Valencia's Miguel Brito never learns

Unai Emery stopping a fight

Few days ago a report emerged from a news paper about Valencia's right back Miguel Brito, the report claimed it had internal knowledge about a situation 2 years ago in which Miguel Brito shot with a gun towards a night club, after not being allowed to enter.
The report claims Miguel faces possible 5 years in jail and you would think Miguel would learn something from that, but no just 2 days after the report was published he was seen showing his middle finger towards media reporters.



He later claimed that he was not showing the middle fingers at the reporters, but at one specific man who supposedly "disrespected" him.
I think its too little, too late to try to defend itself and he should learn from his mistakes and not repeat them.

This is not Miguel's second time he has been in trouble, he has constantly been involved in assaults, accidents and other unlawful behavior.

Would the law finally catch up to Miguel? We'll need to wait and see.

I'm going to brake your neck! -Miguel Brito his usual self.

Chori Dominguez and Tino Costa interviews

Choriz Dominguez yesterday played against Racing after being left out of the squad for quite some time and he helped Valencia CF get a point. Chori was also in a situation about possibly moving to Juventus on loan.

He had this to say after the match "I was anxious all day as I was waiting for news about the possible loan move and knew that I would be removed from the squad if the deal was agreed upon. As soon as the coach told me that he counted on me, I knew I was staying in Valencia and my thoughts were on getting a positive result in the match."

He also think Valencia played better in the second half and may have even gotten a win: "We played well in the second half and we had chances to win the match, but unfortunately we only managed to get a point".

Chori also had good welcoming words for new Valencia arrival Jonas and said how this player can help Valencia.

Alberto Tino Costa also had some comments after the match and spoke of himself: "I'm pleased with my personal progress, but as a team we are not putting the best performance".
"We knew that if we score an early goal, we would have a chance to win, but we just couldn't do it and next week at the Mestalla we can't loose any points.

He also spoke of his fellow Argentinian Chori Dominguez:"Chori was very good tonight and with his arrival our play became much better and more fluent. I think there is place for him in the team yet".

Racing Santander 1-1 Valencia CF - Match Report

Another match, another thriller and another exciting match. While we lost 2 points at least the match was fun to watch and on the positive side we increased our lead over Espanyol.

The first half was not the best, Valencia had possession, but could not convert it into chances, not to mention goals. In fact Racing was quite more dangerous on the counter attack and R. Costa was caught twice out of position. Statistically looking Valencia had only one shot towards Racing goal, while they had 4 shots towards Valencia goal, one of which went in.

The goal for Racing was the luckiest thing I've seen this season, after a corner was cleared the ball was crossed back into Valencia penalty area only for Tino Costa to misjudge his jump and assist Ariel to score a goal in the 32nd minute. Guaita probably should have done a bit better, but its hard to judge since he was alone with 3 opposing players.

The first half was nearing and Valencia wasn't taking advantage of all the possession it had. Tino Costa was making bad pass, after bad pass, Joaquin dribbling too much and loosing the ball too often and Pablo ineffective over the left wing and was making too many inaccurate through passes.

Second half started with two substitutions as Chori Dominguez went in after a long pause from competitive game for Pablo and Soldado went in for Joaquin.

The formation now transformed to 4-3-1-2 with Chori playing just behind the strikers. This seemed to work and instantly you can see improvement in Valencia's play. In fact the reason why Valencia didn't win is probably because Mathieu and Aduriz failed to convert few good passes/crosses.

The trio of Banega, Tino and Chori was functioning well and Tino was playing significantly better in the second half. He actually scored the only goal for Valencia in the 77th minute after a corner with a superb shot. He also made 2 good passes to Mathieu and Aduriz who failed to use the passes to good effect.

Valencia was pressing all the way to the end, but just couldn't find the winning goal. In the meantime R. Costa got a second yellow and automatically a red card, undeserved one actually and then in stoppage time Mehdi from Racing got a second yellow card and automatic red too.

Valencia and its fans are left wishing for the 3 points and if Valencia played 90 minutes like it did in the second half a victory would have been more probable. But anyways we must now look forward towards our next match and hope we win then.

Technical details:
Valencia CF (1): Guaita, Bruno (Miguel, min. 71), R. Costa, Stankevicius, Mathieu, Maduro, Ever, Tino Costa, Joaquín (Soldado, min. 45), Pablo (Chori, min 45) y Aduriz.

Rácing Santander (1): Toño, Francis, Torrejón, Henrique, Christian (Cisma, min. 65), Lacen, Colsa, Adrián, Kennedy, Ariel y Rosenberg (Arana, min. 65).

