PSV Eindhoven 0-2 Valencia CF Match Report

Great game to watch, not the most entertaining, but considering it was the first match after last season it was pretty good. Valencia CF also won the match 2-0 and considering that PSV has started their preseason sooner and has already played few matches its looking good.

First half was decent we didn't have some beautiful play and the chances were rare, but the defense seems very good with all of the players performing admirably, even though it wasn't like they were tested too much or too hard. I like Bruno and Alba defending, I think Rami was a bit nervous and Pardo did actually very well.

Topal did well especially defensivelly, but Maduro was nowhere to be seen and he was the worst player on the field today.

Anyways the first half ended 0-0 with similar possession and chances for both teams.

The second half was a whole new starting eleven with new player Piatti starting for the first time. The second half was much more dynamic and interesting with good chances on both sides. Piatti was causing all sorts of troubles on the left for the PSV defense and he was really standing out. The first goal also came from Piatti after an Aduriz assist.

Feghuoli was playing quite poorly for much of the match, but then in the 78th minute he made a great move to get away from a defender and cross the ball to Aduriz who headed the ball into the net. It was 2-0 for Valencia CF.

Overall it was an encouraging first preseason match which we won 2-0 against a difficult opponent. Pablo Piatti really impressed me, Jordi Alba and Miguel Brito also impressed me, as did Pardo who looked really assured in defense. The players that really disappointed me were Pablo Hernandez and Hedwiges Maduro.

Technical Details:
PSV (0): Isaksson, Manolev, Marcelo, Strootman, Toivonen, Engelaar, Wijnaldum, Lens, Mertens, Tamata, Labyad.

Valencia CF (2): Diego(45min Guaita), Bruno(45min Burno), Rami(45min Costa), Pardo(45min Dealbert), Alba(45min Mathieu); Topal(45min Albelda), Maduro(45min Pardo); Pablo(45min Feghuoli), Jonas(45min Nacho), Bernat(45min Piatti); Soldado(45min Aduriz).

Goals: 68th min. 1-0, Pablo Piatti; 78th min. 2-0, Aritz Aduriz.

Player Ratings:
Diego 5 - Had absolutelly nothing to do.
Bruno 5.5 - Made few decent runs forward and solid defensivelly.
Rami 5 - Was a bit reserved, but its his first match so no big deal.
Pardo 5.5 - Did a good job defensively, very active.
Alba 5.5 - Had a very good save in the middle of the first half, not much going forward though.
Topal 5 - Not very influential in the middle, provided good cover back though.
Maduro 4 - Apart from 3-4 touches with the ball nowhere to be seen.
Pablo 5 - Few runs on the right and the left, had a shot on goal but way off target, didn't acomplish much.
Jonas 5 - Made a wonderful assist to Soldado, made himself available, but could not dictate the game.
Bernat 5 - Had a few runs on the left, but nothing really worthy. 
Soldado 5 - Had one shot at goal from a Jonas assist, but failed to covert in into goal. Had one or two more runs, but was not threatening.
Subs:
Guaita 5.5 - Made a few minor saves, very focused.
Miguel 6 - Great game by Miguel, amazing attacking play and defended very well.
Costa 5 - Wasn't challenged much, kept things simple.
Dealbert 5.5 - Quite confident in his passing and made a few good tackles.
Mathieu 5 - Decent performance.
Albelda 5 - Wasn't very influential, mostly defended.
Portu 5 - Better than Maduro, but often times keeps the ball too long and looses it.
Feghuoli 6 - Player poorly until that amazing cross to Aduriz for the second goal. Had one more decent pass after that.
Nacho 5.5 - Quite active in the beginning and had a shot just wide off goal, went missing in the later stages.
Piatti 6.5 - Very good first match for Piatti, lightning fast on the left, caused much trouble to the PSV defenders and scored a goal.
Aduriz 7 - Had an assist for the first goal, although it was more of a lucky rebound actually, but then scored a goal from a Feghuoli cross.

PSV Eindhoven vs Valencia CF match preview

Valencia CF first preseason match starts tomorrow - 19.July.2011 at 18:30pm in Austria and will be against Dutch 3rd place finisher from last season PSV Eindhoven.
Both clubs have started the training sessions at similar times, although PSV started their preseason matches earlier and have already played some matches and are likely more sharp.

