Real Madrid vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Real Madrid vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu

Date: 15.01.2013; 21:00 CET

Semi Final, 1st leg, Copa Del Rey

Coaches: Jose Mourinho and Ernesto Valverde

Real Madrid

Real Madrid is coming to this match after a disappointing game in the week against CA Osasuna where they only managed to draw and were lucky to escape with a point as well. I watched the whole match is order to asses them and from start to finish Real Madrid were second par to Osasuna, managing only on rare counter attacks to threaten and even that was mostly done by one person, in this case Callejon. 

Real Madrid have been having troubles with injuries and to add to their problems is Sergio Ramos who got himself a red card the week before and went on to insult the referee, insuring he got a 5 match ban. Cristiano Ronaldo didn't play as well, serving a one match suspension due to accumulating 5 yellow cards. Already weakened, Jose Mourinho decided to rest Ozil and Benzema in order to have them fresh for the match against Valencia CF and fielded Higuain who just recently came back from injury and Modric in the attacking midfield spot.

Real Madrid instantly started the match on the back foot as CA Osasuna surprisingly started exerting influence on the match and I guess caught the Real Madrid players off guard who seemed rattled that a relegation zone team is challenging them. What from the initial shock, what from fatigue, the Madrid midfield failed to control the ball and were constantly on the back foot, unable to mount any strings of passes. Even though Real Madrid were on the defensive most of the time, they did have the first chance and then a few more dangerous chances to score, including one goal that was deemed offside, accurately so.

Osasuna had their own chances and numerous times they were with more numbers in attack, but failed to either provide that final pass or have an accurate shot at goal. Later in the second half Real Madrid would be left with 10 players as Kaka got himself a red card, although the decision was way too harsh. That pretty much sealed the deal as Osasuna attack was toothless and Real Madrid playing with only 10 men, meant they would defend at all time and that's what it happened.

Apart from their last match Real Madrid have been very inconsistent this season and not even surprisingly. I was able to asses their situation judging by their preseason and I wrote an article explaining why so. So I'm on record writing this would happen and as is always the case I was right 100% yet again. Not to boast, but when someone is right all the time, you'd want to take it seriously. Of course when I tried to present this to Real Madrid fans of several of their favorite fan-sites, I was ridiculed and laughed at, similarly as the season before than, when I predicted or rather knew Barcelona would fail and wrote that Real Madrid would take the title and I was of course right. 

So to me, to find Real Madrid in the situation they are in was expected, though if you read in the article I also predicted that their season would also start off in the second half of the season, although that it would probably be too late. Hopefully Valencia CF manages to beat them 3 times, or at least 2 times, before Real Madrid turn their season around. Who knows, maybe even a big victory over Real Madrid may end their season, though I highly doubt it.

For the match against Valencia CF, Real Madrid are coming without Pepe and Ramos, though they have Ronaldo returning so that is a worry, but their midfield is tired, Alonso has pretty much played almost all of the matches and Khedira is in a similar situation, though he has been rested a few times. Mostly though Khedira has not played when injured.

So I expect them to settle up and come fighting, especially since they are at home terrain in the first leg of this fixture, while Valencia CF has rested some of its players. The biggest problem for Valencia CF is the loss of David Albelda though who's been rock solid at the back, shielding the defense superbly and Gago is still recovering from his injury so he is not going to be fit enough to face Real Madrid.

Real Madrid squad: to be announced...

Technical Details Real Madrid (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Casillas; Arbeloa, Varane, Albiol, Coentrao; Xabi, Khedira; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, mostly wide wing attacks, long balls from the middle.

Valencia CF

Valencia CF on the other hand is coming to this match after a secure 2-0 win over Sevilla FC in the league and has the team in great form, as Valencia CF has won 7 out of the last 8 matches. Valencia CF has slowly been improving with Valverde at the helm and the team is in great form and great spirits. Heck even Parejo claimed he was very happy at a press conference recently.

The win against Sevilla FC was very important and a step forward to achieving a top 4 place this season in order to qualify for the Champions League next season. Right now Valencia CF in in 7th position with 30 points, but only 4 points from 4th position, which is occupied by Real Betis right now. Not to play down Betis, they have been playing great and beat Levante 2-0 on the weekend, but their squad lacks depth and I'm expecting them to loose steam at a certain point.

Knowing Valencia's form and play currently and Real Madrid form and play, I'd say Valencia CF has real chances of beating Real Madrid over the 2 legs in the Copa Del Rey, but also in the league, as Valencia CF will meet them just few days later at the Mestalla and then again at home for the 2nd leg for the cup.

Valencia CF biggest problems ahead of the match against Real Madrid is the injury of David Albelda and then the accumulation of yellow cards for Joao Pereira in La Liga. Apart from that Fernando Gago still isn't fully fit to start and we lack a proper defensive midfielder. This gives me worries as Tino Costa can play as defensive midfielder, but is not very secure and Valencia CF is playing against a top side here, not some smaller team.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Joao, Barragán, Víctor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, Rami, Cissokho.
Midfielders: Tino Costa, Gago, Éver, Dani Parejo, Guardado, Viera, Piatti, Bernat.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.


Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Diego; Pereira, Rami, R. Costa, Guardado; Albelda Tino, Banega; Piatti, Jonas, Parejo, Soldado.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, mixed attacks.
Sorry for the inaccurate info I had for the line-ups, copy/paste from the previous match.

Result Prediction
Real Madrid 2-1 Valencia CF
Real Madrid are playing at their home terrain and its the first match of the fixture, so I expect them to win, although knowing Valverde Valencia CF is going to come out attacking as much as possible and due to Real Madrid's weaker defense at the moment I can see Valencia CF scoring one goal.

Adil Rami in support of Manuel Llorente

With the increasing hostility of Spanish fans towards current Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente, Adil Rami wrote about support of the president: "We are all like family and I and the players are with the president to death". Some strong words obviously.

I've also already written an editorial about Manuel Llorente, I call it 'the story of Llorente', though the title may change, but I'll go over it once again to tackle some grammar mistakes and then publish it when there is not much going on. Its not a defense of Llorente, its more of a history of what happened, infused with my comments. So expect, probably after the matches against Real, though if I can squeeze it in between I'll do that.

In other news related to Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente there are reports that if he looses the presidency of Valencia CF, he could become the next president of the LFP. The Provinces writes: "The truth is that the current president of Valencia is very well regarded in the LFP. For this and said pressure from the fans, it is not unreasonable to think that Llorente, would at least consider the offer that comes from the capital of Spain to take the position as president of the LFP."

Llorente has a contract till 2014, but some are hoping to oust him at a board meeting and have a vote of no confidence, though its highly unlikely that could happen.

I need your help

I need your help in order to build a database of all Valencia CF players, but can only do so with your help. I need you take this survey http://obsurvey.com/S2.aspx?id=F6E75CED-3EAE-4E85-87E6-83DFC1830E8B. You need about 15 minutes of free time in order to complete the survey. The survey is about all of Valencia CF players strengths and weaknesses and all questions are mandatory.

