Sevilla FC 2-0 Valencia CF Match Report

The match between Sevilla and Valencia was essentially decided by the referee, by giving out a non existent red card to Mehmet Topal.
Lets be clear, Valencia did not play very good even before the Topal send off, but they were getting better as time was passing and were starting to control the ball more. In fact Sevilla didn't have a chance on goal until the send off. Its impossible to say if we would have won or not, if we played with 11 players, but we certainly would not have been the defeated in the matter we were.
As if the red card wasn't enough, even luck decided to be against us, as Cezar Sanchez was injured few minuted before half time and substituted in the second half.
But even if that wasn't bad enough Unai Emery decided to play with one man down in the same formation and hoping for a miracle win that wasn't going to come.

The match started with Sevilla the better side, they had more control of the ball and were the attacking team, with Valencia threatening from counter attacks, but ultimately loosing the ball too easily to the Sevilla midfield and defense.
Just as we were starting to play better, Topal and Caceres bumped into each other for a 50-50 ball and Caceres acting skills helped make this an easy decision for the referee and give Topal the red card. This was not even a foul and if it was, it probably should have been awarded to us as Topal was previously fouled when he lost the ball and run to recover it, thus clashing with Caceres.
Anyways from there on it was all Sevilla as Valencia lost the midfield and lost the confidence to do anything. Even though Sevilla were attacking constantly they didn't have any clear chance on goal what so ever and were denied quite easily in the first half.
Valencia actually had the most solid chance earlier in the match as Mata received the ball after Cezar's goal-kick shot fly over all Sevilla players and Mata was quicker to respond and make a shot on Sevilla goal, but the goalkeeper denied him.

In the second half Cezar Sanchez was replaced by our young goalkeeper Guaita and his youth and inexperience will show when we receive the two goals.

The first goal for Sevilla came when Caceres made a 30 meters run without being marked by any Valencia player, he shot at goal, Guaita reflected the ball and Miguel as usual was slow to react, allowing Negredo to move swiftly and shooting, the ball getting through between Guaita's legs.
While it wasn't directly Guaita's fault and more Miguel's fault, he could have done better if he had more experience, I'm sure it would not have been a goal if Cezar was on goal.

After this early goal the winner was basically decided, there was almost no chance Valencia to come back with man down and will lead to Sevilla victory. Emery decided to gamble, as he did not reinforce the midfield and try to have more control of the ball, but he replaced Mathieu with Alba, a good move in a 11 vs 11 match, since Alba is essentially a left wing and more dangerous in attack, but would be confined to defense most of the match.

After some time Luis Fabiano would have had a lucky goal, when he just barely touched the ball, but went towards the goal, just barely hitting the bar and not going in the net.

For the second goal, Dabo would cross the ball into Valencia's penalty area and Alfaro unmarked by Navarro would easily head the ball in the net. Again not really Guaita's fault, but rather Navarro's fault, but I can't but think Cezar would have position himself better and punch the ball in the air and clear the danger.

Anyways it was basically two defensive mistakes that allowed Sevilla to score the goals and beat Valencia, so every good defensive clearance, tackle or whatever Navarro and Miguel did was neglected.

The match ended 2-0 in favor of Sevilla and this puts Valencia into a really difficult position going forward. Things are not going to easily get better and we need hard work, more consistence and better judgement by Unai Emery to start winning and get on winning terms again.


Technical details:

10th matchday La Liga, 2010/11

Sevilla FC 2: Javi Varas; Dabo, Cáceres, Alexis, F. Navarro (Escudé, min. 85); Perotti (Alfaro, min. 73), Romaric (Negredo, min. 52), Renato, Capel; Luis Fabiano and Kanuté.

Valencia CF 0: César (Guaita, min. 46); Miguel, Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Mathieu (Jordi Alba, min. 68); Topal, Fernandes, Mata, Joaquín (Pablo Hernández, min. 80); Aduriz and Soldado.

Goals:
1-0 Negredo (min. 53),
2-0 Alfaro (min. 76).

