks understanding with his team mates.

As I reported yesterday Roberto Soldado started for Spain and played for the whole match, scoring the one and only goal for Spain in the 86th minute. He wasn't very noticeable before that, but was always surrounded by defenders and Georgia defended with 10 men.

Adil Rami didn't start for France and as I've told you in the last report about this, he has likely lost his place or at least in the process of doing so. Some not so stellar performance for France in the European Cup, some outright bad performances for Spain and he has found himself warming the bench. He needs to improve his game immensely or he may also be on the way out of Valencia CF as well.

Fernando Gago played about 50 minutes for Argentina and had a good match, but he seemed to be injured when an opposing player fell on his head and he was rushed to the hospital, but it seems the injury is not severe and after a day or two of rest he should be fine.

Andres Guardado started the both matches for Mexico, both of which Mexico won. He also provided an assist in the first match. Wasn't as proficient in the second match.

Valencia CF news and information

Nothing much is happening, since there is no club competition, but tonight most of the world cup qualifiers will be played and Valencia CF has quite few players on national duty.

Some recent news is that Valencia CF is interested in Chelsea's Oriol Romeu as a long term replacement for David Albelda, but from my sources this is completely false. But anyways Oriol comes from Barcelona youth school and he played for Barca's B team for two years, before joining the first team and instantly being purchased by Chelsea. He is a defensive midfielder who can also play as a central defender and is only 20 years old.

Then we have the news that Sofiane Feghuoli is likely going to play with his national team Algeria for the African cup of nations 2013 who are all but qualified. Algeria has played 14 times so far in the cup and next years its likely to be their 15th time. If this happens that will mean Valencia will loose Feghuoli for at least one month, possibly longer if Algeria does good in the tournament.

There is also some info that Roberto Soldado is going to actually start for Spain tonight against Georgia, after missing out completely in the last match.

Valencia CF players on national duty

Yesterday wasn't the best for Valencia CF players on national duty, or at least was a mixed bag.

Brazil: First of all Diego Alves started for Brazil and was very secure on goal, although he didn't have too much to do, thought when called upon was solid and reliable.
Jonas came in for Brazil at 71st minute, but was lacking and doesn't seem to know his role in the team, not doing much of anything.

Portugal: Joao Pereira stared though according to goal he was really terrible in his performances.
Ricardo Costa didn't start for Portugal.

Argentina: Fernando Gago started for Argentina and was the driving force in midfield. A complete performance, considering it was his first start alongside Brana who wasn't very good. Also its his start after coming from injury.

Paraguay: Nelson Valdez came on as a substitute, ran a lot, but lacked service to do something.

Algeria: Sofiane Feghuoli started and played almost all the match, being subbed at the 88th minute. Judging by the ratings he likely played very good.

For the rest of the players Adil Rami didn't start for France, though based on his performances lately and the good showing of the new defensive pair, he might get benched.
Roberto Soldado didn't feature for Spain, though David Villa made his comeback and Soldado is likely to be in the back pecking order.

Valencia wins vs Alcoyano and more news

Valencia CF yesterday played a friendly match vs CD Alcoyano that was set up earlier, because of both clubs special relationship.

There was no stream of the match but from reports Valencia CF won 3-0 over CD Alcoyano, having 1 more goal disallowed.
The first goal was scored by Antonio Barragan who reports say had a great match, second goal was scored by Pablo Piatti on the assist of Jonathan Viera, the disallowed goal was scored by Alex Cortell, finally the last goal was scored by Jonathan Viera from the penalty spot, after Juan Bernat was fouled inside the penalty area.

Technical Details:

CD Alcoyano (0): Adrián Murcia, Javi Selvas, César Remón, J. de Dios, Omar, Jhon Edison, Javi Lara, Dani, E. Silva, F. Tacón y Pereira. También jugaron Alcántara, Devesa, Tortosa, Unai Alba, David Torres, Lolo Ivars, Raúl, Rafa Hernández, Pablo Carbonell and Miguel Chocarro.
Valencia CF (3): Guaita, Cissokho, Albelda, Choco Lozano, Piatti, Barragán, Viera, Tano, Víctor Ruiz, Parejo y Bernat. También jugaron Alex Cortell, Ximo Forner, Dalmau, Gaya, Molina and Felipe Ramos.
Goals: 0-1 Min. 18 Barragán 0-2 Min. 51 Piatti 0-3 Min. 88 Viera.