Goals: 32min 1-0 Ariel; 77min 1-1 Tino Costa;

Player Ratings:

Guaita 6 - Maybe he could have done better for the goal, but its hard to say really. Didn't have much work otherwise and apart from stopping a shot early in the first half was barely tested.

Bruno 6 - Good defensively and covered his side well, but did not offer anything in attack.

R. Costa 5 - Had two mistakes early in the match as he was beaten for the ball first time and then caught out of position. Had two good intervention as well and made some interceptions that keep his score at 5.

Stankevicious 6 - The best defender tonight as he intercepted several balls and defended really well.

Mathieu 5 - Had at least one good chance, but he failed to snatch the ball, maybe was thinking he was offside though. Anyways not the most productive going forward and too many times caught in attack and left the left defensive position vulnerable.

Maduro 5.5 - Had an early blunder as he passed the ball slowly to the goalkeeper and was almost caught by Racing attacker. Also felt down later on, lost the ball and that could have resulted in a goal. Improved in the second with the rest of the team and was more active and actually useful.

Tino Costa 5.5 - Poor first half, great second half. How to rate such performance? Made numerous inaccurate passes in the first half, lost the ball way too often and didn't prove much of anything. Second half he was like another player with a lot more accurate passing, scored the goal and made two brilliant passes. 

His assist to Ariel weighs down a lot though and if it wasn't for that mistake Valencia may have celebrated a win tonight.

Banega 7.5 - The only consistent performer in the first and second half. Was forced to come back and get the ball in the first half as he was not getting the ball from Tino or Maduro. Even better in the second as the whole team improved and was spreading the ball very well, great linkup with Tino and Chori and made several creative passes to get something going.

Pablo 5 - Really ineffective on the left wing. Made several through passes that were too obvious and inaccurate and apart from that nothing more.

Joaquin 5 - Similar performance to Pablo, but this one dribbled until he lost the ball. Not much creativity or energy.

Aduriz 5 - In offside position 3 times, failed to control the ball twice and ruined the potential chances. Improved somewhat in the second, but largely useless.

Subs:

Chori 6 - Better than Pablo and Joaquin certainly and ran well creating spots for the attacking players, had few good passes, but few bad judgements also and seems a bit rusty.

Soldado 7 - Twice in a row a match changer. Came in and instantly provided an attacking threat. Very active, seeked out good positions and provided a much needed attacking threat.

Miguel 6 - Had one good cross and one more cross that became more of a shot. He also had a real shot on goal and did quite better in attack than Bruno.

Racing Santander vs Valencia CF - Match preview

Racing Santander will host Valencia CF at El Sardinero tomorrow in what will be another crucial match for Valencia CF.

Racing Santander has two losses and one draw in the last 3 matches and is currently sitting 16th on the table with only 20 points, just 2 more above relegation zone clubs.
The main threat for Valencia CF will probably be Markus Rosenberg, Racing's top goalscorer with 5 goals.
Racing have scored a total of 15 goals in La Liga, but have received 29 goals, though they are still one of the best defensive sides in the bottom 10 clubs.

Only thing going for Racing is their good form in their home stadium where they have not been beaten since last September.

Tono had this to say when interviewed about the match against Valencia CF: “Against Valencia CF, we must keep our good results at El Sardinero stadium, where we’ve added quite a lot of points and have been scored just a few goals. That’s the way we must go on”.

Racing Santander squad: to be announced...

Valencia CF on the other hand are on a winning streak of 5 matches in a row and haven't lost in the last 6 matches in La Liga. Valencia CF managed to somehow continue its streak last weekend against Malaga with a bit of luck and refereeing decisions going in its favor, but the play wasn't really great for the Valencia CF fans, maybe for the neutral viewers, but not for anyone else.

Since the match against Malaga Valencia CF has purchased Brazilian striker Jonas from Gremio for 1.2 million euros and he should complete our attacking options, as previosly Valencia CF had only 2 natural strikers with Soldado and Aduriz. Jonas won't feature in tomorrow match as he is yet to fully complete his transfer, but should be available for selection next week.

After the big defensive mistakes suffered against Malaga, Emery has been working on tightening up the defense and practicing R. Costa and Stankevicious in a partnership and Dealbert with Navarro as the second partnership in short match practices.

The biggest problem would be who to choose for the midfield roles after last weeks obvious problems in the midfield as well. Does he start Tino Costa or Ever Banega in a more advanced midfield role and the second choice would be to either start Topal or Maduro in a defensive midfield role.