Player ratings:
Cezar 7 - Always a calming presence in defense and someone to rely upon when our defense fails.
Miguel 5 - Had a pretty good night all round, but one huge mistake and allowed Negredo to score a goal.
Navarro 5 - Same as Miguel, was quite good for most of the match, but one huge mistake and Sevilla scored the second goal.
R. Costa 6 - Can't fault him for anything, the defense didn't have enough cover from midfield as Topal was send off.
Mathieu 6 - Also can't fault him, he had hard time defending, but with Mata not helping out in defense its not a surprise.
Joaquin 6 - Dribbled and run forward well, but didn't have many option to combine with, defended admirably and stopped a Sevilla counter attack in a dangerous position.
Topal 5.5 - Did not have a terrific start to the game, but started to grow into the game, unfortunately wrongly dismissed in what wasn't even a foul.
Fernandes 5.5 - Terrible before the Topal dismissal, lost many balls, but surprisingly improved after that. Run a lot more, covered a lot more ground and generally made himself available for passing, still lost too much balls though.
Mata 4 - Tried to make something in the first half, but his inability to help out in defense in such a match weighs heavily.
Soldado 4.5 - Missed a sitter in the second half to get Valencia back into the game as he only managed to fire at the Sevilla keeper. Had a quite game overall.
Aduriz 4.5 - Mostly invisible, came further back to receive the ball and helped out somewhat in midfield, but he is not a player who can hold his own in the middle.
Subs:
Guaita 5.5 - Not a terrible performance by any means, but could have done a tiny bit more for both goals.
Alba 6 - Defended decently and had a good forward run that seemed convincing at the time, but ultimately couldn't do anything with it.
Pablo N/A - Not enough time.

Sevilla FC vs Valencia CF Match preview

Valencia will take on Sevilla today in what will be a match to get back on the right track for both teams and confirm they are contenders for the top spots. With both teams not really playing continuously good and having frequent ups and downs, this will be an opportunity to get their seasons in order.
Both teams need consistency and this will be the match where they will search for it and hope its the turning point in the campaign.

Sevilla has been the least consistent team from the two, in one match playing great and the next playing terrible, they were knocked off the Champions League in the qualification rounds by Braga and have not even been performing well in the Europa League with mixed results. They changed coaches and Antonio Alvarez was replaced by former Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano in order to put Sevilla back to winning ways.
In the Spanish league they come from a demoralizing 4-0 loss to Barcelona and will look to kick-start their campaign anew and fight for top spots.
Sevilla last game was actually a huge 4-0 win over Karpaty and they will feel somewhat good after that victory, but that team is way weaker than Barcelona or any of the top Spanish teams.

Sevilla FC squad:
Goalkeepers: Andrés Palop, Javi Varas
Defense: Dani Jiménez, Mouhamadou Dabo, Fernando Navarro, Martín Cáceres, Alexis Ruano, Julien Escudé
Midfield: Didier Zokora, Renato, Luca Cigarini, Romaric, Alejandro Alfaro, Lautaro Acosta, Diego Capel, Diego Perotti
Strikers: Luís Fabiano, Frédéric Kanouté, Álvaro Negredo

Valencia on the other hand have been somewhat more consistent, though they had few bad results in the league recently, although Valencia did play good and beat Rangers 3-0 in the Champions League match.
Numerous Valencia players have said they they are going to Sevilla to win and to break the historic record in the past few seasons that Valencia can't beat any top team in the Spanish league. Navarro said "records are there to be broken and we are going to Sevilla to break that record and win".
Unai Emery also stressed that they are going into the match with the intention of winning and that would be possible if the team does not repeat the mistakes in some of the previous matches.
Ultimately this will be a chance for Valencia to show their credentials and strength and if not a win, even a draw would be great, just not a loss as that would put us back into a bad position.
Valencia had one blow-back prior to this match, as Ever Banega got injured and will not be featured in the squad, this is terrible news as he was just starting to play well for us.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: César Sánchez, Vicente Guaita
Defense: Bruno Saltor, Miguel Brito, David Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Hedwiges Maduro, Jérémy Manthieu, Jordi Alba
Midfield: David Albelda, Tino Costa, Mehmet Topal, Manuel Fernandes, Pablo Hernández, Joaquín Sánchez, Juan Mata
Strikers: Aritz Aduriz, Roberto Soldado

Ever Banega was injured in the last training session and although its a minor injury Emery will not risk him, Chori Dominguez is also reportedly injured, Feghuoli seems to still be recovering and Stankevicious, Dealbert, Vicente and Moya were left out of the squad by coach Unai Emery.

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-4-2
Line up: Cezar; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Mathieu; Joaquin, Albelda, Tino, Mata, Soldado; Aduriz.
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, medium defensive line, high opposing field pressure, deep zone defensive midfielder.

Can't see anything changing about the tactics except from some few small details like not too high defensive line, in order to defend quicker from any counter attack, while keeping more pressure in the midfield so that Sevilla loose more balls there. I can see positional changes from the wings especially Mata and one of the strikers coming wider to help out with crosses or build-up.