The questions are: What are "full name" strengths and weaknesses? And then you need to write your answer.  So please take the survey and make sure you have 15 to 20 minutes of free time so that your answers and insightful and of good quality. 

Thank you very much in advance.

Valencia CF 2-0 Sevilla FC Match Report

Valencia CF wins 2-0 over its fierce rival Sevilla FC. This was a must win match tonight for Valencia CF and fortunately the team did not disappoint. This puts the team only 1 point off of 4th place and since Malaga is playing against FC Barcelona tomorrow, I'm assuming they are going to loose. Of course Betis and Vallecano are also ahead with one point, but I don't think they are capable of challenging for 4th spot over all of the season, similarly like how Espanyol fizzled out I believe 2 years ago when they were in contention for top 4 until the second half of the season.

So a very important win, loosing this match would have been terrible and would have distanced Valencia CF too much from the top 4 positions, which would have affected the players moral and then you have big problems. As it is the team got a boost to the morale and will face Real Madrid next in the Copa Del Rey, who drew today to Osasuna.

The match itself started slowly with Valencia CF exerting its influence on the proceedings with Albelda and Banega able to control the midfield and easily spread the ball around, with only low level pressure coming from Sevilla players. First opportunity for Valencia CF would come through Jonas who released Soldado, but the ball was too fast.

Jonas would get the ball again close to the penalty area of Sevilla, but instead of shooting or passing wide he decided to complicate stuff and try to get the ball through the center and it failed. Ricardo Costa would have the best chance of the first half and for that matter in the second half as well, as he got to the ball through the chaos after a corner kick, but failed to hit the goal.

Towards the end of the first half David Albelda got injured with what seems a thigh muscle injury and I guess his 35 years of age finally showed as he also played just 3 days ago in the cup against Osasuna. He should have gotten a rest either then or today.

Overall there were several opportunities for Valencia CF in the first half, but the players complicated stuff in the final third too much and failed to convert them to chances or goals.

Second half started with Valencia CF positioning higher on the pitch and Piatti switching from the left wing in the first half to the right and this had a positive effect immediately as Valencia CF were able to move the ball quicker to attack and have more penetration on the right with Piatti and Joao Pereira combining well there.

First goal would come in the 50th minute with Soldado scoring a header to an assist by Adil Rami.

After the goal the team tempo dropped a bit though and for whatever reason Banega started playing as a second striker. This allowed Sevilla FC to start creeping back into the game and slowly regaining control of the midfield. In fact over the match there were few scares for Valencia CF as Tino, Banega and Parejo all lost the ball once in dangerous positions allowing Sevilla fast and dangerous counter attacks, especially the one when Parejo lost the ball or rather he was dispossessed of the ball, with Sevilla attacking with 5 players vs 3, but they failed to score thanks to a rather good save by Diego Alves who was alert and quick to react, even though he had virtually nothing to do for most of the match before that one chance for Sevilla.

Then in the 89th minute Roberto Soldado sealed the deal scoring with a header after a corner kick done by Banega.

Technical Details:
Valencia CF (2): Alves, Joao, Rami, R.Costa, Guardado, Albelda (Tino Costa, min. 40 '), Ever; Piatti (Valdez, min. 81'), Parejo (Victor Ruiz, min.90 '), Jonas, Soldado.
Sevilla FC (0): D. Lopez Cicinho (Perotti, min.63 ') (Baba, min.80'), Fazio, Spahic, F. Navarro; Medel, Kondogbia; Navas, Rakitic, Reyes (Stevanovic, min.83 '); Negredo.
Goals: 1-0 Min 50, Soldado; 2-0 Min89, Soldado.

Player Ratings:
Diego 6 - Had absolutely nothing to do except for a fine save late in the match and did well to save the goal.
Joao Pereira 6 - Had a good match defensively and a great offensive display as he was very active in the first half and providing several passes and crosses into the penalty area.
Rami 7.5 - Great performance by Rami, anticipated the ball very well and had few crucial interceptions, providing the assist to Soldado's first goal as well.
R. Costa 6 - Secure performance from Costa who dealt with everything that came his way.
Guardado 6.5 - Very secure defensive display as he easily dealt with Navas and while he didn't provide too much in attack he did serve as additional midfielder often times and was open to receive the ball.
Albelda N/A - Had a great start, taking the ball out of defense into attack easily and was even involved offensively at times, but unfortunately he got injured and had to be substituted.
Banega 6.5 - Not a great performance by any means, he was quite ineffective in the second half and was barely even involved in the match, receiving the ball only several times. Was lucky enough for his cross from a corner kick to find Soldado and get himself an assist in what was an otherwise poor display.
Piatti 6 - Limited performance from the Argentinian as he was quite ineffective on the left wing, improved a lot when he switched sides and had some good runs on the right.
Parejo 6.5 - Complete performance by Parejo as he was always available to receive the ball and link up with players, dropping deep in the second half and organizing the play. Only one slip up and he was lucky it didn't turn out in a goal for Sevilla FC.
Jonas 6 - Was very involved in the first half, trying serveal passes into the penalty area and trying to find Soldado, but none really worked out. Did provide a good outlet for attack and tracked back often as well.
Soldado 7.5 (MotM) - Scored two goals and decided the game. Was full of running all match long and found himself in great positions to be able to score the two goals.
Subs:
Tino 5.5 - Very limited performance after coming on, making only simple and easy passes, though he did cover for the defense quite somewhat and provided some energy in the middle.
Valdez N/A - Not enough time
Ruiz N/A - Minute after coming on got himself booked.

Valencia CF vs Sevilla FC Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Sevilla FC Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 12.01.2013; 22:00 CET

19th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Ernesto Valverde and Míchel González

Valencia CF

Valencia CF is coming to this match after a 2-1 victory over CA Osasuna in the Copa Del Rey that puts Valencia CF in the semi final to face off against Real Madrid, in what would be 3 matches against them in a short period of 2 weeks. Valencia CF has 5 wins in the last 6 matches since the arrival of Ernesto Valverde, though 3 of those have been against Osasuna and this will be Valverde's first big challenge.

I got to say that since the arrival of Ernesto Valverde Valencia CF has improved and is playing a more attacking and entertaining football, but we haven't seen some big improvement that would sweep us off our feet, its been more of a gradual, slow improvement. So we'll see just how much or how little improvement has been made tomorrow night against Sevilla FC.

My thoughts are that the match against Sevilla FC is a must win one, I mean Valencia CF is playing at home in the Mestalla, has the form and results coming in and the players have been playing better individually and collectively. On the other hand Sevilla FC have been struggling this season and are worse off than Valencia CF. They have been mediocre all season and their squad is technically weaker than Valencia's squad. I mean they have Hedwiges Maduro who Valencia CF sold as he couldn't get a starting spot in Valencia's squad, although truth be told he hasn't found too many opportunities at Sevilla FC either, with only 7 appearances so far.

Yesterday Valencia CF had some good news from the medical department as Sergio Canales has been given a clean bill of health and he could return to full training and we may even see him given some minutes as substitute towards the end of January. Jeremy Mathieu is also recovering well and is not going to need a surgery, though he still has some time to go before full recovery.