PSV Eindhoven is a club with rich history and while its usually overshadowed by the likes of Ajax its one of the best teams in the Dutch league and has produced a lot of great footballing names like Jaap Stam, Phillip Cocu, Ruud Van Nistelroy, Mark Van Bommel, Ajren Robben and so on... The team has got a very long and rich history, it was founded in 31 August 1913.

Last season PSV finished 3rd behind the likes of FC Twente and AFC Ajax, but this allows them to be in the Europa League play-offs. More recently PSV played a friendly against Turkish team Bursaspor (the team that Valencia CF destroyed last season in the champions league) and managed a 1-1 draw with them. Before that PSV had a narrow 2-1 win over FC Eindhoven.

PSV Eindhoven squad:
Isaksson, Cássio Ramos, Sinouh, Manolev, Bouma, Marcelo, Pieters, Strootman, Toivonen, Engelaar, Wijnaldum, Lens, Mertens, Ibrahim, Tamata, Zeefuik, Labyad, Ojo, Bakkal, Ritzmaier, Mokhtar, Najah and Addo. Bourdouxhe is doubtful for the trip to Austria.

Valencia CF is a club with rich history as well, but I'm not going to talk about that here. Valencia CF has started the preseason very well. The first training session consisted of very light workouts and mini medical exam, it was basically a nice way to warm up for the real deal. After few training sessions twice in a day the squad was fully medically tested from cardiovascular testing to physical testing, it was all there.

Since then the team has had more double training sessions a day in order for the players to recover their fitness and form quickly. There has also been some fun training sessions like going out to the beach and kayaking.

The last few days the team has also been working real hard on the defense. Valencia CF coach Unai Emery has been implementing new defending techniques and tactics in the hopes that this season the defense will be drastically improved.

This is going to be Valencia's first match in the preseason and the first chance for all the fans to see the new and old players in action. In case you miss the match or can't watch it, don't worry as I'll be writing reviews of all the preseason matches.

The only absences from the team right now are Juan Mata and Ever Banega as Juan Mata has an extended vacation due to being with the Spain U-21 squad, while Banega is still in Argentina, although they didn't go through to the semi-final, he is going to still have an extended vacation because he participated in the Copa America. Juan Mata is going to join the team on the 22nd this month though.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Guaita, Diego Alves and Adrián.
Defense: Miguel, Bruno, Dealbert, R.Costa, Rami, Pardo, Jordi Alba, Mathieu and Salva Ruiz.
Midfield: Maduro, Tino Costa, Albelda, Nacho González, Topal, Feghouli, Juan Bernat, Pablo, Portu, Piatti and Parejo.
Attack: Jonas, Aduriz and Soldado.

Technical Details:
Formation: Have no idea, this is the first match and we'll see how Emery goes with this, if I had to make an educated guess I think he is going to start with a 4-3-3 formation and see how it goes from there.
Line-up: Diego; Bruno, Rami, Dealbert, Alba; Topal. Tino, Feghuoli, Piatti, Jonas; Aduriz.
Tactics: We'll see how the new defensive tactics Emery has been teaching work out.

Valencia CF in financial trouble

Ladies and gentlemen Valencia CF is in a world of hurt with only 24.000 season tickets sold in 6 weeks and with only 6 days remaining till the season ticket sales close its looking very grim for Valencia CF.

Last year Valencia CF sold 42.500 season tickets and the plan for Llorente was to sell just as much this season, but that number is now like a dream.

This is a terrible fact considering that Valencia CF reduced the season tickets prices for this season and spend a lot of money on advertising campaigns to get people to buy the tickets. So far it seems nothing has worked and its looking very unlikely that Valencia CF will reach 40.000 season tickets.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, basically Spain is bankrupt and in big financial troubles, with protests and strikes every day. Years of government corruption and stealing in Spain has lead slowly but surely to the financial collapse of the country. Hopefully the people will get their country back, prosecute the criminals and fix their financial troubles.

Dealbert last year with Valencia CF

Angel Dealbert had a press conference in the City of Paterna and talked about the coming 2011/12 season. He said this season is very important to him.

For me it is a very important year. I continue in Valencia CF and what I have to do is compete, fight, work hard and be there when the coach requires. It's my last year and it really is a very important year for me. I need to get it right, play as much as possible and must be both mentally and physically ready when required by the coach" he commented.

Dealbert also said "we should not think individually," as he believes that if Valencia is doing well, its going to be well for him also, "If targets are achieved, it will be fine for me too," he added.

He said that Unai Emery's objective this season is to improve over the previous season and be competiting and fighting really hard in all 3 competitions.

