Valencia CF 4-2 Getafe CF Match Report

Valencia CF wins its first home match under Ernesto Valverde's control and after did so convincingly. The team looked a lot more attacking and it payed off as the goals started ramping up from the first minute with great offensive display and a lot of chances for Valencia CF, but still some issues in the middle of the park and defense.

The match started with Valencia CF scoring the first goal after just 45 seconds with Soldado opening the scoring from a Feghuoli assist from the wing. It was a fact action where Feghuoli was left alone and his cross found Soldado who scored easily.

Second goal came in the 7th minute, this time Jonas scoring from a Piatti assist. This was also a quick action where Piatti was running forward escaping his marker and his cross found Jonas who was able to score.

Just few minutes later though Getafe would reduce the lead to 2-1 with a goal from A. Vazquez. The goal came after a rather silly counter attack with Vazquez left unmarked and Diego Alves coming out way outside of goal, making it easier on Vazquez to find the back of the net.

The match would slow down in terms of goals from this moment on, though Valencia CF would continue pushing forward and pressing in the middle, while Getafe were more set on counter attacks from which they actually had few decent chances as there was lack of marking at the back, mostly due to Guardado being slow to fall back after going forward and Ricardo Costa failing to cover properly.

Anyways Valencia CF would have quite a bit chances as well, missing few opportunities, but ultimatelly scoring again in the 30th minute after a corner kick by Tino Costa in which Ricardo Costa was left unmarked and was able to head the ball into the net and make it 3-1 for Valencia CF.

Since the end of the first half Valencia CF would have few more chances, especially one after a Piatti pass where Jonas was almost alone on goal and was able to shoot, but Feghuoli moved into Jonas shot, deflecting the ball to go out. Rather poor vision and judgment there by Feghuoli, preventing what seemed like a certain goal. Overall a good first half, though some scares at the back as well, there is lots of room for improvement.

Second half started with Getafe CF being more aggressive, a little bit higher defensive and more pressing in the middle of the park which started causing Valencia CF problems, even though ball possession was still mostly in Valencia's favor. First attack of the second half for Valencia came in the 50th minute and after some circulation the ball was lost, though gained again in the middle where Soldado received the ball and released Jonas alone on goal, but his shot hit the post and bounced off of it outside of goal. This was a huge chance and one that should have sealed the deal.

Of course the unwritten rule where if one team missed a big chance a penalty would occur and the other side will score came true today as Getafe managed to score one more goal in the 59th minute through former Valencia CF defender Alexis out of all players after a corner kick for Getafe.

Valencia CF lost a lot of ground since that goal and was playing a lot weaker and fragile with Feghuoli showing signs of fatigue and barely even running. Valverde saw this and put in Banega instead of Feghuoli, converting to a 4-3-3 system with Jonas on the transforming on the wing. This change would not pay dividend and Valencia CF lost more ground to Getafe who were becoming more and more dangerous.

Valverde decided to react again and brought on Viera for Jonas to try and bring in more width and ball control back, though Viera would have some poor touches and ball control and clearly lacking match form, even though ultimately his introduction would pay off hugely.

Towards the end of the match it was mostly back and forth with play on the middle up to the third on both sides and a lot of dead ball situations with minimal opportunities and attacks on both sides. Valencia would cement the win though 3 minutes into stoppage time our of the 5 awarded when Banega rather luckily found Viera, after his shot missed Valdez which was meant for, but Viera was able to chip the ball over Moya and  back to Valdez who scored Valencia's 4th goal.

Technical Details:
Valencia CF  (4): Alves; Pereira, Rami, R. Costa, Guardado; Albelda, T. Costa; Feghouli (Éver, min.65'), Jonas (Viera, min. 75'), Piatti (Valdez, min. 89'); Soldado.
Getafe CF (2): Moyà; M. Torres, Alexis, Lopo, Mané (Rafa, min. 4'); Míchel (Gavilán, min.72'), Xavi Torres; Lafita, Barrada (Sarabia, min.75'), Diego Castro; Álvaro Vázquez.
Goals: 1-0 Min 1’, Soldado. 2-0 Min 7', Jonas. 2-1 Min 12', Álvaro. 3-1 Min 30', Ricardo Costa. 3-2 Min 60', Alexis. 4-2 Min 92', Valdez.