Valencia CF squad:

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Joao, Barragán, Rami, Ricardo Costa, Víctor Ruiz, Cissokho.
Midfielders: Albelda, Tino Costa, Parejo, Éver, Piatti, Guardado, Bernat.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.


Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Diego; Pereira, Rami, R. Costa, Guardado; Albelda, Banega; Piatti, Jonas, Bernat, Soldado.
Tactics: Medium defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, mixed attacks.

Sevilla FC

Sevilla FC on the other hand are coming to this match after a 2-1 loss to Mallorca in the cup, though they were already qualified for the next round as they beat Mallorca 5-0 in their first match, so the loss last game wasn't important and they played with a second grade squad mostly, keeping some of the more important players fresh for the match against Valencia CF. Sevilla FC results have been mixed in the past 5 matches, heck they've been mixed the whole season with no trends or strings of results. One match they'd win, other they'd loose and third they'd draw. They have been struggling and performing inconsistently.

Right now they are 12 spot on the table with 22 points out of 18 matches, 6 of which are wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. Their goal scoring record is average with 23 goals scored and 26 goals conceded. So overall statistically speaking they have been decent, with no notable problems. Their top goal scorer is obviously Negredo with 8 goals scored, which is one less than what Soldado has scored in La Liga, while Ivan Rakitic has the most assists in the team with 3, while Valencia CF has several players with more assists then that.

Sevilla FC squad: to be announced...

Technical Details Sevilla FC (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Diego Lopez; Cicinho, Fazio, Spahic, Navarro; Medel, Kondogbia; Jesus Navas; Rakitic, Reyes; Negredo.
Tactics: Low defensive line, own half pressure, counter attacks, mixed passing, wing attacks mostly.

Result Prediction:
Valencia CF 1-0 Sevilla FC
Valencia CF is in better form and have the better squad no questions about it, so I expect a win, but its probably going to be a hard match with back and forth between both sides that is going to be decided by one goal.

Valencia CF interested in Jeremy Toulan

Jeremy Toulan Malaga CF

French newspaper Lequipe claims that Valencia CF is interested in Jérémy Toulalan and that it could use Malaga's poor financial situation with unpaid salaries in the summer to snatch up Jérémy Toulalan.
Atletico Madrid is also interested in him and they would be in prime position to get him with all the money they would make from the sale of Falcao.

Valencia CF could use the French connection with Jeremy Mathieu, Tino Costa and Adil Rami though to try to persuade Jérémy Toulalan to sign for Valencia CF.

Its unclear right now if Manuel Pellegrini will be available in the summer as well, with Malaga's financial situation getting worse by the day. If he leaves, Valencia CF could try and sign him, though there is likely to be strong competition from other clubs outside of Spain, but since Valencia CF is based in Spain it will have bigger chance to get Pellegrini as he doesn't have any serious experience coaching outside of Spain.

Sergio Canales given clean bill of health

Valencia CF attacking midfielder Sergio Canales got the green light today from Dr. Cugat that he can return to full training and start the process of getting back to playing. Now with that said he is still going to need some time to get back to full fitness and get comfortable with his knee.

Last time he was rushed into action and his knee injury returned, but this time the recovery time was longer and his inclusion in the first team is going to likely be slower as well.

Jeremy Mathieu is still injured though and will need to continue with his recovery, but the doctors have said he won't need an operation. So that is some good news and hopefully he will be back in two to three weeks.

Javi Fuego signs for Valencia CF

Javi Fuego who currently plays for Rayo Vallecano as a defensive midfielder has signed a contract with Valencia CF that would keep him with the club for 3 years. He will transfer from Rayo Vallecano to Valencia CF in the summer as a free agent.

This is the same type of deal as Valencia CF did with Andres Guardado where they reach an agreement with the player and get him on a free transfer in the summer. Javi Fuego is the same as his contract expires this summer and he would simply join Valencia CF as a free agent.

I'll list the transfer in the summer and not now, since technically the player still hasn't transferred.

Javier 'Javi' Martinez Fuego is 29 years old and has played for Rayo Vallecano since 2010, featuring 68 times for them. So obviously not the most talented of players and certainly not a young prospect. He has played mostly in the second Spanish division.

Will this guy be a decent replacement for David Albelda? Certainly not and I don't think he will improve the team one bit. He is a mediocre player that has played mostly in the second division and certainly isn't young to hope he can turn out a huge talent. At best he can provide good cover for whenever the first choice defensive midfielder in injured whoever that may be come the summer.

New statistics page and more

Hi there. I've opened up a new page "statistics" in which I track the team performance with some key info, as well as goals and assists per each competition.

The first table is on all matches, (at least the ones there is data for), but there are discrepancies in the data, so for example average passes per game and passing accuracy is only for La Liga and Champions League, while the total minutes played and other data is for ALL competitions.

So you need to have that in mind, as well that additional official competitions like say World club championship or Super cup if Valencia CF were to play would be added to the totals, while friendlies and exhibition matches would not.

After the first table come individual tables for the goals and assists for each competition. 

I'll be adding a lot more data to the statistics page, but a lot more data and statistics and info on the players pages as well, so when you to to the individual players pages you'd find data for them and their key information that isn't necessarily going to be in the statistics data and vice verse. Overall there is going to be a  lot more data and information by which you can determine the players performances and playing style.

So none of this is completed yet and its probably going to take few months before everything is finished and published. 

I'll have a beta page ready within a week or two so you can check it out and provide feedback on it and what kind of data and information you would like on it, if its not already there.

3 matches against Real Madrid

Real Madrid beat Celta de Vigo last night 4-0 and secured their place in the next round of the cup against Valencia CF.

This means Valencia CF will play against Real Madrid 3 times in 2 weeks.The dates are still to be confirmed and could change, but they would be in a span of two weeks, along with the La Liga game against Real Madrid.

Lets all hope Valencia CF wins all three matches.

Fernando Gomez plans to oust Manuel Llorente

Fernando Gomez the former Valencia CF sporting director under Manuel Llorente and previous presidents announced a bid to become president of Valencia CF at the next presidential elections, which are this summer. Everyone with shares over a certain numbers can vote and while Llorente's "Valencia CF foundation" holds the most shares right now, he can easily be ousted if doubts start arising.

He is accompanied by José Manuel Romero and Javier Villalonga. They have launched their campaign which is called "Sempre Valencia" which is basically a set of plans and ideas how to "fix" Valencia CF.

"The delicate situation of Valencia CF is forcing us to act now and start our campaign Sempre Valencia. This is a set of plans to help solve Valencia's problems that have weighted down on the club. We are aware of the gravity of the situation, but we are confident we can solve the situation. Our first step is to solve the internal problems within the club(he means a purge) and current Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente needs to resign right now, as he promised he would if a person who can fix the situation came along" said Fernando Gomez on the press conference.