Dealbert said that the most important thing for him is to do well in the upcoming friendly matches and follow the tactics the coach has set in place in the training sessions.

He also spoke about the new arrivals and his defensive partner Adil Rami: "Adil Rami is different. He is new, coming off from a victory in the French league and Lille and has to adapt quickly, as this is another league," said Dealbert, who added that Rami is "a guy with a good sense of humor, something that is fundamental."

Nice interview by Dealbert, he seems humble, but ready to work hard and impress this season. I like his attitude.

Official Valencia CF preseason squad

Valencia CF coach Unai Emery after the last training session in Valencia announced which players will travel to Austria and there are a few surprises here, positive if I may so so.

The only two players that are missing are Juan Mata who has an extended vacation duo playing in the U-21 and Ever Banega who is currently in Argentina for the Copa America. Juan Mata will join the team on 22.07.2011.

The positive and surprising inclusions are the youth players who now count to 5 and Nacho Gonzales.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Guaita, Diego Alves and Adrián.
Defense: Miguel, Bruno, Dealbert, R.Costa, Rami, Pardo, Jordi Alba, Mathieu and Salva Ruiz.
Midfield: Maduro, Tino Costa, Albelda, Nacho González, Topal, Feghouli, Juan Bernat, Pablo, Portu, Piatti and Parejo.
Attack: Jonas, Aduriz and Soldado.

Tino Costa interview

Valencia has become a routine after yesterday's day of leisure on the beach, the team has again been divided into two groups, different from other days, who have done the same training session with more than one hour apart.

The players of Valencia have spent an hour in the gym, after which they have come on the field and have practiced, divided between offense and defense drills and output pressure of the ball.

Unai Emery, Valencia coach, has had all players available for the first team, in addition to the four homegrown players in the preseason and regular with the presence of a third goalkeeper, goalkeeper Adrian Junior B Lluna.

The group will train this afternoon, at 19.15 at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna, in the penultimate training session before being moved to concentration in Austria.

Tino Costa, Valencia's Argentine footballer, has stressed that, after achieving the goal of the third in the league last season, "the results will help Unai Emery feel more confident and try more things."

"Keep on the same line of work, I still want to progress every day, the objective remains the same. We continue with the same confidence, last year was very good and now we have more mutual respect. " he detailed.

Tino Costa who has recently returned to training with the group after taking several days recovering from a sore ankle, acknowledged a sprain injury but said, "it was nothing serious."

"Every year I get different objectives to keep improving and progressing in my career. I have returned to pre-season looking forward, with the same self or stronger than last year, the club and myself demand more this season, "said the player.

Costa has described last season, his first season at the club as "year of adaptation to different football," but stressed that he has working hard "every training" to improve "details" that saved him.

The player has stated that upon arrival to the team a year ago, he was told "that he had been one of the two best players," something that has been used to emphasize that "the players who came with great desire" and that the team " is working well, calm and with clear objectives."

Tino Costa admitted that the team "needs to improve a lot" from last season, and has recollected the knockout in the second round of the Champions League against Schalke 04 in Germany.

"The team the way that played against Schalke is something that needs to be improved in order to fight" in full "in all competitions," he stressed.

Valencia has reviewed the situation of some of his countrymen to the side, as the newcomer Pablo Piatti,  on who he said that "its very clear where he arrived and he knows that the demands are more than in Almeria."

On Ever Banega, who currently plays in Copa America with Argentina, Tino Costa stated his desire for Ever to remain at the club, but admitted that "if he has to go," I will support him.

"We became good friends on and off the pitch and I would like him to stay because we are friends, but if he has to go, I'll be with him to support him and wish him good luck," he said.

"I speak every day with and him is very quiet, he had to leave in the worst moment, the team of Colombia for example was more difficult than that of Costa Rica."

Tino Costa also pointed to 'Chori' Dominguez, the player who has left Valencia to play on loan at River Plate in a "personal decision" that Valencia accepted because Chori Dominguez "wants to feel important and add minutes" and be "big in Argentina."

Valencia CF fun summer training session

As I've reported a lot of times I really like these summer training sessions where the players get to do some interesting and out of the ordinary stuff, all the while while training. For example previously Unai Emery has taken the team on a snowy mountain resort to ski and stuff in the winter and in the summer he has taken the team in mountains hiking, bike riding and other fun activities, he has also lead the team on the beach few times.

No wonder why Valencia CF have really started the last 3 seasons very strongly in the beginning, even though their form drops after 6-7 matches.