The newspaper headlines which were written late afternoon on the 6th October 2014 read: "Goodbye to the years of sadness", "A new order has arrived", "The great Valencia has returned", "Valencia are back", "This really could be the year of the resurrection." (Obtained via Sid Lowe). The headlines were befitting of their outstanding start to the season. Valencia were well and truly back.
Sid Lowe of The Guardian writes:"On that Saturday afternoon, a huge banner was unfurled. "Welcome to Mestalla" it read. But the man they most wanted to welcome was still not there. Two executives representing the Singaporean businessman Peter Lim attended, but he did not. Although the deal was said to be "close", his takeover at Mestalla had still not been formalised. Bankia bank was seeking guarantees that it will be paid before other creditors, accusing Lim of moving the goalposts and claiming that it fears what would amount to an asset-strip at a club that owns two stadiums, a training ground and another significant plot of land in the city."
He further continues: "Formally, Valencia still have a €230m debt and face a significant challenge to finish the new stadium, if they do ultimately do so, and sell the old one. This summer almost 20 players left. Jérémy Mathieu went to Barcelona and Juan Bernat to Bayern Munich. Eleven players came in, including Rodrigo, João Cancelo and André Gomes, all whom are owned by Lim's company, and Jorge Mendes's hand is in much of what they do. Meanwhile, there was talk of Jackson Martínez arriving, but it did not happen and the most exciting of their signings, Álvaro Negredo, had not played yet."
Peter Lim is now well and truly their owner. He has finally reached an agreement with Bankia on the restructuring of the club's debts, paving the way for him to buy a 70-per-cent stake in Valencia. Club president Amadeo Salvo said: "We are writing a new chapter in Valencia. With Mr Lim, we are going to be stronger. To be successful, we must work hard and stand united as a family. Peter Lim is now a very important member of our family and we want to say, 'Welcome, Peter Lim!'"
Speaking of Peter Lim, he sure does have his hands full at the moment. He has a big vision and project that he wants to achieve. He wants to reach the Champions League and attempt to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona. And they love him at Valencia. The fans chant his name from the rooftops and the local papers describe him as a ‘genius'. They say he provides for an infinite amount of desires; something to dream about.
Lim wants to take the club back to its origins and to the next level. It was founded at Bar Torino, yet the place no longer exists. Valencia immortalized on Friday 28th the place that the legendary Bar Torino was located in 1919 with a commemorative plaque which will forever remember where the club was born and founded. It is called "Kilometer Zero" of Valencia CF. Lim has opened a new official mega store - "One of the most modern in Europe", according to Amadeo Salvo. The stadium is being renovated and a fan zone has also been created. He wants everything to be perfect and the fans love him for it.
MEMORY - El @valenciacf descubre su "Km 0", en el lugar donde se ubicaba el Bar Torino. Vídeo http://t.co/R9qZ1hec4c. pic.twitter.com/da2BohyqdV
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) November 28, 2014
El @valenciacf reúne el pasado con su futuro en una jornada para la historia http://t.co/AnGaxgW0bb pic.twitter.com/phTp8KLvlQ
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) November 28, 2014
El @valenciacf inaugura la mejor tienda de su historia http://t.co/6GwuXxNAdE pic.twitter.com/PfZaDcq8fz
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) November 28, 2014
CARA ESTE - Así es el impresionante murciélago que ya preside Mestalla http://t.co/yPGGSqLM5e #WeLoveMestalla pic.twitter.com/R8Uyi7lRG0
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) November 28, 2014
Sid Lowe writes: "A fans' zone has been set up so that supporters can meet players after games, and for the visit of Atlético, Mestalla had been painted black and orange, with images of former players going up around the ground. On one side of the stadium is a huge picture of the team bus arriving at the ground, fans surrounding it on all sides. Superficial it may be, perhaps even a case of papering over the cracks, but it is amazing what a lick of paint can do. Mestalla feels different: renewed, excited, positive, optimistic. Nuno has worked hard to bring supporters on board. At the end of every game, he takes his players into the middle of the field to applaud them."