Valencia sporting director Braulio Vasquez was doing some PR work the last few days and he said that Valencia CF will be looking to purchase a defender and defensive midfield in the winter transfer market, possibly a new right winger if there is a need for it.

He also mentioned that Nelson Valdez may be offered a 3 year contract with Valencia CF if he plays enough games for the team and contributes.

Superdeporte reports that Ever Banega will start playing in about a month and that he has been doing some physical work at training and recovering very well.

Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente on the other hand hosted the Chinese corporation WANDA which is the world’s largest cinema owner, with more than 400 theaters, having recently purchased the US based AMC entertainment company. Representatives met with Llorente for the program "Future Promises WANDA Chinese football" where 10 kids were brought in Valencia where they will train in the clubs youth ranks, while WANDA covers most of their expenses.

The other two clubs include Villarreal and Atletico Madrid. Valencia CF certainly gets a lot of exposure participating in this program and is likely to pike the interest of Chinese investors and sponsors.

Valencia CF may sell Adil Rami

Valencia CF sporting director Braulio Vasquez is not satisfied at all with Adil Rami. Speaking with Spanish radio station "Cadena Copa" Braulio said he is not satisfied with Adil Rami performances and that is he doesn't return to his old form, the form the had at Lille and early when he came to Valencia CF there is a big possibility he will be forced to sell him.

He added that Adil is an important player and that Valencia needs him, but in his top form.

Last season Adil Rami earned 5.65 rating, based on all his performances, you can find all my ratings, all the old fixtures and goals and assists on the Archive page. Its not the worst rating, but when coming as such a big reinforcement he really fell short of his expectations. In fact the last 2 seasons I've had Dealbert rated higher than Rami and Ricardo Costa in defense.

Also telling is the fact that last year we conceived more goals than the year previously. So as many of you know I'm not a big Rami fan and have always been critical of his defending. I think he is way overrated, always was and I don't think he is good enough for us. What Braulio is saying now is what I've been saying all along and I really feel better knowing we may sell Adil Rami, because he just hasn't improved our defense.

Interview with Aaron from Barca Blaugranes website

Hey everyone, I've interviewed Aaron from http://www.barcablaugranes.com/ and he is a Barcelona supporter since around 2006. He is the manager there and along with several other people write news, articles and reports about Barcelona.

• How long have you been a supporter of Barcelona and what prompted you to become one?
Well, I caught my first Barcelona match back in February 2006 when they faced off against Chelsea in the Champions League. I was young at the time, and over the past decade or so the Premier League has become so mercenary, so to watch these guys, eleven players that appeared to be playing football not to win, not for money, but to enjoy themselves, it was so refreshing. There was something amateurish about their play that was so appealing, especially in these matches against Chelsea and as youngster; you are always drawn to the star names. Ronaldinho, Eto’o, Deco; Barcelona had the star names and as time progressed I found myself watching more and more Barcelona matches, reading about their history and their youth teams, until at some stage I guess I became a “real” fan!

• Are you a fan of any other clubs?
The mighty Colchester United, who are currently (and I fear always will be) plying their trade in League One after a couple of brief, but glorious seasons in the Championship.

• How long have you been writing about Barcelona?
It’s got to be approaching two years now; I started out in 2010 knowing little about blogging and I was lucky enough to join Barca Blaugranes within a few months and somehow I have been then pretty much ever since.

• Last season Barcelona lost the Spanish title to Real Madrid, what do you think were the key reasons for this?
Well, where to begin? Squad depth was a major factor, accentuated by injuries as Barcelona had to turn to the B team for replacements when David Villa broke his leg at the Club World Cup. Isaac Cuenca and Cristian Tello were excellent, but when your rivals have the likes of Kaka and Higuain in reserve, it’s hard to compete. Both mental and physical exhaustion played their parts as well, especially away from home where the Blaugrana really struggled to keep up with Mourinho’s juggernaut. But let’s not take anything away from Real Madrid; they played a virtually perfect season from Jornada 6 onwards.