Vicente is injured for almost two weeks now and Mata was injured in training after a collision with Navarro. David Albelda, Cezar Sanchez and Moya are still injured, though the two goalkeepers are slowly recovering and I wouldn't be surprised in they are fully fit in a week or so. Dealbert has been left out of the squad after last weeks miserable game.

Anyways you can expect a tough match in which Racing is going to play mostly defensively and will try to get a draw in order to continue their good home and form and Valencia will search for a win in order to get away from either Espanyol or Villareal, as tonight these two clubs are playing each other and one is bound to loose points.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Guaita, Saúl.
Defense: Miguel, Bruno, David Navarro, Stankevicius, Ricardo Costa, Jordi Alba, Mathieu.
Midfield: Maduro, Topal, Tino Costa, Banega, Pablo, Joaquín.
Attack: Domínguez, Aduriz, Soldado.

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-4-2
Line up: Guaita; Miguel, Stankevicious, R. Costa, Mathieu; Joaquin, Topal, Banega, Pablo, Soldado, Aduriz.
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the right wing, low defensive line, medium opposing team pressure.
The biggest change in tactics would be the defensive line and in this match it will be set to low in order to tighten up the defense and allow the defensive midfielder to fall back faster and be able to more effectively break up opposition attacks. With Vicente and Mata injured, Pablo is probably going to play on the left wing, but he will also be free to roam the field in attack and at times even play as a creative midfielder just behind the attackers.

Result prediction:
Racing Santander 0-2 Valencia CF
I can see Valencia CF winning this match and anything less will be considered a failure, especially since Racing is fighting for survival. If Valencia is able to play good football with good ball possession and iniciative I can see Valencia winning 2-0. Its not going to be easy though as seen from the past matches  and if Racing put enough pressure we may concede a goal.
Anyways I strongly believe will see a better game from Valencia and we should be able to win.

Official: Sofiane Feghuoli joins Almeria on a loan deal

Valencia have confirmed that Sofiane Feghouli has joined fellow Spanish Primera Division club Almeria on loan for the rest of the season.

Feghouli has made just three Liga appearances and played just once each in the Copa del Rey and in the Champions League.

The loan contract doesn't have any buy-option for Almeria.
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Brazilian striker Jonas from Gremio transfers to Valencia CF

While its still not official, the transfer can only fail if the player has failed his medical exam, so its a pretty done deal.

Brazilian striker Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira has signed for Valencia CF from Gremio for a fee of 1.2 million euros. Jonas signed a contract with Valencia that will have him stay in Valencia 4 and a half years, starting from this January. It seems that Valencia used the players low release clause of 1.2 million euros to snatch the player from Gremio and has also offered him a better salary of around 1.000.000 euros.

The player considered this his big chance and happily accepted the offer from Valencia CF.
If you ask me I'd say this is a very good deal at a bargain price for a good striker. If he settles well in Valencia and with the Spanish style of football he could become an important player for Valencia. Whatever the case at least now Valencia has 3 strikers and Valencia can play more often with the 4-4-2 formation as there would be no fears now of Aduriz or Soldado getting fatigued or injured.

How should Valencia CF improve its shortcomings?

I don't have the time to analyze the whole season for now, although I'm going to take the time in the future, but for now I'm just going to analyze the Malaga match and draw some conclusions on how to improve aspects of Valencia's game.

As you can read from the match report Valencia had a dreadful first half, was outplayed by a 10 men Malaga and they managed to score two goals.
In the second half things improved, but Malaga was still playing with a men down and 20 minutes later with only 9 men.

The main problem was in the first half and although Valencia received a goal in the second half with 2 men advantage it was more of a unlucky circumstances and individual mistakes.

When the match began the 2nd minute told me everything how this match is going to be played out. I lost the pre-match confidence and I knew we were going to be defending and tracking the ball, instead of dominating the game and setting the path of the game.

The weakest source was Valencia midfield as Tino Costa and Maduro failed to keep possession and regain possession when we lost the ball quickly.  The primary job of a defensive midfielder is to break opponents play by either winning the ball back and regain possession, or make a tackle with or without a foul to give the defense time to organize.
Maduro as a defensive midfielder failed miserably to do any of these things and all he did is mark opposition players, but without putting pressure on them or making strategic tackles. If you watch only Maduro's moves you'll easily see that his decisions were mostly wrong, depending on where he was on the field at the time of the decision he made.
For example tackling a player 25 meters from goal is considered bad, as he gives away a free kick to the opponent in a close and dangerous area. Another example would be not tackling the opposing player few meters after the half line on Valencia's side of the pitch.