Player Ratings:
Diego 6.5 - Was very good tonight and had several great interventions which saved the goal, but partly at fault for the goal as he came way too forward from the goal and made it easier for Vazquez to score.
Joao Pereira 7 - Great evening for  the Portuguese who was rock solid at the back and a bullet at the front, providing several good crosses and passes, linking up well with Feghuoli as well as the midfield.
Rami 5 - Poor performance in this match and had trouble all night with Getafe attacks. His poor defending almost gifted Getafe 2 more goals if their attacks were better.
R. Costa 5.5 - Had a lot more work to do and thus had more interventions, but failed to cover well for Guardado and nowhere to be found on Getafe's first goal.
Guardado 6.5 - Bombarded forward all night and almost played as a second winger, though this had consequences at the back and left Valencia's defensive line rather exposed often. Improved defensively in the second half though and made few good interceptions.
Albelda 6.5 - Provided good cover for the defense and made several key interceptions stopping Getafe attacks in their tracks. Was a good outlet to receive the ball as well and circulate it to Tino or right.
Tino Costa 7 - Controlled possession for most of the match, providing some good accurate passes. Lots some fervor and control in the second half, but provided the assist for the third goal from his corner kick.
Feghuoli 5.5 - This was a hot and cold in one game for Feghuoli. Had the brightest starts possible by providing a great assist for Soldado in the 40th second, linked up well with Joao on the right and was rather useful in the first half. Second half though he blocked a shot from Jonas and got very fatigued being rather negative for the team.
Jonas 6.5 - Semi-good performance by Jonas, took his goal coolly and could have had a second if he wasn't denied by Feghuoli. Had two missed shots though and one was really terrible, missing some good opportunities.
Piatti 6.5 - Provided the assist to Jonas for the second goal and was very active all match until subbed. Linked up greatly with Guardado and was very dangerous from the left wing.
Soldado 6.5 - Found himself in the right position at the right time and score a goal 40 second in. Didn't have many opportunities himself later on, but released Jonas alone on goal with a great pass, unfortunately Jonas didn't covert.
Subs:
Banega 5.5 - Was rather ineffective and the play mostly passed him by, when he got the ball he usually lost it or made an inaccurate pass. One of those inaccurate passes found its way to Viera though and created the 4th goal.
Viera 6 - Provided the assist for the 4th goal and it was a super nice chip to lob the keeper and find Valdez. Before that had a rather poor touch and ball control, loosing the ball on few occasions.
Valdez 6 - Came in for about 5 minutes and scored a goal.

Valencia CF vs Getafe CF Match Preview

If you are reading this article that means the world hasn't ended yet and Valencia CF is facing Getafe CF tonight in what may possibly be Valencia's last match so they better win it. Jokes aside Valencia CF is facing Getafe CF in what would be the final match this year, with the next match being in the new 2013 year on January 5th.

The world being fine and still standing Valencia CF must win this match if they hope to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season and for that Valencia needs to catch up to Malaga and beat them for the 4th spot which seems so incredibly tough right now.

After a series of 3 wins in 3 different competitions new Valencia CF coach also had his first loss last week at the feet of Rayo Vallecano. He will be hoping that his second match at the Mestalla will be more fruitful and positive that will result in a win for Valencia CF over Getafe. The players also must start proving themselves and up their performance, as I'm afraid its not Llorente playing on the field and him leaving won't change the situation no matter how much Spanish fans dream it would. I'm here to tell you that it won't and if it will it probably will be for the worst.

Valencia CF needs stability and I'm afraid I'm not seeing any serious people out there that can take the horn from Llorente and steadily steer this fragile ship. Unicorns and fairies are also not real, so no one can just magically fix the situation or bring the best players and anyone who says that is lying and manipulating you, so you need to stop being naive and start being real.

For the match against Getafe Valverde can count on Victor Ruiz and Nelson Valdez again, while Rami is fine as well and in the squad for this match. Missing are Cissokho and Bernat for some reason, while Canales and Mathieu are still recovering from their long term injuries and practicing light fitness.

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

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

Valencia CF gets PSG in Champions League draw

The Champions League draw for the last 16 is over and Valencia CF got PSG as the opponent in the next round.

Valencia CF officials were hoping to get Schalke 04 as the opponents, as some deemed the easiest opposition, while Ricardo Costa wanted to get Schalke 04 in order to get a revenge for the loss against in the last 16 from 2 seasons ago. Either way PSG are not the best club and are still in the building stages so Valencia CF does have reasonable chances of winning.


Here are the full results:
Galatasaray A.S vs FC Schalke 04
Celtic FC vs Juventus
Arsenal FC vs FC Bayern Munich
FC Shaktar Donetsk vs Borussia Dortmund
A.C.Milan vs FC Barcelona
Real Madrid vs Manchester United FC
Valencia CF vs Paris Saint-Germain
FC Porto vs Malaga CF

Valencia CF trying to get Vitolo

Valencia CF have been interested in Víctor Machín Pérez Vitolo since this past summer and tried to get him in combination with Jonathan Viera from Las Palmas, but Las Palmas rejected the bid as they wanted to keep at least one of their two best players.

Now Valencia CF is interested in bringing him again in the January transfer market in order to strengthen the wings and as the perfect replacement for Feghuoli who will leave Valencia CF to play in the African cup of nations for Algeria.

Las Palmas president Miguel Ángel Ramírez muddied the waters though by saying that Valencia CF are the prime favorites to sign the player, but he would like to keep the player for the whole season and will only sell him next summer. Of course this isn't in Valencia CF interest and the club might get away from the race to sign Vitolo if they can't get him this winter.

Sofiane Feghuoli receives Golden Ball award

Valencia CF player Sofiane Feghuoli received the Ballon D'or equivalent of Algeria yesterday. He was chosen the best player for this year and was presented with the trophy by Johan Cruyff. This award is awarded by the biggest sports newspapers in Algeria El Heddaf and Le Buteur.

Sofiane Feghuoli was in contention against few other players, but ultimately managed to win with his good performances for club and country.

Isaac Cuenca to join Valencia CF?

Valencia CF is getting close to acquiring Isaac Cuenca from Barcelona FC as he is seen as the perfect reinforcement on the right wing. Valencia CF sporting director Braulio Vazquez is said to favor him as he will come at no cost, would strengthen competition on the right wing and deputize for Feghuoli who is going to leave for the African cup of nations and will be gone from the team for at least a month.

Braulio thinks he can also negotiate a purchase clause for Isaac Cuenca and for a small amount of money to be able to purchase Cuenca from Barcelona if he fits the bill here at Valencia CF.

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.