Valencia CF 0-1 Rayo Vallecano Match Report

Strike 6 for the referees this season. I'm starting to think it isn't a conspiracy against us, rather a curse from hell. At least two Rayo Vallecano players deserved red cards and at least one penalty for Valencia CF as well. Soldado was choke-slammed to the ground and the referee said play on. In the first half Feghuoli was fouled by Piti after he was on a yellow and what should have been even a straight red in many cases, tonight for this excuse of a referee it wasn't even a yellow.

As far as the real match is concerned it was a rather dull encounter, with both teams fighting in the middle of the park with Valencia CF overall having a few more chances, though nothing concrete that should have been a clear goal. Rayo Vallecano barely threatened towards Valencia goal and only had one dangerous shot that Diego saved. So while Valencia CF wasn't at its best, Rayo didn't deserve to win and until the penalty barely had one chance and just 3 shots on goal if I'm not mistaken.

Valencia CF play in the first half was rather mediocre with Tino Costa and Ever Banega failing to work together and allowing Rayo Vallecano to keep the ball in their feet, while Ever Banega and Tino Costa were too quick to spread the ball forward, not remembering to slow down and circle the ball and have build-up. The team looks so much better with Albelda on and I have a feeling we'd be seeing a lot more of him in the coming matches. Whether its the security he provides that the team is able to play more relaxed or the experience or a combination of things, he can somehow magically improve the whole team play.

Valencias play did improve in the second half after Parejo came in for Jonas and Valencia CF started controlling the match more, the team also had few good chances with shots from Soldado, Jonas, Tino and others. Soldado also had a good penalty claim as the was slammed to the ground with a choke move, but the foot of a referee allowed the play to continue, only to destroy the game towards the end by giving a non existent penalty for what would be seen in England as ballet, heck in Italy, Germany, you name it would be seen as ballet on eggs. I mean you might as well whistle if a feather touches a player.

I've got to say that since the season started I haven't liked Jonas at all. Apart from the first three games he has been bellow average and just hasn't contributed too much to the team. Feghuoli has also been hot and cold and today was very, very cold. I mean he might as well not play in these situations as he is more of a liability than anything else.

I also don't know why Piatti was substituted in the second half, rather than Jonas. He wasn't too visible on the left, but he did have few sprints that were dangerous, in fact he even had a good sprint alone towards the goal ruled offside, even though he was at least a meter back from the last Rayo defender. So overall just terrible refereeing at the expense of Valencia CF.

Technical Details:
Valencia CF  (0): Diego Alves; Barragán, Rami (Cissokho, min.74’), Ricardo Costa, Guardado; Tino Costa, Éver; Feghouli, Jonas (Bernat, min.65’), Piatti (Parejo, min. 45’); Soldado.
Rayo Vallecano (1): Cobeño (Rubén, min.68’); Tito (Nacho, min.76’), Gálvez (Lass, min. 66’), Amat, Casado; Adrián, Trashorras; Vázquez, Chori Domínguez, Piti; Leo.
Goals: 0-1 Min 83’, Chori Domínguez (p.).

Player Ratings:
Diego 6 - Dealt with what little came his way, as a penalty specialist he really hasn't looked decent on penalties.
Barragan 6.5 - Good defensive display with great offensive forays, providing several good crosses.
Rami 6.5 - Dealth with the Rayo threat effectively and marshaled Chori most of the time.
R. Costa 6 - Didn't have much to deal with, though covered wel for Guardado on the left side when needed.
Guardado 6 - Good defensive display, though not great as he was beaten on a few occasions. Failed to provide much support going forward.
Tino Costa 5 - Did well in midfield and dropped deep to take and ball and move it forward, though failing to link up good with Ever. Guilty for committing a ballet move that was deemed foul by the referee.
Banega 5.5 - Partially better than Tino Costa, but lost way too many balls and too quick to try an outrageous pass which is why he had too many lost balls.
Feghuoli 5.5 - Somewhat involved in the first half, though spend more time falling and complaining than running and creating chances.
Jonas 5 - Had one terrible shot way above then goal early on and then a little better shot that just missed. Apart from those two shots, limited performance.
Piatti 5 - Wasn't involved in the play too much and cut out from the rest of the team. The best try he had was deemed offside and the chance was destroyed.
Soldado 5 - Subdued performance by the striker and looked lethargic for most of the match. Was fouled in the penalty area, but the referee didn't give a penalty.
Subs:
Parejo 5.5 - The play improved with his coming off as he added a much needed stability in the midfield, but wasn't too involved individually in the creation of the play or chances.
Bernat 5 - Failed to provide the penetration on the left, just as Piatti and Jonas failed before him.
Cissokho N/A - Not enough time.