• How does this season’s Barcelona team compare to last season’s and what are the key differences?
In terms of personnel, very little has changed. Obviously we bought Jordi Alba from you guys, at an absolute bargain price, Alex Song was brought in from Arsenal and most importantly, El Guaje is back. We all know that Villa is a fabulous player, and his return is arguably the key difference as Lionel Messi often lacked goal-scoring support from his teammates in the latter stages of last season. Tactically, Sergio Busquets has been told to pressure higher up the field and so far, it hasn’t really worked as well as Tito might have hoped, while Messi tends to drop a little deeper which is frustrating a few Culés. Other than that, it’s the same-old style of play with the same-old weaknesses.

• Barcelona lost the Super Cup to Real Madrid, what are your thoughts about this?
It was a tough defeat, and it will be interesting to see how Barcelona recover on Sunday against such difficult opposition. Personally, I think the Super Cup was a huge opportunity to really put some pressure on Jose Mourinho, and in relinquishing the first-leg lead, Barcelona might find that the momentum has shifted back in Madrid’s favour. Watching Real Madrid celebrate a trophy is never easy, although I just hope it is the wake-up call they needed to make the most of that early five-point lead.

• Who would you say is Barcelona’s most influential player and the weakest player?
Hmm, I’m going to have to say that Xavi is Barcelona’s most influential player, as without him, the entire team suffers. There’s always a chance that someone else can score the goals that Messi provides the team, even more so now that Pedro has found his scoring boots again, but at current there is no-one that can dominate a game as well as Xavi does. As for the weakest player, I think it’s a 50-50 between Victor Valdés and Alexis Sanchez at the moment if we are going by starters. Valdés is mostly excellent, but is making too many mistakes in goal, and Alexis (10 games without a goal for club and country, only three goals since the middle of February) is virtually wasting a space in attack.

• Who is going to be Barcelona’s key player this season?
Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the key player. After all, he is the one who is going to be getting the goals, and probably the majority of the assists as well. Aside from Messi, I think Barcelona need Pedro in top form if they wish to replicate the success of seasons gone by.

• What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of your team this season?
The strengths of the team remain the same. Our form at the Camp Nou is absolutely terrifying and Messi is equally terrifying. Our attack is possibly the quickest in the league, while the Alves-Alba combination could either contribute to a more well-rounded offense, or put more pressure on an already shaky defense. There are a lot of weaknesses though, starting with the defense who are often beaten for pace or made to pay for poor positioning. Set-pieces are another concern and what happens if Barcelona goes through another injury crisis?

• Any young players to watch out for that could be on a “break-out year”?
Thiago is the man to watch out for. He ended last season brightly despite carrying a stress injury similar to the one that led to David Villa’s broken leg, and hopefully he will be able to pick up where he left off. Sergi Roberto could see more game-time this season, but looks set to continue in Eusebio’s B team along with Gerard Deulofeu, who would otherwise be on this list.

• Can Barcelona win this season’s Champions League, what would be the biggest obstacles in doing so and what about the Spanish cup?
Barcelona are the favourites for the Champions League, although at this early stage, I feel it would take a lot of luck for them to win it. Real Madrid clearly want this to be the year they complete La Decima, although I think the true challenge will be from the likes of Bayern Munich who look incredibly strong and the English clubs. In a one-off game, Barcelona can beat any other team in World Football, but at the moment I am not convinced that they possess the concentration to do so. As for the Copa del Rey, it isn’t going to be their primary aim, but it’s always a nice feeling to retain a title.

• How good do you think Valencia will do this season? Is it feasible to think that Valencia could win the Spanish championship or at least challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid?
I think given the disparity in terms of TV revenue and global brand power, Valencia do not have anywhere near the resources needed to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona over the course of a 38 game season, but they will pose a significant threat in the individual matches – as we saw in the league opener. I think Valencia could challenge for a top two place though, especially if Mourinho continues to prioritise every competition over La Liga, and I also think that they could challenge for the Copa del Rey as well.