Result prediction:
Sevilla FC 2-2 Valencia CF
I think there will be goals on both sides, neither defense is too sturdy and solid and both sides can pack a punch in attack if circumstances are right. I can't see Valencia winning since we are playing an awat match, but a draw is very much in the cards. The most important battles will be in the defense though and whoever defense is better may determine the winner is there is one.

Mata new contract will have him stay in Valencia untill 2015

Mata contract saga is set to end in a few days, most likely the day after the match with Sevilla. Mata is currently one of the least payed Valencia players and his agent, who is also his father Mata senior, has been in talks with Valencia's president Manuel Llorente for more than a month now over an improved contract.

The news started that Mata wanted an improved contract, but president Llorente was opposed to it, as there would be no financial or sporting reasons for such a thing, though he knew Mata's salary needed improvement so he suggested a new contract that would see Mata also increase his stay and the release fee also increased.

Now the contract is done and there are just few tiny bit that need to be sorted out, the new and improved contract would have Mata stay in Valencia until year 2015 and the reported salary is around 3 million euros.

This is surely to motivate Mata for the next match Valencia play against Sevilla.

Chori Dominguez to leave in January?

Chori Dominguez is reportedly the target of 3 teams, that would like to purchase the striker in the January transfer window. Chori hasn't really fit in the Valencia squad, last season he sat most of his matches on the bench and when given a chance as a sub, didn't really grab it.
This season Valencia coach Unai Emery has given his more chance to prove himself, but so far there's been so-so performances and seems like he is slowly falling out with the coach.
The reported teams are Greek Panathinaikos, Chori's previous club Rubin Kazan and the third team is reportedly from Spain.
Chori Transfer price is around 1.5 million euros currently, though if he improves it may go up a bit.

Chori's agent will meet with Valencia's sporting director and coach to talk about the players future. If this is true, and I think it is, then the report about Hugo Almeida makes sense.
With Chori Dominguez sold, we would take a decent 1.5 million euros and open up space for the signing of Hugo Almeida.

Hugo Almeida to transfer to Valencia?

There has been some reports that Werder Bremen striker Hugo Almeida may come to Valencia, since his contract ends next season. It has been suggested that talks may start as soon as January and this is Valencia's primary target.

Bogus or not?
Well first of all he fits the bill rather nicely and thus so much speculation about it. He is going to be our of contract, so he will come free, Valencia need a 3rd striker, because we now have only two and if one gets injured we are going to be in trouble, so this fits also. Hugo Almeida is also experienced and has proven to be really good, but here comes the problem. Already with two good strikers I don't think there is a place for a third good one. Someone has to sit on the bench and with the competition already quite high with mostly 1 starter starting due to our formation, that means one has to sit as a reserve at least in one match per week.
If we are to bring a 3rd striker its most likely going to be a second rate striker, someone who is going to sit on the bench and only play in the required circumstances.

So yes, I believe this to be a bogus report, and also the fact that we have two amazing young talents waiting to come to Valencia first ranks in Isco and Paco. He would be a great signing in any other case, but not in these circumstances.

Match report - Valencia CF 3-0 Rangers FC

Gers suffer first defeat Rangers suffered their first defeat in the Champions League this season as Roberto Soldado grabbed a double to hand Valencia a 3-0 victory at the Mestalla.
He netted on both sides of the interval, before Tino Costa sealed the win late on, as the Spaniards leapfrogged Rangers into second place in Group C, with Manchester United strengthening their grasp on top spot with a win over Bursaspor.

Steven Naismith hit the woodwork twice on a frustrating night for Walter Smith's men as they failed to produce the fightback to maintain their unbeaten run in the competition.
Rangers were boosted by the news that Maurice Edu - who netted for both teams as the last meeting between these clubs ended in a 1-1 draw a couple of weeks ago - was passed fit for the match.
The American was doubtful for the clash with a calf injury but was able to start, while fellow injury doubt Vladimir Weiss failed to make the squad.

The inclusion of Edu allowed boss Smith to name the same starting XI who claimed a point against Manchester United at Old Trafford in their opening game.

Juan Mata tried to test Allan McGregor in the opening couple of minutes as Valencia tried to make an early impression but his shot from distance was weak and comfortably dealt with by the Rangers goalkeeper.
The midfielder then had another go, this time collecting from David Albelda, before trying to chip past McGregor but he was able to tip just wide of his right-hand post.

But it was Rangers who could have taken the lead when Naismith embarked on a surging run down the left flank before cutting inside past Albelda and rifling a shot at goal that crashed off the post, with Edu's rebound falling harmlessly off target.