"We have studied the situation at the club closely and carefully and we will eradicate this erroneous policy that has been followed by Manuel Llorente(he means the amazing job that Llorente has done will be eradicated) and the time is now. My conscience requires me to appear before the Valencisnistas with an exciting project to bring the club back on its feet. I promise not to receive any compensation for the work I will do until we achieve the much needed economic stability and sell the land of the club(Don't know if he means the stadium and which one). Once that is achieved I will only receive a salary that is half what Llorente  earns. If we fail in our plans and within 18 months we can't achieve what we promise we will leave(that is a lot of promises there buddy boy!)." Said Gomez further.

He went on to criticize the transfer policy? of Llorente: "Llorente's transfer policy is terrible and the loss of Isco and Alba is a tragedy to this club and example of the terrible transfer policy by Llorente. Our youth players also also leaving the club and that is normal now. When I was sporting director we didn't have youth players leave for Real Madrid and Barcelona" Gomez boasted.

Juan Romero had this to say: "The sale our our top players like Villa, Silva and Mata only went for fat salaries of Valencia CF officials and not to pay off the debt(Gee, from 550 million to 370 million isn't debt reduction, what amazing math this guy has, sure hope this is not the math he will use if in charge of Valencia CF and destroy the club). They promised the sale of these players would go to reduce the debt, but this has not been the case and the transfers have been used to line up the pockets of Llorente and his friends."

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, the presidential contenders for this summer elections. I don't know if you buy this stuff, but I sure don't. In fact I'm so sick and tired of this false charade that I will write a nice, long editorial about Llorente and the facts from my unbiased perspective and huge knowledge of the club history and events.

Valencia CF 2-1 CA Osasuna Match Report

Valencia CF managed to beat CA Osasuna in the second match of the round of 16 of the Copa Del Rey for an aggregate score of 4-1 and moves on to the next round, the semi final to most likely face Real Madrid, if they don't loose to Celta De Vigo of course, but I seriously doubt it.

Valencia CF and CA Osasuna played a fairly equal game tonight with both sides equal in ball possession and for two thirds of the match in chances and opportunities as well. Valencia CF coach decided to shuffle the team for this match and started with a whole set of different players than in the last La Liga match and he gave a chance to all of the bench players so they can try to stake a claim for a starting position. The biggest claim was probably made by Juan Bernat who put in a very good performance, quite mature performance and was active all match long on the right side of the field and I think this side fits him better as he was very good.

The defense was having troubles all match long, starting from the beginning Ruiz and Rami not communicating well, to Ruiz being out of position on few occasions and being at fault for the goal Valencia CF conceded, although Guaita should have done better as well.

But first thing is first, after quite a boring match with battle in the middle of the park, Valencia CF got a free kick some 35 meters away from goal and Tino's direct shot at goal seemed to surprise the Osasuna goalkeeper and the ball ended up in the net, making it 1-0 for Valencia CF vs Osasuna.

The lead would not last long though, as Valencia's defense was caught in a counter attack and Ruiz was way off position and unable to close down Llorente who scored the equalizer. Vicente Guaita could have also done a better job, but it was Ruiz poor positioning and poor closing that allowed that goal.

The bright spark for Valencia CF in the first half was Juan Bernat who was having a great match, being involved in most of the chances Valencia CF created.

CA Osasuna came out with a lot more fervor in the second half and started pressing harder and higher on the field, forcing Valencia players into mistakes and stealing the ball effectively in the middle and starting attacks. Ernsto Valverde saw this problem and took off the ineffectual Viera and replaced him with Ever Banega. This change would prove key as the game instantly shifted with Banega on the field with Valencia CF controlling the ball a bit more and Ever Banega providing some great passes and spreading the play.

The Soldado came in for Valdez and that lifted up the team even more, with the last third of the match belonging to Valencia CF as the team was having chance after chance that Jonas kept ruining and missing. In fact he had 3 great chances that he pretty much ruined. One in particular was when Soldado lobbed the ball over to Jonas, but this one's first touch failed him miserable as he basically kicked the ball to the goalkeeper. Then later on he had another chance, against provided by Soldado that he failed to convert.

Ultimately after a lot of probing and prodding, Valencia CF would manage to get another goal, this time courtesy of Ever Banega and Roberto Soldado. This was one amazing through pass by Banega, one of several great passes he provided in this game.

Next stop is Sevilla and I hope Ever Banega will be at this level of performance for that match and hopefully with the first team back playing we'd have more solidity in the defense as well.

Technical Details:
Valencia CF (2): Guaita; Barragán, Rami, V. Ruiz, Cissokho; Albelda, T. Costa; Viera (Éver, min.57'), Jonas, Bernat (Guardado, min.87'); Valdez (Soldado, min.67').
C.A. Osasuna (1): Andrés Fernández; Echaide, Rubén (Miguel Flaño, min.69'), Arribas, Nano; Lolo, Timor; Cejudo (Onwu, min.), Oier (Puñal, min.62), Lamah; Llorente.
Goals: 1-0 Min 33’, Tino Costa. 1-1 Min 36', Llorente. 2-1 Min 92' Soldado.

Player Ratings:
Guaita 5.5 -Didn't have much to do all night, but could have done better for the goal and was rather insecure at the start, making some suspect decisions.
Barragan 6 - He had a good time, unlike the other defenders at the back and offered big help to Barragan going forward.
Rami 4.5 - Poor performance by the Frenchmen, he was better than Ruiz, but the partnership between them didn't work out very well at all in this game.
Ruiz 4 - Terrible defending and was guilty of poor positioning at least 3 times, failing to cover properly for the goal and generally being a weak link the defense.
Cissokho 5.5 - Did decent at the back, not great and offered a lot of support forward, making some great runs, but to little to no effect.
Albelda 6 - Good performance by the captain, offered enough protection to the defense and provided some good short passes.
Tino 5.5 - Not one of his better performances. Failed to exert any influence in the middle and failed to provide any kind of forward momentum. Scored the first goal, but that was his only contribution.
Bernat 6.5 - He was the only one in attack that worked and provided some good crosses and passes, beating his marker often and creating one man advantage for the team.
Jonas 3.5 - What terrible performance by Jonas, his long range shots are terrible and they aren't even that long, like 25 meters shot is too hard for him and made all the wrong decision in this game and missed several opportunities.
Viera 5.5 Was ineffectual as a winger and often overshadowed by Cissokho, he did try some through balls and had some sucess, but Valdez wasn't on the same level as Viera.
Valdez 5 - Very ineffective performance, mistimed many of his run and didn't contribute anything of significance.
Subs:
Banega 8 (MotM) - Came in and instantly changed the game, providing energy, ball control, accurate passing and some good positional play. Provided some terrific passes and one of them found Soldado for the goal. Just amazing performance.
Soldado 7 - Came in and instantly made an impact, having more chances in 10 minutes than Valdez has all game and he timed his runs so perfectly and found himself in all the right places, definitely showing his top qualities and managed to score a goal.
Guardado N/A - Not enough time, but he was very active in the short 5 minutes he was on the field.