• What do you think are Valencia’s strengths and weaknesses?
Despite selling Alba, I think Valencia’s left flank is one of their greatest assets. Jeremy Mathieu always plays well against Barcelona even if he does struggle against the rest of La Liga at times, his partnership with Guardado has the potential to be just as, if not more devastating against the Blaugrana. Aly Cissokho should improve that left-flank as well. Soldado is one of the best pure strikers in World Football and Jonas continues to improve in the #10 role behind him. Diego Alves and Guaita are both fantastic keepers as well, capable of winning points on their own and I think the squad depth is good as well, at least once everyone recovers from injury.
Weaknesses? Well I think what stands out from the season so far is how many chances Valencia have allowed their opposition, and the pressure it places the keeper under. Depor and Real both created plenty of chances – more than Los Che anyway – and they also got the better of the possession stats as well, which is a concern ahead of a trip to the Camp Nou.

• Who do you think will win the Champions League and Europa League this season?
I don’t want to tip Barcelona for the UCL just yet, but I think it will be between Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. As for the Europa League, I think Inter are the obvious choice, but I also fancy Atletico to go far with Falcao still at the club.

I'd like to thank Aaron Duckling for taking the time to answer my questions, really apreciate it and once again you can find Aaron's articles about Barcelona at http://www.barcablaugranes.com/

Victor Ruiz goal onside

Every time Valencia CF plays against the big two, more like the protected two, refereeing decisions go against us. I mean last year vs Real Madrid and Barcelona, the year before that, this year at the start, every time there are decisions going against us. I mean if its just random chance why don't decisions go our way? Why is the last 3 years decisions constantly go against us and big decisions mind you, from disallowed goals to getting red cards.

The goal Victor Ruiz scored against Barcelona was 100% ONSIDE. This needs to be investigated, there can't be suspicious decisions every year against Valencia CF and be forgotten like its nothing. I really think there is something here, I really think the referees are getting paid or forced somehow to help these two teams.

From the image we can clearly see that Ruiz was at least 1 step behind the defender there.

More proof:

Barcelona 1-0 Valencia CF Match Report

Another classic ends and what can I say, I expected us to loose, maybe not with that results, but I knew that without a strong midfield we'll get overrun and barely be able to mount a counter attack or create a decent build-up play to threaten Barcelona seriously and I was right.

Barcelona dominated for most of the match, had several chances and managed to score one goal. Valencia CF on the other hand had few chances as well, but nothing really serious, except maybe at the end the Ruiz header.

The match started with Barcelona in complete control and Valencia CF willing to sit back and defend and possibly do the damage on the counter attack. Barcelona were probing and playing the channels, but it was Valencia CF and Roberto Soldado that would have the first big chance with Soldado one on one against Pique I think, placing a good shot that forced Valdez to react, but went just wide.

Barcelona would continue attacking and pressuring until it finally payed off it the 22nd minute of the match. Adriano got the ball on the right hand side, he was unmarked and with a powerful long range shot scored a goal. Diego Alves could do nothing as the shot was perfect, probably goal of the week in Spain.

Few minutes later mistake by David Albelda would give the ball away to Messi, who plays on Fabregas who is unmarked and has clear sight of goal, but his shoot was very poor and shoots wide.

30th minute Alves would get a chance from the left, going through alone on goal, but his shot goes wide as well.

Valencia CF finally wins a foul in the middle of the park, Tino Costa takes the free kick and the ball finds Feghuoli who shoots, but his shot is miserable and flies way above the goal.

44th minute another chance for Valencia CF after Joao Pereira steals the ball from Dani Alves at the back, he quickly passes to Jonas, he shoots, but his shot is way off. Really poor shooting by Jonas, it could have been a goal if he was accurate.

The first half would end with Barcelona attacking of course, with actually a corner kick for Barcelona, but the referee whistles for the end.

Second half starts in the same fashion as the first with Barcelona continuing their attacks and in the 54rd minute Alexis Sanchez provides a great pass to Fabregas, this one has time and space to shoot and score, but his shot is once more really bad and shoots above the goal. This match was really market by poor shooting on both sides.

Then in the 60th minute another controversial decision by the referees going in the favor of who else if not Barcelona. They had a controversial decision in their match against Osasuna, now again against Valencia CF, this is of course after the crazy decision that went towards Real Madrid ruling Soldado offside. This one was pretty much the same as this time its Ruiz goal that is deemed offside, even though he appeared to be in line.

After that there was few more controversial decisions, some smaller like neglecting to whistle foul on Valencia CF players and protecting Barcelona players. I would say this refereeing must stop, I mean there needs to be major investigation about some of this stuff.