Valencia CF vs Rayo Vallecano Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Rayo Vallecano Match Preview

Stadium: Mestalla

Date: 16.12.2012; 17:00 CET

16th matchday, La Liga

Coaches: Ernesto Valverde and Paco Jémez

Valencia CF

Valencia CF is coming to this match after three consecutive wins, all three is three different competitions and all three at away matches. So 3 wins, at 3 competitions, 3 away matches. New Valencia CF coach Ernesto Valverde couldn't have hoped for a better start to his coaching career at Valencia, though he now faces the always tricky Rayo Vallecano and the team is playing on home terrain. 

Ernesto Valverde said that he expects Rayo Vallecano to play openly and go for the 3 points, he said that they are a tough opponents and are especially dangerous on counter attacks. He said this would be important match for him as he debuts for the first time to the home crowd and that he wants and expects a win for Valencia CF.

In the last 2 matches Valverde played with a 4-3-3 formation, that started as 4-2-3-1, but transformed to 4-3-3 and that is how the team played for most of the time. He has also given David Albelda the starting position and this has worked wonders as he is able to shield the defense very well, thus allowing for more attack minded players like Banega, Tino and even Parejo to play more securely and openly higher up the pitch. This has also enabled for an increased presence of Valencia in the opponents third and the ability to have good build-up play, creating more chances. Valverde has also rotated the squad to a fair extent, giving playing time to Tino, Banega, Parejo, Gago, Albelda, Piatti, Feghuoli, Viera, Bernat, Jonas and Soldado. So a fairly large number of players have played in the last two matches.

I'm expecting the same formation against Rayo Vallecano, though I'm really curious which players he is going to start. He has had now time to asses the players from the 3 matches under him and then in the training sessions and figure out who is better and who is in better form and see their attitudes and game styles. He is also a very experienced coach and unlike Pellegrino, he is more likely to make a better call just from experience. I got to say I'm really looking forward to this match and I'm genuinely excited to see Valencia play, something that I couldn't say for the last 2/3 months.

Ernesto Valverde has selected pretty much all fit players to the squad, leaving the injured or recovering players like Jeremy Mathieu, Gago, Canales, Valdez and Ruiz.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Guaita.
Defenders: Barragan, Joao Pereira, Ricardo Costa, Rami, Cissokho.
Midfielders: Albelda, Parejo, Éver, T.Costa, Viera, Guardado, Bernat, Feghouli, Piatti.
Attack: Jonas, Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-3-3
Line-up: Diego; Barragan, Rami, R. Costa, Cissokho; Albelda, Tino Costa, Banega; Feghuoli, Soldado, Guardado.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, mostly center play.

David Villa back to Valencia CF?

Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente publicly announced few days ago and said its not a secret that he would like to see David Villa back in Valencia CF and that if there is a chance for that he will work towards that goal.

Well there is a big chance that David Villa might return to Valencia as several reports says that he is in bad relationship with Lionel Messi and the new coach Tito Villanova who hasn't been playing Villa much since his return and its said that he is out of favor and second to even Tello and Sanchez.

He is considering leaving Barcelona FC in the summer and Valencia CF could be his potential destination, of course if Juventus don't get in competition of his signature, which depends if they are going to find a new striker in the winter transfer season.

Apart from that David Villa would earn a lot less in Valencia CF than in Barcelona FC and that could be a problem. Llorente sees bringing David Villa to Valencia CF as a good political move so that he can be reelected president and as a perfect replacement for Jonas who is likely to leave in the summer, possibly even in the winter transfer if good offers come for him.