Valencia CF vs CA Osasuna Match Preview

Valencia CF vs CA Osasuna Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 08.01.2013; 21:30 CET

Round of 16, Copa Del Rey

Coaches: Ernesto Valverde and José Luis Mendilibar

Valencia CF

Valencia CF met CA Osasuna two times before and won both games. First Valencia CF played against CA Osasuna away in La Liga and managed to 1-0 and just few days later played Osasuna away again, this time for the Copa Del Ray and managed to win 2-0 then as well. This is now the second match of the fixture and Valencia CF is coming to this match with 2 goals lead, so its looking very likely that Valencia CF is going to go through to the next round, unless something really unexpected happens and Valencia players all of a sudden loose their skills.

Valencia CF is coming to this match after a small 2-1 win in La Liga over Granada CF on the weekend and has now come closer to the Champions league positions in the league, falling only 4 points from them and with a good chance to overtake Malaga and the rest of them if the team plays good. Now that said Valencia CF will be meeting Sevilla next and then Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is quick succession, so some hard matches ahead in the short term, but Valencia CF should look to win them all. Sevilla are playing poorly, Real Madrid are playing poorly and have big troubles right now, so that is a chance for two wins against big rivals and against Barcelona getting a draw would be great and Valencia CF has a chance, as Barcelona have to falter sometime, they can't go on winning forever.

Valencia CF coach Ernesto Valverde has said that he will do few changes to the team and the first change is going to be Vicente Guaita who will be on goal, second change is going to be Cissokho at left back and then he said its likely that he will give a chance to Bernat or Viera. So quite a few changes are expected, its also likely that Neslon Valdez is going to start over Soldado. 

Valencia CF squad:

Goalkeepers: Guaita, Diego Alves.
Defenders: Barragán, Rami, Ricardo Costa, Víctor Ruiz, Cissokho.
Midfielders: Albelda, Tino Costa, Dani Parejo, Éver, Viera, Piatti, Guardado, Bernat.
Forwards: Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):

Formation: 4-3-3

Line-up: Guaita; Pereira, Rami, Ruiz, Cissokho; Albelda, Tino; Piatti, Viera; Bernat, Valdez.

Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, mixed attacks.

CA Osasuna

CA Osasuna were beaten twice by Valencia CF the last two times the teams met, once in La Liga and once in Copa Del Rey, so they are coming to this match with a deficit of 2 goals and the added pressure of playing at the Mestalla. But apart from the two losses suffered at the hands of Valencia CF, Osasuna has lost 2 of the last 3 matches or if you count the 2 losses from Valencia, then they've lost 4 of their last 5 matches.

Osasuna are also rock bottom on the table right now with only 14 points out of 18 matches and is struggling in the relegation zone, battling with Deportivo and Espanyol. While Osasuna's defense is actually really good, they have only conceived 20 goals, their attack has been very poor scoring only 14 goals and most of the matches they've lost has been by one goal difference, so they definitely are better than their position on the table would show and could turn their season around with a bit of luck.

CA Osasuna squad:

Goalkeepers: Andrés Fernández, Imanol Elías.

Defenders: Marc Bertrán, Nano, Miguel Flaño, Lolo, Arribas, Echaide, Rubén.

Midfielders: Puñal, Oier, Cejudo, Timor, Lamah, Armenteros.

Forwards: Kike Sola, Onwu, Llorente.

Result Prediction:

Valencia CF 2-0 CA Osasuna

Valencia CF is in good position to win this match with a 2 goal difference from the first match of this fixture and is expected to win. The team is performing well, has already beaten Osasuna twice and Osasuna aren't known for their goal scoring prowess. So I think Valencia CF will score two goals, while not conceding and win by 2-0.

Valencia CF year in review and future outlook

Warning: long text ahead...

Valencia CF has had a mixed bag 2012 year in which it finished 3rd in the Spanish premier league, dropped out the Champions League in the group stages, but that made it possible to reach the semi finals in the Europa league at which point Valencia CF lost to Atletico Madrid. Valencia CF also had success in the Spanish cup Copa del Rey in which it reached the semi finals as well, but lost to FC Barcelona.

While on paper the club did very good that season, in reality things were different and Valencia CF was playing one of the worst football in recent years. In fact Valencia CF went into the new year of 2012 back then with a huge cushion on the table and so even with bad results in the second half of the season it managed to stay and keep 3rd place at all times, although by the end every match was terrifying and the team felt like climbing a 180% degree mountain.

The problems were becoming evident towards the end of 2011 when Valencia CF missed out on Champions League football and went on to loose 3-0 to Chelsea, which even though Chelsea went on to win the Champions league, it was strange because Chelsea were playing a defensive style football, attacking only on counter attack and scoring goals only on the counter, so loosing 3-0 to them was really terrible and meant Valencia CF would go on to play in the Europa league instead of the Champions league.

Playing in the Europa league isn't bad within itself, its just that you really need to reach the final to be noticed and you got to win the final go get the prestige and money and even then its bread crumbs compared to the Champions League. So whichever way you look at it, its better to play in the round of 16 in the Champions league and loose there, than to even reach the final of the Europa League. If you don't win it, its not worth as much, as Athletic Bilbao can testify.

So the fact that Valencia CF lost in the semi final against Atletico Madrid, who then went on to win it, meant playing there was for nothing, as the monetary gains were minimal and the team suffered in the sporting department, playing more fatigued in the Spanish league.

Valencia CF was also playing in a more sensible competition which is the Copa del Rey as it is a Spanish competition and it has long tradition and most of Spain watches it. It also serves as the morale booster competition if you manage to win it and haven't won a trophy in a long time. The whole competition serves as a jumping board for teams and puts them into the spotlight and gives fans something to cheer for. Valencia CF also did very good in the cup until it met FC Barcelona in the semi final and that would be the end of that journey for Valencia CF.

Valencia CF only managed to win 7 times in the second half of the season out of 18 matches and basically started its poor away form since March of 2012, where after it beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away, it never went on to win an away match that season and that poor away match form continued under Pellegrino. That isn't to say the team was terrible, ultimately the team gained quite a bit points in the second half of the season as well and managed to snatch up 3rd place and qualify automatically for the group stage in the Champions league.

The end of 2011/12 season was eagerly awaited as fans just wanted the season to be over and for Valencia CF to secure its 3rd place so it can play in the Champions League competition again and stay on top of the field from the rest of the pack. Towards the end it was widely known that Unai Emery would be leaving the club and a lot of fans were happy about that as they thought that Emery did his best he could at Valencia CF and its now time to bring in someone else who can do even better.

I was one of the persons who had similar thoughts and wrote about why I thought it would be best if Unai Emery left in the summer. Here is the summary of that article: "I think Valencia CF should part ways with Unai Emery this coming summer with both coach and club head held high knowing its on a good line. That said Valencia president Manuel Llorente should only bring in a coach that can improve and build upon Emery's reign and not start over, destroying everything that has been build and achieved over the past 4 years. We need a coach that can sort of take the pieces which are in place already and give them that final polish to be able to reach the next level.
The new coach must also be more experienced and must be proven that he can win and manage a winning team.". As you can see while I was making the case for Emery to leave, I also made the case that the replacement needs to be an experienced coach that can build and improve upon Emery and not start over and that the new coach would have to basically polish the team to get them to the next level.