The best way to get the fans to applaud back is to win and Nuno was doing that. "Knowing how to defend goes hand in hand with attacking more quickly and more often. Where you retrieve the ball on the pitch can give you an advantage and you have to challenge, fight and play your heart out because there's no tomorrow in football. Nothing pleases us more than winning," he said at his presentation. Players speak of a new, collective spirit, and there is little doubt about the way they play too - direct, aggressive, quick and intense. More Jürgen Klopp than Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti. With such levels of intensity, tiredness and complacency can become an issue, but the lack of European distractions certainly helps. Against Atlético, they committed almost twice as many fouls as their opponents. Nuno wants his team to press without hesitation. "The midfielders always pressure," Nuno said. "I want the team to always attack."
Sid Low writes: "Nuno believes Spanish players are unused to that style and its rarity in Spain can thus make its impact even greater. The challenge was convincing their own Spanish players to accept it, to accept him, and Nuno has succeeded. It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but there is a warm authority about him that has won them over. All over the pitch, they have impressed. Gomes and Dani Parejo have led the midfield and Javi Fuego protects the defence. Nicolás Otamendi is fast becoming a cult hero. Alcácer, all swift movement arriving at the near post, has been scoring goals. And Rodrigo, brought back from Benfica and dashing in from the wing, has earned his place in the Spain squad. Dynamic, optimistic, aggressive, the goals came: three every week for a month."
Valencia destroyed Atlético. They went for them like a pack of wolves. They were 1-0 up due to a bizarre headed own-goal from João Miranda after only six minutes from a floated cross to no one in particular which the goalkeeper had covered all day long. Gomes scored a wonderful second after eight minutes with a mixture of team and (mostly) individual brilliance and Otamendi made it three with a header from a corner in the 14th. The Mestalla erupted. Then Valencia lost control. From the third goal until half-time, Atlético scored one and had eight shots on target; Valencia had none. But when it looked like their lead was under threat, their goalkeeper Diego Alves was there. Atlético won a penalty before half-time which Guilherme Siqueira took.
The problem was that the man standing in front of him was Alves, who has saved penalties from Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa, Frédéric Kanouté, Nekounam, Rakitic and Fernando Llorente and he saved this one too. He is an expert penalty saver and has been doing it for years. Of the 30 penalties he has faced in La Liga, only 16 have been scored; if you include other competitions then fewer than half the penalties he has faced have gone in. "We were worried," Nuno admitted. "But that save was very important and we controlled the second half much better." Atlético's reaction had been superb but their chance had gone. Valencia held firm.
This was the kind of performance that defined Valencia beginning of the season. They were refreshing, hungry and put even the best of opponents to the sword. In hindsight, it was something of a honeymoon period.
Valencia are now struggling both on the pitch as well as off it. They have only won 3 of their last 7 matches which is nowhere near good enough if they intend on challenging the top 3. With the exception of a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao, Valencia have failed to keep a clean-sheet since September. Further to this, the club is struggling for goals with Marca mercilessly describing Alcacer, Negredo and Rodrigo as a "blunt trident", for failing to score a single goal between them in 698 minutes so far. To be fair, Nuno had it coming after describing Valencia's attack in mid-September as "the best attack in Spain." They look a shadow of the team that absolutely dismantled Atletico Madrid. The classic by-product of a team lacking confidence and full of anxiety.
Off-the-pitch, Valencia were allegedly on the verge of a lawsuit by DC Comics over the new ‘bat' logo until a comment on their official website stated that they would discard the new bat logo idea. Yet bizarrely enough, they have underlined that there is no demand from DC Comics. It is quite a strange situation because the bat has formed part of Valencia's crest since 1922 while the Batman comic first appeared in 1939. Goal writes: "The city of Valencia's association with the bat reportedly dates back to the 13th century, when it was reclaimed by King James I of Aragon. According to legend, when the monarch was about to re-enter the city, a bat landed on the top of his flag, prompting the animal to be incorporated into his coat of arms as a symbol of good fortune." Valencia therefore seem to have a decent enough case, but unfortunately, money talks.
Transfers
For transfers in, Valencia have focused on quality rather than quantity. They have spent just short of £40,000,000 million on only five players.
Valencia have invested in the vital André Gomes from Benfica for £13,20 million, the ever-reliable Nicolas Otamendi from FC Porto for £10,56 million, the increasingly useful Shkodran Mustafi from Sampdoria for £7,04 million, Rodrigo de Paul from Racing Club for £4,22 million and Lucas Orban from Bordeaux for £3,08 million.