CA Osasuna vs Valencia CF Match Preview

For those out of the loop wondering why I'm writing a preview for Osasuna vs Valencia CF again when the teams played last weekend, the answer is the clubs meet again this time in the Copa Del Rey.

Last match in the Spanish league Valencia CF were able to win 1-0 over Osasuna and achieve their first win in an away match this season and that was Valencias new coach Ernesto Valverde first win as well.

If you've read my match report you would have found out that the team played good football and were in control of proceedings for most of the match and unlike some of the teams previous matches they were able to create quite few chances and opportunities, which unluckily weren't converted.

Since then Valverde has had several training sessions with the team and would be in a better position to translate what the wants and expects of the team, though he has made it clear in his interviews that he wants attacking football and for Valencia CF to always go for the win. We'll see how that translates on the terrain, but I'd be very happy if I see the team playing good attacking football and especially winning with it.

Since the last match Valencia has had few injuries pop up, such as Gago who spend a total of two minutes in last match before getting injured and hes been ruled out for a month, Ruiz as you probably already know is also out for a month of close to it, while Joao Pereira is still recovering as well, though he should be available within a week. Vicente Guaita has also complained about an injury, though he may be ready to play.

So with that in mind, Valverde has been forced to bring in some more players in the squad and send some home and chance have gotten Quiantilla and Gaya from the B team. Valverde said in the press conference that he is going to change up the squad a little and he is likely to rest Ricardo Costa and Soldado and give other players a chance.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Guaita; Barragan, Rami, Quiantilla, Cissokho; Albelda, Tino Costa; Piatti, Banega, Bernat; Jonas.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, mostly wing crosses.

CA Osasuna 0-1 Valencia CF Match Report

Valencia CF just recorded its first away win this season in what was a very interesting match and a great start to the coaching position for Ernesto Valverde who records his first win with Valencia CF, hopefully just one of many, many, many more.

While no one was expecting miracles and we certainly didn't get them, the team overall played much better, much improved than over our several last matches, in fact so much so that we had several chances in the first half and few good chances in the second half as well.

Valencia CF mostly controlled the match in the first half, though it was a close back and forth game and neither team were able to overpower the other team. Adil Rami started the match with his mind some place else, making two big blunders one after another and was lucky to escape unpunished, but he soon collected his thoughts and improved in his game.

Valencia CF have obviously missed David Albelda in the previous matches with Pellegrino in charge as today and even last match against Lille it was really obvious that we had a holding midfielder. In fact based just on the last 2 games I'd say he should probably get one more year contract extension as he is clearly still capable and able to do his job. He broke up countless Osasuna attacks and shielded the defense perfectly.

Ricardo Costa was also on point from the start making few crucial interceptions and blocks in the middle of the park and was generally solid throughout the match. Barragan was also having a good match, bombing forward on every occasion and linking up well with Piatti and Ever Banega.

The team has several chances in the first half, two decent chances for Soldado who did make good runs, but was just inaccurate  placing one shot for example wide and above while one on one with the goalkeeper, though the position was pretty wide and hard to shoot from.  Feghuoli also found himself with two decent chances, but he was slow to react and didn't do much, though he had a pass to Tino Costa who was in a good position and shot towards goal, but it went wide.

The biggest problem in the first half was that Feghuoli was playing at left wing, though he kept coming and playing in the center and right wing and was overcrowding that space there, while there wasn't anyone on the left to penetrate from that side.

Ever Banega also had a good match, providing some good passes and moving the ball forward and spreading it out well, though he did have several misplaced passes as Osasuna were pressing hard and had a high defensive line, quickly closing down Valencia CF players.

Second half started and Osasuna did improve a little, showing more initiative, though similarly to the first half most of the match was played in the middle of the park with many mistakes on both sides and play in the air.

Ultimately Tino Costa would start a good action, releasing Pablo Piatti on the left side, who switched positions with Feghuoli and even though his cross was actually terrible for Soldado it did hit the post and the rebound found its way to Soldado who was quick to react and score a goal. It wasn't the best of chances, but I'm sure everyone will take it.

Osasuna did get more organized towards the middle and late of the second half, mounting counter initiative and started controlling most of the possession, though Valencia was playing high pressure football as well, closing down the Osasuna players fast and Albelda was in superb mode, blocking several buildups and counters from occurring.