Manuel Llorente had different thoughts though and he decided that Mauricio Pellegrino the former Valencia CF central defender and two times Champions League finalist with Valencia CF would become the new coach. Obviously he was neither experienced, nor fully knowledgeable as he had never before coached a team and only had two and a half years as a second coach to Rafael Benitez. So this meant that he would be incapable of building upon the existing team and bringing that level of polish that was needed and he would need to rebuild the team yet again, which he stated he would be doing and was the excuse for many of the losses.

Mauricio Pellegrino garnered huge support from Valencia CF fans who knew him as this sung hero and Valencia CF icon. While most Spanish fans were very happy, the international fans, at least people who read this blog and voted on the poll thought that it was a risky choice. Out of 72 votes, 39 voted him as a risky choice, while 22 voted him as a good choice, with only 4 voting as him as bad choice and I guess ultimately they were right, so have a +1.

Mauricio Pellegrino didn't start terrible or anything, in fact he started in great fashion, leading the team to a draw in his first match against last years champions Real Madrid, who just 3 months ago broke all the records to become champions of Spain and were the most feared team in the world. Unfortunately this big draw would not ammount to anything as Valencia CF went on to draw at home against the newly promoted team of Deportivo La Coruna who were weakened by the loss of Andres Guardado their best player and he just so happened to transfer to Valencia CF.

That match started great for Valencia CF who pretty much dominated the first half and were running circles around Deportivo La Coruna, scoring 3 goals in the process and lead Deportivo 3-1 at half time. I remember watching an English commentary stream and the English caster was showering Valencia with praise how they were playing with such ease and how the team could easily challenge the Real Madrid and Barcelona duopoly and that this match was proof that Valencia CF can muddy the waters for the champions title this season and boy I agreed with him. Then the second half started and everything changed. It was like a whole other team came out, that was some low level, bottom of the table team. It was just incredible and Valencia conceded 2 more goals and went on to draw with Deportivo La Coruna in that match. Read my match report.

While Valencia was playing poorly in La Liga, the team was performing very good in the Champions League, having only lost once and that was away to Bayern Munich. By the last match the team was fighting to finish first in the group, but just felt short of it as Bayern Munich also won their last match and had better direct score against Valencia CF. That didn't save Pellegrino though as he pretty much sealed his own faith by loosing two matches in a row in the Spanish league, first against Malaga 4-0 and then a week later 5-2 against Real Sociedad. Those were two huge losses in a row and coupled with the terrible away form and mid table position on the table at that time he was sacked.

Since then Ernesto Valverde was appointed as the new coach and the rest is the present. Valencia CF has performed better under him and the team has looked more alive and more capable, although the judgement is obviously still out and the final conclusion can be made at the end of the season.

So what is going to happen in the new year, what is the future outlook of the team? From my deep research and analysis and I have been right 100% in all cases, not just with Valencia CF either, I predicted Barcelona would fail last season and that Real Madrid would go on to win the league and I was right. Barcelona lost the title and wasn't as convincing as in years previous. This year I wrote an article that Real Madrid would fail and explained to great detail why that is going to happen and I was right. I said Barcelona would win the title and its looking like it.

So from my deep research and high level analysis I can see Valencia CF improving a lot and probably finishing in 3rd place, most likely above Real Madrid. Now again there are a lot of factors going in here, I'm yet to see any of the different clubs transfers in the winter transfer window and this could change the situation completely. Real Madrid could strengthen, Atletico Madrid could strengthen, then of course Valencia CF could weaken if they bring in some poor reinforcement, but overall if there are little changes in the top 6 teams right now, I fully expect Valencia CF to finish 3rd, possibly 4th place if the schedule turns out to be bad and fatigue plays a big part of the performance.

So what am I basing my analysis on you ask? I base it on whole set of points, from just the schedule of matches that we have, the training schedules, from reading, watching videos and seeing pictures of the team's training sessions, to understanding the team dynamics and following the players very closely individually and assessing the situation and then from all of them combined, assessing the situation team wide. Then I asses the performance of other clubs, I asses Valencia's performances and why the team hasn't been performing good, but most importantly I've come to the conclusion that the team has been underperforming for months now. So if you have a team who's been underperforming for months, you can either hit a bottom and then bounce back or you can start performing to the level of optimal performance. So I'm betting that we won't hit bottom and I have proof of that in the past several matches under Valverde, so there is basically no other option but for the team to start performing to its full extent and possibly even over performing, but hopefully it will not peak too soon.

Juan Bernat to stay at Valencia CF

Valencia CF Juan Bernat

There were reports in the past that Juan Bernat is going to go on loan in the winter transfer window, in fact if you use the search window on the right corner you can find the article and read it, but with the arrival of the new coach Ernesto Valverde things have changed as the new coach has publicly stated that he would like to keep Juan Bernat at Valencia CF and that he will need him now more than ever since Sofiane Feghuoli is going to play at the African cup of nations and with the fact that Mathieu and Cissokho are injured, he is having to play Guardado as left back, so that opens up the possibility for Bernat to get some good playing time and compete with Jonathan Viera.

Also Valencia CF sporting director Braulio Vazquez has also mentioned that Bernat would stay at Valencia and that the club has no plans of loaning him out in the winter transfer window.

Some rumors were circling saying that Valencia CF might even bring back Paco from Getafe as he isn't getting much playing time, though nothing serious so far, but I'll follow it up and see if its true, but I really doubt it.

Granada CF 1-2 Valencia CF Match Report

Valencia CF starts the new year with a win, albeit a hard fought and quite conflicting one. It took Valencia CF 82 minutes to win against a 10 man Granada CF, who credit to them hold on well as a defensive unit, but  Valencia CF did have the chances to win by more and should have taken them.

A victory is a victory as the saying goes, but this match showed that Valencia CF have a lot of improving to do, with improving long range shots of players like Jonas for example, to more useful balls in the penalty area and more combinations in just before the final third so they can open up the opponents.

Our wing play was once again exposed, especially on the left wing, since Pablo Piatti was on fire on the right wing, but my point is as I've written a month or two ago that only one wing plays at a time, so we have trouble stretching the opponents and end up attacking only from one side, making it easier on the opposition to close us down.

Again it doesn't take a genius, it doesn't take some deep understanding to figure this out and simply seeing the reality of the play shows you that in most matches our wings don't work. In some matches only one wing works, in others none of the wings work and the team also lacks the intricate combinations to do much from the center field.

Whether this is a players issue or a tactics issue or a combination of both is hard to say. From my analysis I'd say our wings are too slow and very conservative, the players need to be more adventurous and a lot faster. In most of the matches, all of the players are conservative and worry too much not to loose the ball, instead of trying to dribble past opposition and move in. So I'd say we need faster wings, like we saw in this match with Piatti and more raw penetration, more going in, more dribbling on the wings.

There is no doubt in my mind that if Piatti didn't play probably his best match in a Valencia CF shirt last night, that Valencia CF would have won. In fact I think the team would have probably lost, as Piatti was instrumental in both goals, one he provided and the second he scored. So his play created both the goals and he was a thorn all night in Granada's eye.