At the other end, Aritz Aduriz's cut-back found Mata in plenty of space six yards out and his rasping effort looked netbound until McGregor pulled off another impressive block to parry the shot wide.
It had been an open game so far and Valencia were threatening again when Aduriz threw himself in front of Mata's free-kick only to see his header flash inches past the post.
But McGregor was picking the ball out of the back of the net when the Spaniards surged into the lead after 33 minutes, finally sparking their fans into life.

Mata's corner was punched clear by the Rangers goalkeeper and, following a scramble in the box, the ball fell for Soldado who was able to fire home. Sasa Papac may have been able to block on the line but McGregor got just enough of a touch to take the ball past the full-back.

Joaquin Terrorizing Rangers defense

Valencia looked dangerous after the restart as they attempted to add to their lead and McGregor was called into action again to prevent Rangers from falling further behind.

Mata was the provider with a lovely cross for Aduriz who produced a firm header that would have found the back of the net had the Rangers goalkeeper not come to the rescue with yet another fine save.
The Scots could have hauled themselves back into the match when Naismith went on another surging run before picking out Kenny Miller this time. The striker shifted onto his left-foot and unleashed a shot that lacked purchase and was too easily dealt with by Cesar Sanchez.

Hopes of a Rangers comeback were dealt a blow when Soldado claimed his second of the night after 70 minutes to put Valencia firmly in the driving seat.
McGregor managed to get a touch but was unable to keep the striker's powerful, low right-footed shot from hitting the target.

Miller then went to ground in the box but there appeared to be little in the incident and German referee Felix Brych waved play on, before Naismith's header hit the post.
It was Valencia who found the back of the net again with a minute to go when substitute Costa rattled a ferocious shot in off the post, before nestling in the bottom corner.
The only good news on a disappointing night for Rangers was Manchester United's win over Bursaspor, leaving the Turks rooted to the bottom of the group without a single point and with Smith's men on course to at least claim third spot and a Europa League berth.

Source: mirrorfootball.co.uk

Player ratings:
Cezar 6 - Not his brightest performance, but when he plays the defense is a bit more stable.
Miguel 6 - Went forward and overall did well defensively, but had 2 big defensive lapses
Navarro 4 - Not an encouraging performance, poor decision making and very slow to react.
R. Costa 5.5 - The CB's are worrisome this season, not a poor performance, but a lot more is required.
Mathieu 7 - Constant forward arrays and really done well with his runs, not neglecting his defensive duties at the same time.
Joaquin 7 - Constantly troubled Rangers defense, made 3 amazing runs towards the end, but he lacked the decision making and made the wrong decision 3 times.
Albelda 7 - Great display from Albelda, put ashame some of his younger Rangers counterparts, even put some dangerous balls forward.
Banega 7- Not at his best, though coming close to it rapidly, had good visions and spread out the ball well.
Mata 9 - This is the kind of performance we've been missing from Mata. He was full of running, combining with other players, showing up all over Rangers back line and making Rangers frustrated with him.
Soldado 8 - Great performance from Soldado, scored 2 great goals and contributed a lot in attack.
Aduriz 7 - Did not score but had several tried with his head, ultimately denied every time, but helped out the time and positioned himself in good spots.
Subs:
Tino Costa 7 - Went in, continued what Banega was doing pretty well and also scored a goal.
Fernandes 5 - Had few long shot tries, that were was bad as it could get and ultimately didn't play good enough it the time given.
Pablo N/A - not enough time.

Match Preview - Valencia CF vs Glasgow Rangers FC Uefa Champions League

 Valencia CF vs Rangers FC
Stadium: Mestalla
Champions League matchday 4
Tuesday 02.11.2010; 20:45pm









Tomorrow is the biggest match in the entire season and I know I said this is one of the most important matches many times, but this really is THE most important match of the entire season period.
A loss or a draw and our chances of going through the Champions League group stage would almost be lost, we would have theoretical chances of going through, but I wouldn't count on it. On the other had a win and we would be almost sure to qualify. Qualification doesn't mean just sporting success, it also means financial success, this year Uefa is giving out the biggest money prizes in the history of the Champions League, each win, each match and each additional round brings a lot of money to the clubs. Considering Valencia's dire financial situation we need every last drop of cash if we are to be a stable and powerful club, like all of us desperately want.