Osasuna players would have one good chance to score somewhere around the 70th minute, when I believe Puñal shot, but Diego Alves was aware and reacted well, blocking the ball from going into the net with a powerful parade.

In the meantime Valencia CF coach Ernesto Valverde made few changes, bringing in Viera for Piatti, though this would turn out a bad move as Viera was rather quiet and inefficient. Later on he would bring on Gago for Ever Banega, but Gago instantly got injured and was forced off just 2 minutes after he came in and Daniel Parejo took his place.

Towards the final whistle both teams had good chances to score, though neither would be able to. Valencia CF specifically missed two rather good chances, first one Soldado shooting and Fernandez saving, the rebound went to Feghuoli, but it was deemed that he was offside and the second one yet again a chance by Soldado.

Overall it was a very good first match and a great, positive start for Valencia CF new coach Ernesto Valverde and I hope he will have a great time with Valencia CF and move the team in the right direction and have us fighting for Champions League position once again.

Technical Details:
CA Osasuna (0): Andrés Fernández, Flaño (Lolo, min. 46), Echaide (Cejudo, min. 60), Armenteros, Puñal, Llorente (Onwu, min.67), Arribas, Oier, Lamah, Raoul Loé y Damià.
Valencia CF (1): Diego Alves, Rami, Albelda, Feghouli, Soldado, Éver (Gago, min. 77, Dani Parejo, min. 83), Piatti (Viera, min. 58), Barragán, Guardado, Ricardo Costa y Tino Costa.
Goals: 0-1 54min, Soldado.

Player Ratings:
Diego Alves 6 - Didn't have too much work, but he was stretched once and made a great save. Did well in the air as well, though this time he really lacked accuracy in his kicks, giving the ball away with poor shots.
Barragan 6.5 - Defended well and bomber forward at every opportunity, combining well in the first half with Piatti and providing few decent crosses and passes in the penalty area.
Rami 6 - Awful start and lucky he didn't gave away a goal, by making 2 suspect decisions and passes. Improved soon after and ended on a good note, winning most of the air duels.
R. Costa 6.5 - Very secure from the start, made few blocks at the middle of the park and generally dealt with everything that came his way.
Guardado 5.5 -Secure defensive display, was let down by the forward players few times, though didn't do much going forward, although he lacked a left winger on his side for most of the match.
Albelda 7.5 - Rock solid sitting deep and blocking many of Osasuna attacks. Mopped up in the middle and quickly played the ball to the more forward midfielders.
Tino Costa 6.5 - Very active and put a lot of pressure on Osasuna players, generally being a thorn in their sight. Wasn't very active on the ball, though he did have some defense splitting passes and he started the chance that lead to the goal by releasing Piatti.
Feghuoli 5.5 - Found himself in good positions and had some good chances to either score or provide an assist, but failed to do so. Was active in the first half, but he was rather invisible in the second half and even though still had some decent chances he lacked the final ball.
Banega 6.5 - Had several misplaced passes in what was a slower start, but improved as the game went on and brought the ball from the back forward, making some good passes and interceptions as well. Generally a good game.
Piatti 6.5 - Was very active in the first and second half, always a willing runner and this payed off when his cross-shot-lucky ball hit the post and rebounded to Soldado who scored.
Soldado 7 - Made several good runs and had few shots on goal, failed to find the back of the net from at least 2 good positions and one decent one, but he did ultimately score.
Subs:
Viera 4 - Completely invisible since coming on, failing to do anything really.
Gago N/A - Got injured within 2 minutes of his arrival on the pitch.
Parejo N/A - Didn't have much time to influence the game.

CA Osasuna vs Valencia CF Match Preview

Valencia CF is going to have its first match under the new coach Ernesto Valverde and as I've already said I don't expect miracles. The team made a step forward with the Champions League win over Lille, but while Valencia CF controlled the match in the first half and was the better team, the second half belonged to Lille and we were lucky to escape with the victory, thanks in part to Guaita who made several great saves. The point I'm trying to make here is that Valencia CF barely created few chances the whole match and in fact I think Valencia only had 2 shots on goal the whole match, that is just absolutely unacceptable.