Also I wasn't impressed with how the team played in the first half at all, in fact there was no urgency, no fast plays, the movement of the ball was slow, the combinations were short, the strings of passes were short, the pressure on Granada players almost non existent and the penetration in the final third lacking.

The play only improved in the second half, but question is how would have the team played if Granada were with 11 players? My view is that the teem needs to improve and improve a lot, the defense needs to be tighter and more focused, the ball movement needs to be faster and there needs to be more combinations and fast wing plays to stretch the opponents. The team also needs to put more pressure on the opposing team when the ball is in their foot.

Granada CF (1): Roberto, Nyom, Brahimi, Mainz, Siqueira, Íñigo López, Dani Benítez (Angulo, min. 46), Mikel Rico, Torje (Yebda, min. 62), Iriney (Jaime Romero, min. 83)e Ighalo.
Valencia CF (2):  Diego Alves, Rami, Albelda (Valdez , min. 51), Jonas (Barragán, min. 91), Soldado, Ever, Piatti (Tino Costa, min. 83), Pereira, Guardado, Ricardo Costa y Dani Parejo.
Goals:  1-0 Min. 49' Angulo 1-1 Min. 59' Jonas 1-2 Min. 81' Piatti.



Player Ratings:
Diego 5 - Was way forward for Granada's goal. Angulo's shot was very good, a powerful lob, but Diego should have been closer to the line and it wouldn't have been a goal.
Joao Pereira 6 - Combined well with Piatti, though he did have some trouble dealing with Granada's attackers on occasions.
Rami 6 - Didn't have much to do and not at fault for the goal.
R. Costa 6 - Again nothing to do as Granada barely threatened and wasn't responsible for the goal.
Guardado 6 - Not troubled at all at the back and went forward to great extent, but didn't have anyone to combine with at the left wing.
Albelda 5.5 - Did well to cover for the defense at occasions, but was useless in attacking sense and substituted early in the second half to make way for Valdez.
Ever 6 - Was involved in most of the actions and was always available for a pass, providing some good passes, but his job was made easier with Granada being down 10 men.
Piatti 9 (MotM) - Absolute beast against Granada, caused them trouble all match long, provided countless great crosses, was able to pass his markers numerous times and provided the assist to the first goal and scored the second to mark a perfect afternoon for him. Hopefully his form continues.
Parejo 6.5 - Was actually quite useful and dangerous. He provided a lot of useful passes and combined well in the final third, also adding another body in the penalty area when needed. I suspected that his poor play was due to his deep position in midfield and judging on this performance I was right, he needs to play in advanced positions.
Jonas 7.5 - Played in a more advanced position and had more freedom in his movement playing off with some good plays by him. He did waster 2 chances with some terrible shots, but accounted for it by scoring a goal.
Soldado 6.5 - Scored an assist to his name and missed a good chance when he hit the post. He could have even passed the ball and it would have been a certain goal. Was overall active and threatening.
Subs:
Valdez 6 - Had a chance on goal and was very active on the field, increasing Valencia's energy and work rate significantly.
Tino N/A - Not enough time
Barragan N/A - Not enough time

Tottenham Hotspur still keen on Jonas

Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur FC are still keen on Valencia CF striker Jonas Goncalves. Tottenham Hotspur are yet to strengthen their attack and are once again looking at Jonas Goncalves as a potential target. In fact they have been interested in Jonas Goncalves for a while now, they had some competition from Liverpool FC, but with the arrival of Sturridge from Chelsea means Liverpool are set in that area now.

Tottenham Hotspur are sitting on a lot of cash right now and they do have a lack of quality strikers, with pretty much only Defoe scoring goals for them, so Jonas could be a good option, though they'd likely try to offload some of the other strikers they have first so they can be able to purchase new players.

Other reports also link Jonas going back to  Brazil, though I don't see that happening as on average the Brazilian teams are not that wealthy and I don't see Jonas wanting to go back to Brazil which is a lower level league than the Spanish league.

Real Madrid and Barcelona want Vicente Guaita

Guaita to Real Madrid or Barcelona?

Spanish media are reporting that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are interested in Valencia CF goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and would like to see him in their ranks.

As you know Arsenal FC were also reportedly interested and still are, though with Arsenal having the striker position as top priority for reinforcement they don't want to spend too much money on a goalkeeper and would instead like to invest all that money in a quality striker.

Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho is supposedly in terrible relationship with Real Madrid icon Iker Casillas and if Mourinho stays at Real Madrid its said that Iker Casillas will be forced to leave and Jose Mourinho sees Vicente Guaita as the perfect replacement for Iker.

FC Barcelona on the other hand are going to loose Pinto in the summer and would like to bring in a quality reinforcement that will be able to compete with their current number one keeper Victor Valdes and they see Vicente Guaita as the perfect option for them, that will give them options at the goalkeeping post.

As I've written previously Manuel Llorente is not a big fan of selling Vicente Guaita and would much rather sell Diego Alves as he has been under pressure to have more Spanish players in the team and Guaita is a Valencianista. In fact just recently Vicente Guaita publicly stated that he wants to stay at Valencia CF and become first choice there.

Granada CF vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Granada CF vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Stadium: Los Cármenes

Date: 05.01.2013; 18:00 CET

18th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Juan Antonio Anquela and Ernesto Valverde

Granada CF

Granada CF are coming to this match after a series of mixed results. In fact their last 5 matches are two wins, two draws and one loss. The last match was a small away victory against Osasuna of 1-2 with which Granada CF managed to avoid the relegation spots. So far this season Granada CF have been in and out of the relegation spots and its likely that this battle will continue for the rest of the season and their challenge is increased today as they will face off against Valencia CF. 

Granada CF are sitting at 15th position with 16 points from 17 matches and I swear the numbers just came out like that and was not planned. Anyways they have 4 wins, 4 draws and 9 losses with 25 goals conceded and only 13 goals scored. Their main goalscorer is Youssef El Arabi with 4 goals scored, who also has one assist to his name. Youssef El Arabi has featured 17 times, so pretty much in all matches and his goal scoring ration isn't very good. Last season he played for Al Hilhal and scored 12 goals for them and before that he's been a good goalscorer in France, so its obvious that he isn't getting many chances at Granada CF.

In fact from the matches I've watched with them I'd say the biggest problem for Granada CF is their attack, or lack thereof. They virtually do not have any attack and while they do create small number of chances, the biggest area of play for them is their own third. In fact so much so that Granada CF has failed to score in 8 matches total.

Granada CF squad: to be announced...

Valencia CF

Valencia CF on the other hand are coming to this match after a good series of good results, in fact so much so that Valencia CF has won 4 times in the last 5 matches. Now this does not mean Valencia CF are out of the woods and in some great form, only two wins are in La Liga, where the team also has a loss and two wins came in other competitions. So Valencia CF really has a long way to go before things start falling into place and a good start in the new year would be a good, secure win over Granada CF. As I've already written above Granada CF is one of the worst offensive teams in the league and I certainly wouldn't want Valencia CF to concede a goal to them and while Granada CF are decent at the back, that is to say not terrible, they are still leaky and Valencia CF should be able to win securely.