They have also brought in Yoel Rodriguez, Filipe Augusto, Bruno Zuculini, Joao Cancelo, and two gems in Álvaro Negredo and Rodrigo on a loan. Valencia have also promoted Carles Gil, José Luis Gaya and Robert Ibanez from V.Mestalla.
There were also some rather high-profile departures. None more so than Jeremy Mathieu to Barcelona for £17,60 million, Juan Bernat left to Bayern Munich for £8,80 million, Dorlan Pabon was sold to Monterrey for £5,28 million and Adil Rami to AC Milan for £3,74. Valencia also sold Ever Banega to Sevilla for £2,20 million, Aly Cissoko to Aston Villa for the same price and Jonathan Viera to Standard for £1,76 million.
Seydou Keita left for AS Roma on a free, Hélder Postiga for Deportivo La Coruna and Vicente Guaita to Getafe FC. Others also left on a free, including, Ricardo Costa to Al-Sailiya, Philippe Senderos to Aston Villa and Jonas to Benfica.
Víctor Ruiz was loaned to Villarreal, Vinícius Araújo to Standard, Andrés Guardado PSV Eindhoven, Federico Cartabia to Cordoba and Míchel to Getafe.
Form
Valencia's form at home is near perfect. Their six games at the Mestalla this season reads: 3-0 Málaga, 3-1 Espanyol, 3-0 Córdoba, 3-1 Atlético Madrid, 3-1 Elche, 0-0 Athletic. That's a goal difference of 15-3. Yet it's not all sweet and rosy. With three draws and two losses showing just how inconsistent Valencia are. Their progress from last season is fantastic, but Valencia still have a long way to go before challenging for the title. In fact, they have some way to go before regaining and consolidating their position as La Liga's "best of the rest." On the back of two disappointing results, ‘The Oranges' will want to bring their ‘A game' at home to Barcelona.
Strategy
Valencia are very strong at stealing the ball from the opposition and at finishing goal scoring chances. Of course, it does help when the likes of Paco Alcacer are starting but they genuinely have goals scorers from all over the pitch. Valencia love to attack from the left with Pablo Piatti (Valencia's joint top assist player) using through balls. Their first eleven is relatively consistent, they like to play the offside trap and like to play an aggressive game. In terms of weaknesses, Valencia are very weak at defending against long shots and as a result concede in most games.
Nuno has played with 4-2-3-1 tactics in four out of six home games (incidentally, the other two were 4-3-3). Just to add further confusion, ‘Los Che' have started with a 4-4-2 formation in two of the last three games. Nuno needs to get his tactics right because the result of the game could very well depend on it. Valencia are unlikely to go toe-to-toe against Barcelona with a 4-3-3 even though it worked against Atletico Madrid (that probably had more to do with Atleti's lack of rests and shortcomings). By the same token, I don't think they will go for a 4-4-2 which left a lot to be desired against Levante, even though it worked for Real Madrid. A 4-2-3-1 therefore seems the safe option (although it could change to a 4-3-3 at times with Gomes dropping back.
A Few Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Valencia CF
The Libero Guide writes: "‘Los Che' had last appeared (and won) a European final ten years ago, when they had also won the second of two titles of the contemporary era. Plans were made for a new stadium. The club had to pay for the huge transfer fees and salaries that bought and kept the likes of Pablo Aimar and Roberto Ayala to best Spain's best. Sitting on the valuable, downtown real estate the venerable Mestalla represents, Valencia planned for a Nou Mestalla and a prosperous future.
Ten years on, VCF are cash-strapped and no longer third in Spain's traditional pecking order behind Barça and Real. How long this situation will continue now depends upon Singapore entrepreneur Peter Lim, who bought a majority shareholding in the club before the 2014-15 season. Formed by foreign residents and students in 1902, Valencia were reformed in 1919 by members of a social circle who met at the Bar Torino on Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Moving into the Mestalla stadium in 1923 and garnering silverware during the 1940s, Valencia were known as a high-scoring team with a devil-may-care attitude. With Brazilians Chicão and Waldo, Valencia won the Fairs' Cup in 1962 and 1963.
