Season Preview: Valencia CF

Last, but certainly by no means least in our 2011/2012 preview feature are Valencia. In recent days they’ve lost their best player, and while we’ve been inundated with questions about how Los Che will cope it was only right to let someone who knows best explain. Joining us for the first time is Kyle Coppess, owner of Loco4LosChe…

Having finished third in La Liga the last two years, and having sold their biggest players during that time as well, a new look Valencia will attempt to hold off challengers Villarreal, Sevilla, and Atlético Madrid for third place, and also improve their results in the Champions League and Copa del Rey this season.

Transfers Out

Valencia has vastly reduced its wage bill this summer by shipping out a staggering 16 players. Juan Mata (Chelsea FC, €30 million), Joaquín Sánchez (Málaga CF, €4 million), Isco Alarcón (Málaga CF, €6 million), and Manuel Fernandes (Beşiktaş JK, €2 million) have all been sold. Also, another eight players either had their contracts terminated or were allowed to leave on free transfers, including César Sánchez (Villarreal CF), Vicente Rodríguez (no club), Asier del Horno (Levante UD), Aarón Ñíguez (UD Almería), Sunny Sunday (CD Numancia), Renan Brito (SC Internacional), Nacho González (Standard Liege), and David Navarro (Neuchâtel Xamax). On top of all that, another four players have been loaned out: Miguel Ángel Moyà (Getafe CF), Míchel Herrero (Hércules CF), Anthony Lozano (CD Alcoyano), and Chori Domínguez (CA River Plate).

Obviously, the biggest loss of the lot will be Spanish international Juan Mata. The Asturian was Los Che’s best player last campaign, scoring 8 goals and distributing 12 assists in league play. He really grew into the playmaker role after struggling with it in the 2009/2010 season while filling in for an injured David Silva, but following the departure of Silva to Manchester City at the end of that season, Mata was far improved in the 2010/2011 campaign in the middle of Valencia’s attack, especially in the second half of the season.

Transfers In

The mantra at Valencia this summer seems to have been quality over quantity, because while the club got rid of 16 players, they only brought in six: Pablo Piatti (UD Almería), Diego Alves (UD Almería), Dani Parejo (Getafe CF), Sergio Canales (Real Madrid), Adil Rami (Lille) and Cristiano Pereira (Sporting Lisbon).

It will be difficult for any one player to replace Mata, so a replacement by committee solution seems likely, with Piatti, Parejo, and Canales all offering Valencia something different in attack; not just in terms of playing style, but also in terms of where they will attack from on the pitch. After the transfers of David Villa and David Silva in the summer of 2010, Valencia became more of a ‘team’ instead of just relying on the work of one or two key players, and that could repeat itself again this time round. Piatti will cut in from the flanks and also use his pace to stretch opposition defenses, while Parejo can play in central midfield or further forward and help link play.

Perhaps the most interesting signing this summer was that of Canales from Real Madrid on a two year loan with an option to buy the player for €12 million (though if Valencia do buy him, Madrid will have a buyback clause for the two years after that, the first year for €15 million, and the second year for €18 million). Canales was mainly forgotten about by Los Blancos boss José Mourinho, only registering 10 appearances in the 2010/2011 season, though everyone inside and outside of Spain knows about his potential and quality.

Diego Alves will provide competition for hometown goalkeeper Vicente Guaita for the starting position in goal. Alves has been hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga over the last few years, despite playing for relegated Almería, though he will have to work hard if he wants to start. Guaita played very well for Valencia last season, earning himself a new contract in the process, as well as praise from Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scotsman said Guaita had one of the best performances against Manchester United that he could remember in the Champions League, after the Spaniards drew with the English champions 1-1 at Old Trafford last season in the group stage. Guaita’s form did drop off at the end of last season, though that could easily be attributed to the sudden death of his father due to a heart attack.

The most important signing for Valencia was easily defender Adil Rami, who will add much need skill to the backline. The French international was actually signed in January, but as part of the deal was allowed to stay in France for the remainder of the campaign, where he helped Lille to a domestic double, winning the Ligue 1 title as well as the Coupe de France. Valencia looks set to make further defensive signings before the end of the summer window, particularly at right back and center back.

Coach

Basque tactician Unai Emery has returned for a fourth season with Valencia, only the third coach in the entire history of the club, which was founded in 1919, to be able to claim that feat, the other two being Alfredo di Stéfano (1970-1974) and Jacinto Quincoces (1948-1954). Emery came in from Andalucían club Almería in 2007 and lead Valencia to a sixth place finish, which was a big improvement after the disaster that was the Ronald Koeman era the year before, which saw the club flirt with relegation, though ultimately end in tenth position. The following two years Emery managed to finish third, but club president Manuel Llorente only saw fit to give Emery a one year contract this past summer for his efforts. While Llorente is happy with the team’s league position, progression deeper into the Champions League and Copa Del Rey is required this year.

Management and Finances

While only giving Emery a one year deal is a bit questionable, it’s hard to fault any other moves Manuel Llorente has made in his two years in charge. He has reduced the club’s debt €182 million in the last 24 months, from €550 million to €368 million. He has also raised well over €100 million by selling players, and while most of that has gone to reduce debt, a decent amount has been put back into the club and his quality over quantity theory can’t be argued with by looking at the team’s results.

The biggest problem facing Valencia at the moment is the issue of their stadiums, both the (old) Mestalla and Nou Mestalla. Construction was stopped on the new stadium two and a half-year ago and has yet to resume, and it probably won’t for the foreseeable future. With the world financial crisis hitting Spain particularly hard, the club has been unable to sell the Mestalla land, which was supposed to help fund the construction of the new stadium. Valencia would like to get at least €300 million for it, though with the financial markets being as weak as they are, the club would be lucky to get half that.

What to Expect

While it’s often the case that the only thing one can predict about Valencia is that it will be incredibly unpredictable (including Emery going over 70 games without playing the same starting 11 in back-to-back matches, and using almost as many formations), there are a few key players to look for.

The Valencia midfield will create chances, and main striker Roberto Soldado will need to play like he did in the second half of last season, and not the first. Soldado is the definition of a streaky goal scorer. Last year he went four straight matches without a league goal on three separate occasions, but had four games in which he scored multiple goals (including four against former club Getafe in April) and another two games in the Champions League.

Defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal will be another key part of the first team. The Turkish international is slowly taking over for Valencia veteran and Vice-captain David Albelda, and has done a very good job so far. Topal has good positioning sense and isn’t scared to put in a tackle. He and his family have also adapted quickly to life in Spain, and his eagerness to learn the language and culture of the city has made him a fan favorite.

The left side of Valencia’s squad is also looking very promising. Along with the aforementioned Piatti, Valencia has promoted youngster Juan Bernat to the first team. Bernat, born and bred in Valencia, had a fantastic preseason, scoring twice and playing well in almost every match. While it’s far too early to put any pressure on the 18-year-old, he looks another exciting player for the future from the Valencia youth academy. Jordi Alba has also come along quite well, and his improved crossing and defensive awareness means he could push French left back Jérémy Mathieu for his starting spot in the lineup.

Los Che undoubtedly have the talent to finish in third place again this campaign, and the club’s management, coaches, players, and supporters will expect nothing less.

We really couldn’t ask for a better preview than that and to see more content like this then please visit Loco4LosChe which is quite frankly, peerless. Kyle runs the website, which has a Twitter account here and Facebook here so do ‘follow’ and ‘like’ respectively. Amunt!

Tags: Emery, Mata, Piatti, Soldado, Valencia