Valencia CF new coach Ernesto Valverde has also been coaching the team for almost a month now and has probably been able to asses the players and their condition, form and playing style and I believe that he as experienced coach would know how to set up the team to get the best out of the players and win in most of the matches, something I believe Pellegrino as inexperienced coach lacked. So I fully expect to see the team start playing better and what a wonderful test in Granada CF to really flesh out the new tactics and style before the team tackles on better teams.

I want to wish the players and the team a happy new year and huge success in the new 2013 and hope they can finish 3rd place in the league and go on to win the Champions League, because I want the team to succeed after 10 years of nothing. The time is now and regardless of the financial situation, the team should be able to do it in the sporting aspects.

Sofiane Feghouli as I've reported days ago signed a new contract extension that will keep him at Valencia CF till 2016 and has been now officially confirmed by Valencia's official website. I'm mentioning this little news here because he is actually injured right now and though he has rejoined normal training may not be in contention for starting place, especially since he will likely go to Algeria for the African cup of nations after this match. Other than him Gago has been back and training normally and may even feature in the team, Jeremy Mathieu is still recovering, but is only about 2 weeks from returning and Sergio Canales has been training with the ball and light exercises, though he is likely still a week or two from playing.

Valencia CF squad: to be announced...

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):

Formation: 4-3-3

Line-up: Diego; Pereira, Rami, R. Costa, Guardado; Albelda, Tino, Banega, Jonas; Soldado, Piatti.

Tactics: High defensive line, all round pressure, mixed passing, center attacks mostly.

Result Prediction:

Granada CF 0-2 Valencia CF

AS I've already written Granada CF is really weak offensively and not very sound defensively either. Even with all of Valencia's problems this should be a secure win for the team, but the fact that the team has practiced intensively and Valverde has had plenty of time to improve stuff now I fully expect a secure victory of 2-0 for Valencia CF over Granada CF.

Ernesto Valverde is getting all the girls

Valencia CF coach Ernesto Valcerde seems to be getting all the Valencia girls with his obviously amazing charisma and great looks. I just hope the players don't become too jealous.

Yeah I'm obviously joking, or am I? Anyways a little fun post to up the spirits.

Sofiane Feghouli contract extension officially confirmed

Sofiane Feghouli contract extension has been officially confirmed by the official Valencia CF website. His contract has been extended till 2016.

Valencia CF transfers 2013

Happy New Year ladies and gentlemen and happy holidays. For those of us Valencia CF fans the club had a good year in which it finished 3rd place in the Spanish league, played in the round of 16 in the Champions League and Valencia CF didn't loose any important players in the summer like Roberto Soldado for example.

The third quarter of 2012 wasn't as good with the start of the new season, as Valencia wasn't able to get the results and the year finished with Valencia at mid table and some problems going into the new season.

I'll start from the back for the transfers and move forward.

There were reports from England and Spain that Arsenal FC are interested in Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will make a big move for Vicente Guaita and even meet his 15 million euros buy-out clause. Of course this won't be the best time for Valencia CF to sell any of the goalkeepers, as club president Manuel Llorente is aware the club will have to sell one of the goalkeepers in the summer, but he wouldn't want to loose one in the winter and he would prefer to keep Guaita as he is a Valencianista and he has pressure to have more Spanish players playing at the club.

As far as the defense is considered there have been reports that Adil Rami will leave in the summer and probably go to Real Madrid or even England and that Valencia CF will use those money to get back Raul Albiol from Real Madrid. In fact recently Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente stated that he would like to bring Albiol back and I tend to take him very seriously, so there is no doubt Valencia will try to buy Raul Abliol from Real Madrid in the summer as the president is under pressure to have more Spanish players in the team and with the coming elections its obvious he will try to bring back Albiol.

Right now the club is working on getting one defensive reinforcement as the club has been with only 3 defenders this season and has had trouble occasionally filling the spots with various injuries and cards. In fact I know the club has 2 almost certain players that will join, I just don't have information who these players are and what positions. I suspect we have one central defender secured and then a defensive midfielder if Gago leaves. Earlier in the season Valencia CF were looking into Bruno Martins Indi a young central defender who play for Feynord.

The other positions at the back are full and apart from a forced sell in the summer of say Aly Cissokho due to the financial situation I don't see any major changed, certainly not in the winter transfer.

In the midfield Fernango Gago has been an issue as he was frustrated by the sacking of Mauricio Pellegrino and wanted to leave, but changed his mind, fast forward to today and he still hasn't really cleared up his situation, with reports saying he wants to go to Boca Juniors and doesn't want to stay at Valencia, while he himself claimed that much of the reports are exaggerated and false, though didn't outright dismiss them. Recently there have been new reports that Boca Juniors have agreed personal terms with Gago and send an offer to Valencia CF for Gago. The offer is said to be 3 million euros over a year, with Valencia CF demanding 4 million euros. The latest player Valencia CF has been linked with as replacement for Gago is Xavi Torres who plays for Getafe, while earlier there have been mentions about Tomás Pina from Mallaorca and Javi Fuego from Rayo Vallecano.

Earlier in the season the staff were interested in Vicente Iborra as a replacement for David Albelda for next season, though they figured out that he isn't as solid in the defensive role and that the team would need to find a stronger and better defensive midfielder who's main position is defensive midfielder.

Then there is the right wing for which the club is searching a replacement for Sofiane Feghouli who will leave for the African cup of nations for a month and possibly be sold in the summer, so the main target right now is Vittolo, after deals for Isac Cuenca and Eljero Elia are said to have fallen apart. Spanish newspapers reported that Valencia CF is interested in Victor Rodriguez who currently plays for Real Zaragoza on the right wing. Braulion Vasquez was also looking at Jordi Xumetra from Elche, though reportedly Elche said they weren't interested in selling him in the winter. Ultimately its very likely the club will bring in a reinforcement for the right wing and my bet is on Vittolo.

All other midfield positions are pretty much full and secured and may even be overflowing a little, as Bernat for example has rarely been given opportunity and Viera hasn't featured too much as well. With Pablo Piatti now fit and back in the squad and Sergio Canales coming back very soon, possibly within a month the midfield is secured, though depending on the performance there may be some big changes in the summer.

As far as the forward positions go its Roberto Soldado, Nelson Valdez and Jonas Goncalves. Its was Jonas that most transfer speculations have been around and he was linked to Tottenham and Liverpool, though since then the transfer rumors about him have calmed down. Reports at the time linked Valencia CF with 23 years old Wilfried Bony who plays for Erdevise club Vitesse Arnhem.

Recently Manuel Llorente publicly stated that he would like to see David Villa return to Valencia CF and with David Villa said to want to leave Barcelona as he hasn't feature much since his recovery it looks like a strong possibility, although Barcelona officials have come out and said there isn't much chance of him leaving in the winter. Then there is also the transfer fee and salary for him, which is much bigger than your average salary in Valencia CF. Still he spend 5 years at Valencia CF and it wouldn't surprise me if David Villa accepted a low salary in comparison to return, though it will all depend if other teams bid for him like say Juventus and even Arsenal FC.