Ernesto Valverde has only had 2 training sessions with the team and the first one was mostly talking to the team and getting to know them, while the second more technical, but whether its a win, loss or draw today it won't be Velverde's result, in fact I expect to see only some minimal changes next week and then bigger changes and differences 2-3 weeks later or January to be more precise.

CA Osasuna have been rather good this season and have had some very good results recently, and they are one of the toughest teams to play on their home terrain, so its going to be a very demanding and tough match today for Valencia CF, considering the form at away matches, on paper this looks like a certain loss for Valencia, but I'm hoping with the change of coaches it may had destroyed that mental barrier that "we can't win at away matches".

As far as injuries go Joao Pereira has been left out of the squad, so has Cissokho and I have no clue if he is injured or not, possibly just tired I suppose as he has been playing pretty much all of the matches from Spanish League games to Champions League games. In fact our defensive line is very thin as Ruiz is also injured, he got injured in the last match against Lille and he will be out for 2 weeks, so that leaves Valencia with only 2 central defenders until January and possibly longer.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Alves, Guaita, Felipe Ramos.
Defenders: Barragan, Ricardo Costa, Rami, Gaya.
Midfielders: Albelda, Gago, Parejo, Éver, T.Costa, Viera,  Guardado, Bernat, Feghouli.
Attack: Piatti, Jonas, Valdez, Soldado.

Technical Details Valencia CF (probable setups):
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line-up: Guaita; Barragan, Rami, R. Costa, Gaya; Gago, Tino Costa; Feghuoli, Jonas, Guardado; Soldado.
Tactics: High defensive line, own half pressure, mixed passing, mostly wing crosses.

New Valencia Boss Understands the Challenges Ahead

Valencia's new boss Ernesto Valverde certainly has a tough challenge ahead of him but the new head of Valencia CF seems to be ready for the task ahead.  His first order of business will be getting an underperforming squad to pull together as a team and play with more confidence.

Prior to joining Valencia, Valverde served stints at Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao, Olimpiakos, and Villareal.  He was presented to media on Monday at Mestalla and straight away he fielded questions ranging from squad discipline to whether he would be with the team long-term.

Valencia currently sits 12th in the Primera Division and the new coach admitted that taking on the team mid-season was going to be quite a challenge.  "It is the first time I have taken a team mid-season, I will be frank, I do not consider it easy," Valverde commented. "When you take a team in these circumstances it is because there is a crisis. The team is not top of the table and playing marvelously. So there is a rush to get some results. In that sense I accept the challenge. We will go for it."

One of his most important tasks will be finding a way to get his squad to perform.  Even captain Roberto Soldado admitted that the squad’s lack of results is the main reason that Mauricio Pellegrino was fired this past Saturday after a brief four month stint on the club.  It is said that he will need to have a firm hand with the squad should he wish to see better results.

On motivating the players, Valverde stated that "I have no doubt that I will find a group of young players who want to win games and be a team. There are objectives to fulfill and I understand that the players are professionals who owe something to this club and its fans. I will try and help them to work in the best way possible. About a 'firm hand' I do not have much to say."

Valverde would be wise to follow the example of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.  He has been known to have a firm hand with many of his players and always finds a way to make them perform.  His players are successes both on the football pitch and off the field.  In fact, Jonny Evans recently won a Manchester U charity event that benefited an Irish hospice.  Much of the discipline that Evans showed to win the event came at least indirectly from Ferguson's firm hand at United.  With the amount of firm guidance, a coach can get his players to perform.

Finally, the coach addressed rumors that he was only with the club for six months and that he would be going back to Athletic at the end of the year.  He shot down these rumors stating that "I signed for six months because that is what they offered me.  I have no problem, I am confident in my work and that over this time the team will show enough good things that I will continue more time here. The objective is to qualify for the Champions League. Maybe that is speaking long term at the moment. What I am most concerned about now is that the team plays with confidence."

The switch thus far has seemed to produce positive results.  Valencia won their last match in the Champions League group’s stage on Wednesday against OSC Lille.  Jonas scored the game's only goal off a penalty kick in the 36th minute.  Now the question will be whether the team can continue their momentum and salvage what has been a disappointing season thus far.