The job of Alberto "Tino" Costa is to keep possession, pass the ball around and be available at all times to receive the ball, only in order to bring it back into circulation. In few occasions he can make a dribble or go to the wings to support the attacking players.
For example you don't see Xavi from Barcelona dribbling or going to the wings or making too many direct passes, because his job is to keep possession and circle the ball around so that other players can exploit a possible opening. He will sometimes put a through ball from the center or make a cross when there is a real chance to make an assist or threaten the opposition goal.

Tino Costa did everything wrong and everything he is not supposed to do. He made several inaccurate passes, dribbled too much and often went to the left wing to support the attacking players when he just shouldn't have, as this created huge space in the middle for Malaga to exploit.

When Malaga was one man down is the prime example of Tino's wrong moves, as instead of Valencia gaining possession, Malaga was still the team with more possession and constantly attacking.

Tino Costa is by nature a more attacking midfielder or AM, as he can dribble, shift position and make a dangerous pass. He is not a natural deep laying midfielder or a playmaker and this is really exposed in matches where the opponent tries to control the ball and this is why Valencia loose possession.

Banega is a player suited for the playmaker role from a deep laying midfield position as he spreads the ball around, makes himself available to receive the ball back and then passes the ball again. There are moments when he will dribble or push forward, but usually he keeps his position back in the midfield and this is why it works for him.
Last season with an experienced and great defensive midfielder like Albelda who can break up opponents play, make a foul at the right time it worked so good. Even if Banega was out of position on rare occasions and Valencia lost the ball, Albelda was there to intercept and make the right move to cripple and stop the opponents.

What works and what doesn't work?

Of course Tino has been generally playing well this season and this is because weaker teams or teams who don't try to control the ball and attack on the counter, his shortcomings are not exposed and he can in those matches make a move or a pass that has a positive result.

Another disadvantage is that Valencia lack a true leader on the pitch. While Miguel and Joaquin may be a captains they lack the leadership skills that Albelda has. Even Vicente lack those skills and the two players that have these leadership skills are Cezar and Albelda.

If you watch matches when Cezar was on goal you can see that the defense is a lot more stable and calm. They don't do stupid mistakes, don't get disorganized, because they know they can fall back to a stable and reliable leader on the goal. This is what our current young goalkeeper Guaita lacks and he probably won't have until he is 32 years of age.

Albelda is the other example case. With him as a defensive cover the defense is again much calmer and stable, as they know that in front of them in an experienced leader that is going to make the right move to help out the defense.

Leading the way!

With Albelda and Cezar injured there is absolutely no leader on the pitch and what Valencia this season lack also from the previous one is a top, top player like Villa was. David Villa was so good that people relied upon him to make a miracle and score a goal, saving Valencia from a defeat or a draw and Villa was actually more than capable of doing such things. He will move from the left wing towards the opponents goal, dribble past two defenders and score a goal from a 90 degree angle.

Right now neither Aduriz or Soldado are capable of such feats and in the whole squad there isn't a top player that adds and shares that aura of greatness that players will feel.

What Valencia is trying to do is positive and its a future project of bringing young and talented players to the squad, but its also the case Arsenal for example have won the title so little, apart from the two seasons where they absolutely dominated in the Premier League. Also don't forget that at that time they also had Denis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Vieira.

What is the best formation and which are the best working players together?

Every team that wants to be a competitor for a title must have these experienced and leader material players to fight for top honors. Valencia right not only has Albelda and Cezar and when the season is over its possible it will loose both.
With no top player also its even more crippled and there is always that sense of vulnerability.

So what can we conclude out of all this? Well we can conclude that Valencia needs Albelda and Cezar back, even if they are only on the bench or training sessions and Valencia need to buy or create a top player to share his aura of greatness around the squad.

Who is the leader?

Valencia also need starting eleven players that are going to work great together, players that can cover each others weaknesses and shortcomings. For example you need a player that can keep possession to cover for Tino's shortcomings, you need a solid defensive midfielder than can cover for Banega's shortcomings and so on...

You need a team of great mixture of strengths to cover for the apparent weaknesses. This is of course the job of the coach to find the "perfect" starting eleven and players that work best when fielded together.

Of course such starting eleven may need a formation change and those don't change easily as we've already seen how formation changes are devastating to the performance of Valencia. This is why a formation change needs to be smooth and gradual, especially at mid season.

Valencia has a weaker defense, so make sure you cover it with great possession football play and a stable defensive midfielder that can really help out in troublesome situations. I don't have the perfect formation since I only see the team play on official matches and I'm not in all those training sessions, but Unai emery must look deeper than before and find out exactly which players and where are most efficient.

Can the team work like a well oiled machine?