Group C	Bursaspor	Man. United	Rangers	Valencia
Goals scored	0	2	2	5
Goals against	6	0	1	2
Yellow cards	5	2	6	3
Red cards	0	0	0	0
Attempts on target	5	10	13	14
Attempts wide	15	19	13	23
Offside	9	5	7	1
Corners	14	12	8	27
Fouls committed	48	40	28	42
Possession (time)	85	110	73	105
Possession (%)	46%	55%	40%	57%

Group C

	Teams	Pld	Pts
1	Man. United	3	7
2	Rangers	3	5
3	Valencia	3	4
4	Bursaspor	3	0

          Valencia CF vs Rangers FC


Valencia play their most important match in the entire season tomorrow at the Mestalla and only a win will be success as it will open up the path for continuing after the Uefa Champions League group stage.
Valencia are on a series of bad results, the latest match a draw at home against top bottom Zaragoza, previously a loss to Mallorca at home and ultimately only 4 goals scored in 7 matches. If the opposing teams did not score own goals, we would have probably lost the games against Rangers and Mallorca.
With such high importance matches and of course such important competition we simply need to win and to qualify at least in second place in the Champions League.

Rangers on the other side are also coming from a 1-1 draw at home against Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. Rangers are first in their domestic competition though with 28 points, 1 point above Celtic and huge 12 points lead over third placed Motherwell.
Rangers defensive line is their strongest unit, with only 9 goals received in their domestic competition and only 2 in the champions league.
Overall they are a very solid side, who play compact football and as a team, with a great coach.

Interviews and conferences:

Unai Emery, Valencia coach
We are ready for a similar game to two weeks ago [the 1-1 draw at Rangers] but are also prepared for a different kind of game. They usually play 4-4-2 in the league and 5-4-1 in the Champions League, yet we are prepared for both, especially in terms of tactics and their changes of personnel for the Champions League.

It is a very important game for both teams. We are at home and our job is to play well and win. We want to play good football and we want our fans to enjoy it and leave the stadium happy. We have to make them feel part of the victory. I am hoping for the best-case scenario – a victory in a big Champions League game.

Walter Smith, Rangers manager
It is a very important game and both teams are aiming for second place. Valencia are at home and have a slight advantage. Looking at Valencia's latest results they may be missing players like David Villa, but is a matter of time before they make up for that.

We are under some pressure because we have not experienced this sort of situation before, but we hope this pressure will not stop us getting through and going as far as possible in this competition.

Joaquin Sanchez, Valencia player
In a official press conference Joaquin stated that the group C is quite equal and competitive, but stressed that Valencia is solely responsible for its results and must look at its own play.
"There are many possibilities how the group will turn out, its an open playing field, but we depend on our selves and we know three points are a must in tomorrow's match against Rangers."
About the outcome of the match Joaquin said that he doesn't want to predict the result, but he said the team thinks positively and that the players and coach are calm and optimistic before the match.
He also called the fans to show up at the Mestalla and create a burning atmosphere in order to help the team win in this important match.

Valencia CF official squad list:
Goalkeepers: César and Moyà.
Defenders: Miguel, Bruno, Ricardo Costa, Navarro, Mathieu and Jordi Alba.
Midfielders: Topal, Albelda, Éver, Tino Costa, Fernandes, Joaquín, Pablo and Vicente.
Forwards: Mata, Aduriz and Soldado.


The biggest name on the list is defensively Cezar who returns after an injury, he has recovered quite a while back, but has been working on his fitness. The biggest exclusion is probably Chori Dominguez who seems to be falling out with the coach, after not performing to the required standard. Feghuoli is injured, Stankevicious


Rangers FC Official squad list:
None available
Vladímir Weiss (heel) and Maurice Edu (calf) are injury doubts for Valencia match and may not feature in the starting line-up.

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line up: Cezar; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Alba; Joaquin, Albelda, Tino, Vicente, Mata; Aduriz
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, high defensive line and opposing field pressure, deep zone defensive midfielder, long shots.
I don't think much will change tactically from all of the rest matches, its still going to be mostly crosses from the wings, though Emery will probably ask the wingers to try to penetrate to the opposition penalty box when given the chance.
As far as the line-up I have absolutely no idea which players Emery will field, I think the mentioned above are the most likely, but I really am curious as to what players Emery is going to choose.

Result prediction:
Valencia CF 2-1 Rangers FC
Rangers proved that they can hurt us and penetrate our defense on more that one occasion when we played against them at the Ibrox, and our defense has recently been very shaky, so I expect Rangers to score a goal. I hope we are going to win and that's why the 2-1 scoreline, we haven't been scoring many goals lately and have been were uncreative and weak in front of the opposition final third. Hopefully Emery has some hidden powerful tactics and effective trainings methods to turn in around in few days and get Valencia players able to create chances and score. Really whats going to be important is scoring a very fast goal, it will allow us to play better and calmer and wait for our opportunities.