To achieve success in the league, Valencia had to abandon their attacking principles. Under Alfredo di Stéfano in 1971, a cautious, defensive unit pipped Barcelona to the title with a lower ‘goals against' tally. The next great Valencia side were headed by 1978 World Cup hero Mario Kempes. Valencia won the Spanish Cup in 1979, then the Cup Winners' Cup a year later, beating Arsenal on penalties. After another mediocre decade, the club were transformed when Paco Roig became president in the mid-1990s. Unveiling elaborate plans for expanding the Mestalla, and attracting top foreign stars, Roig lifted the club onto another level - at a price. Under coach Hector Cúper, swift Argentines such as Kily González and Claudio López complemented the home-grown talent of Gaizka Mendieta, backed by Santiago Cañizares in goal.
Valencia made two consecutive Champions League finals, both defeats, in 2000 and 2001. A rock-solid defence helped Valencia win the Spanish title in 2002 and 2004, doubling up to take the UEFA Cup against Olympique Marseille. Severe financial difficulties and boardroom unrest then saw the club tread water, and shelve plans for a new stadium. Key players David Silva, David Villa and Juan Mata were sold off to balance the books. Los Che fell behind in the domestic pecking order, though remained a tricky proposition in Europe.
After Valencia's disappointing 2013-14 campaign, Lim's arrival coincided with a number of new players, including German international Shkodran Mustafi. Valencia enjoyed a bright start to 2014-15, topping the league in late September - above Barça and Real."
Predicted Line-up
Diego Alves will start in goal. Antonio Barragan will start at right-back alongside the centre-back pairing of Shkodran Mustafi and Nicolas Otamendi. Jose Luis Gaya or Lucas Orban will start at left-back.
I would expect Javi Fuego and Dani Parejo to start as part of the double-pivot. Pablo Piatti seems to have suffered an injury and is now unlikely to play. It's a shame because ‘El Messi De La Plata' has been one of Valencia's best players this season, that there is no doubt. In his absence, Sofiane Feghouli should play as the right-winger, Andre Gomes in the centre and Rodrigo on the left.
Nuno confirmed that Negredo will start in a conversation with Radio Marca on Wednesday afternoon. Alcacer will be available from the bench, at best.
Possible XI (4-2-3-1): Alves; Barragan, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya; Fuego, Parejo; Feghouli, Gomes, Rodrigo; Negredo
Key Battles
Rodrigo v Dani Alves: Rodrigo has pace to burn and added an extra element to the Valencia attack. Los Che will likely look for him at every opportunity, it is therefore vital that whoever plays at right-wing for Barcelona tracks back. Alves has been so and so this season. Will he be able to conjure up some old magic to stop Rodrigo in his tracks?
Antonio Barragan v Neymar: Barragan is for the first time the undisputed starter for an extended period of time at Valencia due to an injury suffered by Joao Pereira. He has played well without really excelling. Neymar is Neymar. As Ray Hudson put it: "Neymar needs help like a shark needs a dentist." A rested Neymar will likely produce yet again.
Alvaro Negredo v Jeremy Mathieu: Negredo will definitely start according to Nuno whilst Mathieu returns to his old stomping ground and will expect to start. It should be a fascinating battle both aerially and on the ground. With Negredo's lack of match fitness, I give Mathieu the edge. Expect Alcacer to provide a different challenge if he gets some game time.
Javi Fuego v Lionel Messi: One player isn't enough against Messi. Javi Fuego will probably try to stick on Messi whilst his fellow countryman Otamendi will also help out. We are truly running out of superlatives to describe someone who is nothing less than a living legend. Messi is a record breaker, history maker and an absolute legend.
Final Thoughts
In keeping with recent years, it should be another close game. Both teams are expected to score whilst Valencia will miss the brilliance of Pablo Piatti and Alcacer. Barcelona should be able to edge it. Indeed, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Barcelona will win comfortably with Messi playing. Having said that, it could just as easily end as a draw. It's impossible to predict.
Say what you like about Peter Lim but it is crystal clear that the Los Che faithful absolutely adore him. And contrary to many foreign owners, Lim is an avid football fan. He cares! His life-long dream of owning a football team has been fulfilled. It's now Valencia's time to dream.
There is a lot to respect about Valencia, not least their amazing fan base. I therefore wish them the best of luck for the rest of the season.
Thank you for reading, take care and goodbye until next time!