So here we are again, in eager anticipation of yet another action packed Spanish La Liga season which is on the cusp of beginning. And it promises to be an even more action packed, adrenaline pumping and much more enthralling than ever before. With the rising tides in Andalucia on the back of heavy investment from middle-east oil tycoon for Malaga, and Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal all making some bargain deals to improve on their squads, the competition in the league seems to be on the ascendency. But much like recent seasons and what has now almost become a norm, it is Valencia who pose a more realistic challenge than any of the above teams, to challenge the Barcelona-Real Madrid hegemony that has ruled the Spanish shores.
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And while it is anything but straight forward to combat the long established duopoly in Spain, this season is one of promise for Spain’s 3rd team- Valencia CF. And why not? For once they haven’t lost any of their key players to other continental clubs. That coupled with a string of some decidedly promising signings such as that of French International defender Adil Rami and Spanish sensations Dani Parejo and Sergio Canales amongst others, has surely ushered a sense of belief in their set of fans. The way to Valencia is only upwards.
The Prelude
Last season, the club finished as the ‘best of the rest’ in 3rd place in the league. The season was overall a fairly successful one for Valencia as they made it through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and also finished some way ahead of nearest competitors for 3rd and the final direct Champions League qualifications slot. And as a result of them not having to play early Champions League qualifiers, there has been a lot more room to maneuver around with their new signings in the pre-season friendlies to develop a better understanding within the team.
Valencia have strung together quite a few wins during their pre-season campaign with their senior-pro’s sharpening their skill and the new blokes settling into the team. Valencia comfortably beat PSV, Hamburg and Sporting Lisbon in their pre-season campaign and the defeat to Liverpool is a mere aberration from the norm that they’ve followed in their results. While, the pre-season is yet to be completed, the results until now have been generally positive for the club and as the new signings settle in, they’re only bound to improve.
Valencian New Boys
As is always the case, the new signings at any club shall be dissected and analyzed by all and sundry. Sticking to this old policy, here’s looking at some of their new signings:
1. Adil Rami-
The dominating French International defender was signed back in January window and is highly rated defender both for his defensive skill and his presence. Now first choice for France, Valencia fans would be hopeful he can be the rock at the back that they’ve missed ever since Roberto Ayala’s departure.
Rami- Could he be the rock they always wanted?
2. Sergio Canales-
The youngster has come to Valencia on a 2 year loan deal from rivals Real Madrid with a point to prove, to present his talent and to manifest the oppurtunities that he’d get at Valencia and push the club onto greater heights.
3. Dani Parejo-
Brought in from Getafe on the back of a couple of solid seasons in the league, Parejo is probably the signing that their fans are looking forward to the most. The 22 year old midfielder could well be the lynchpin of the Valencian midfield for years to come.
4. Pablo Piatti-
The Argentine winger was a rare shining light last season for Almeria that saw them get relegated. Piatti though was on form and this new season at Valencia, he would challenge the highly rated duo Mata and Pablo for a starting place on the wings.
5. Diego Alves-
He has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league over recent seasons and after Almeria’s relegation, he was immediately snapped up by Valencia and Alves would be tasked with to compete with Vicente Guaita for goalkeeping duties.
The Team’s Talisman
A 'Mata' of Valencian Pride
Once a part of Real Madrid Castilla, Juan Mata joined Valencia in the summer of 2007 and has since grown out of the shadows of Vicente and David Silva and has gone on to cement his place as one of Valencia’s key players in recent years. Capable of playing as a left winger or more centrally, Mata has been attracting heavy interest from English giants Arsenal and Liverpool but as things stand he looks set to stay atleast for another year on the sunny shores of Valencia. And much hinges on the performances of Mata who’s grown into the role of being Valencia’s talisman and perform well carry the club forward.
Probable Formation
Probable Starting XI
4-2-3-1: This has been the formation of choice for Valencia coach Unai Emery (despite all the tinkering that he does with his player selections), playing the lone striker up front on his own, flanked by quick, tricky wingers. Villa, Aduriz and Soldado have all carried out the striker duties but with his imperious season-ending form, Soldado would once again be heading the Valencia attack.
Despite the arrival of Piatti, the first choice wingers would be set to stay the same with Mata and Pablo being two of the team’s leading players. Sergio Canales and Dani Parejo would both lay claim for a central attacking role but Parejo might edge it, atleast during the early part of the season, due to more experience.
The only other moot point in the selection would be that of the goalkeeper between Vicente Guaita and Diego Alves. The former is a Valencian through and through and has performed admirably over the past one year and earned rave reviews for his saves versus Man Utd in the Champions League, while the latter has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league in recent seasons.
Where they Lack
While the way Valencia’s management have handled their transfer dealings is pretty admirable, adding more arsenal to the team’s attacking department, but barring Adil Rami, nothing of note has been done on the defensive front which has been Valencia’s achilles heel ever since the departure of their erstwhile defensive figurehead Roberto Ayala. The club is in dire need of more defensive reinforcements to shore up the holes in the defense. Ideally, a quality Rightback and another centre half to complement Adil Rami would round off what would be a fantastic summer of improvement for the club. Defenders Angelo Ogbonna and Eliaquim Mangala have both been linked to Valencia recently, and they could both be signings that the Los Che defense would do very well with.
Expectations from the Club
Being the leading club from the Valencian community and having long been touted as the ‘best of the rest’ in the La Liga, the task in front of Valencia is rather herculean to if not break, then atleast challenge the might of the Real Madrid- FC Barcelona hegemony.
- Big Day Bravery- The financial clout that Barcelona and Madrid have can not be matched by the Los Che, but what the club is expected of is to put up a fight in all the big matches, against the Big2 or on the continental stage in the Champions League.
- Best of the Rest- As the leading club of the Valencian community, the expectations are always high for the club, and anything less than 3rd position would be grossly unacceptable.
- Improved Defense- For every bit of offensive flair that Valencia possess and have displayed in recent history, their defense has long been in need of being shored up. This new season, with Rami and one more potential defensive reinforcement, the focus must be on improving their defensive shape.
Realistic Targets
Competition | La Liga | Champions League | Copa del Rey |
Realistic targets | Automatic Champions League Qualification | Quarter Finals Stage | Semi-Finals |
With the addition of some much needed strength in depth within the Valencia ranks, the targets that they might set for themselves would be higher then last season. However, to cross the divide that exists between Barca-Madrid and the rest could be too much to ask for Valencia at the present moment but there is a distinct possibility that with more quality this season they would close down the gap to the top2. In the Champions League too, an improvement from last season would be what their fans expect. But the most realistic oppurtunity for the Los Che is the Copa del Rey a.k.a the King’s Cup, with a bit of luck of the draw, they could well challenge and get their first piece of silverware in four years.
Valencia, the fans are calling. Its time to start again, to get back to the glory pedestal!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLQHwRd8hTo
Read our other season previews:
Arsenal: Will The Gunners Finally Fire?
Manchester United: All set for a Treble
Tottenham Hotspur: Champions League Football to Return to the Lane?
Manchester City: A Dynasty to be Feared?
Liverpool FC: Will They Walk Alone?
QPR: Underdogs or a Real Deal?