But anyways Valencia CF improved a little bit with the arrival of Fernando Gago and Viera for Albelda and Guardado respectively. We gained more possession and were able to have few decent build-up plays, but intimately it would be too little, too late.

Victor Ruiz actually almost scored just in the end after a corner kick, his header was really close, but still above the goal and that was the end of the match.

I could stop there as those were pretty much most of the major happenings in the match, but I got to continue and say that we are now three matches and no wins, in fact we have 2 draws and 1 loss, which even though we passed two of the major obstacles this season and on their terrain, it still goes into the heads of people and will create pressure on the team, make no mistake about that.

The important thing right now is to analyze the match, improve on the mistakes, with the return of Gago we are going to have a stronger and more stable midfield so that is very important, but there are some worries.

For example our defense is still fragile, I get the sense that anytime they are going to break and allow the goals, Barcelona certainly penetrated our defense and only poor shooting on their behalf saved us from a bigger loss, so there are cracks, there are frailties and that needs to be improved. The wings this season were supposed to be better and faster, but has so far not been the case. In fact as I've mentioned in my last match report Guardado seems really out of sorts. I don't know if its just because his start was a very difficult one going against Real Madrid, then his former team who he just left, then against Barcelona, but he hasn't been the player we all expected him to be.

Now that said he needs more time to gel and get to know his fellow players, but I think Pellegrino may have put him on the field way too soon. Maybe he should have sat him back and played Viera or Piatti more and then slowly build him into the team.

Valencia CF other wing is rather weak as well, Feghuoli hasn't shown anything this season and I would say he is one level weaker than last season. He also seems tired all the time, last season he was one of the biggest runners and this season that is not the case at all. He has also been unable to pass defenses or create any chances.

So we need to keep in mind these things and even though its very early and the schedule was such that we couldn't have done much better, there needs to be some action to address some of these issues if we are not to be caught with our pants down.

Technical details:

FC Barcelona (1): Valdés, Dani Alves (Jordi Alba, min. 46), Piqué, Fàbregas (Iniesta, min. 63), Xavi, Alexis (Busquets, min. 86), Messi, Mascherano, Pedro, Adriano, Song.

Valencia CF (0): Alves, Cissokho, Rami, Albelda (Gago, min. 76), Jonas, Feghouli (Valdez, min. 81), Soldado, Pereira, Guardado (Viera, min. 76), Víctor Ruiz, Tino Costa.

Goals: 22min 1-0, Adriano.


Player Ratings:
Diego 6 - Had one good save and several smaller saves, did well and nothing he could do about the goal.
Pereira 5.5 - Did decent in attack, he should have pressured Adriano more so he couldn't shoot, was beaten few times with no consequences. Did really great going forward, caused trouble all the time and was his saving grace.
Rami 6 - Did well enough and made few tackles, but for all his strength he goes down to Messi. He really needs to start using his strength and bounce opponents.
Ruiz 6 - Made few interceptions and tackles, was dangerous going forward on corner kicks and almost scored a goal in the end. Improved performance over his last two.
Cissokho 5.5 - Beaten two or three times and he lack burst of speed to close down opponents, but his positioning seemed great even though its his first match for Valencia CF. Really good going forward and caused trouble on his few runs.
Albelda 6 - He covers really well and doesn't show age. Really closed down Barcelona and what was up to him shut down Barcelona. His weakness is when he goes forward, he just doesn't know how to play forward.
Tino Costa 6 - Some great small plays and runs, did really well in defense as well, but couldn't get things going in midfield and Valencia CF had no possession.
Feghuoli 4.5 - Really out of sorts. He was very slow on the wing, slowing down the actions and didn't really threaten once.
Jonas 5.5 - Was the main threat and when Valencia CF had the ball he instigated most of the actions and plays, but he just didn't have enough space to do something.
Guardado 5 - Helped out in defense immensely and doubled down the left side, but couldn't do anything in attack. He had some space and time to try something, but decided to just return the ball backward.
Soldado 6 - Dangerous and active, he had few good runs and some nice link-up play with Jonas, but just didn't have the service to make a difference.
Subs:
Viera N/A - Didn't have enough time to change anything.
Gago N/A - Not enough time, though he did improve our ball possession.
Valdez N/A - Not enough time.