Valencia without Villa and Silva
The days when Valencia was the Spanish champion are long gone. The years 2002 and 2004 are now a distant memory, but the Valencia faithful still remember when Los Che ousted all challengers.
During Valencia’s glory days, names such as Ruben Baraja, Roberto Ayala and Pablo Aimar reigned over the Primera Division. Then-manager Rafa Benitez was the man to beat. Even Spain’s two biggest clubs in Barcelona and Real Madrid struggled to exert their influence.
Fast forward to the present, and we see the formidable duo of Madrid and Barcelona standing atop the Spanish league. After all, the two teams are said to be the top two in terms of spending with transfer fees and wages spiralling ever higher. Sadly, teams like Valencia, Atletico, and Sevilla are left to eat their dust.
Deportivo was a team that used to be extravagant in terms of transfer expenditures, but have since stopped from making bold spending given their current precarious financial situation.
Valencia, whose squad is a two-time Champions League finalist, veered away from spending long ago because of their much-ballyhooed stadium expenses. From a championship team, Valencia was reduced to a selling club just to pay the bills.
Despite the club’s wallet woes, Valencia still managed to end up with a third-place finish in La Liga, as well as a return to Europe’s top club tournament.
Despite working under a constrained budget, manager Unai Emery guided Los Che with considerable success.
Still, the club finished the season with an enormous 25 point-gap behind second-placed Real Madrid. Their efforts were simply not good enough for Barca and Madrid, whose record loss last season stood at five league matches between them.
With the sale of David Villa to Barcelona, Valencia may have opened up some space for one or two quality players. But then again, it would be hard to replace Villa’s services even if they are to get two players in exchange. After all, Villa was Valencia’s lifeblood for four seasons. He will be very hard to replace.
Aside from Villa, another David in David Silva has also left for greener pastures. And by greener pastures, we mean the green that Manchester City has got. Considered one of the richest clubs in the world, Manchester City’s bank balance was simply too large for Valencia. There was no way Valencia was going to hold on to Silva.
After the recent signings of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the top dogs have only gotten stronger. Valencia and the rest of the Spanish squads can only look on and wonder where the heck they will get their talents.
Everything will depend on the astuteness of Emery’s acquisitions. First on the list is Roberto Soldado, a former Getafe man who is a proven goals corer. He is no David Villa, but Valencia can count on him to produce goals when they need it.
Alberto "Tino" Costa, formerly from Montpellier, can be counted on for some creative spark. The role was previously played by Ruben Baraja over the previous decade.
French under-21 international Sofiane Feghouli also figures prominently in the 2010-11 incarnation of Los Che, as the man deemed as the “next Zidane” will add more flair to an already stylish squad.
24-year old Mehmet Topal waved goodbye to his former club Galatasaray, and is now looking to add guile and brawn to the central midfield.
To complete Los Che’s new look, we have Aritz Aduriz, and ex-Mallorca man who has a decent strike rate with some of La Liga’s less distinguished sides.
Valencia may have strengthened the squad, but the team still lacks the star power that Barca and Madrid are known to showcase.
Besides, it would take some time for the new transfers to take effect. We would have to wait if Valencia will indeed vie for the La Liga title this season.
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