By The Skin of Our Teeth
By: Javier |
152 Comments
A petition had been sent to the Vatican to begin the process of recognizing all Valencia CF fans as saints.
Its to be expected of course seeing how much suffering we are forced to endure week in and week out.
My blood pressure is high and my finger nails are non-existant.
Valencia will surely be the death of me.
Todays Copa performance was just one more stressing moment in my life as a Valencia follower.
Once again our backups have shown why they are backups.
2-2 in Mestalla against a lower division team is simply not an acceptable result. unless your Real Madrid..;)
This Dr Jekyll and Mr hide performance really needs to end.
At first Valencia stormed the field and scored 2 goals in 15 minutes.
This is what should be expected of thistype of pairing.. but in character fashion our backups continue to allow opposing teams to get back into the game.
By the final whistle 2-2.
The defence looked lost. The midfield had no control of the middle either.
And in my honest opinion. Cesar has no competition for #1 keeper. That much is obvious now.
On the bright side.
Valencia have qualified for the next round of play.
And the undefeated streak continues.
Lets just assume this was another instance of Valencia playing to the level of their opponents.
Next up.
Los Che travel north to Pamplona to face Osasuna November 22nd.
Osasuna are currently in 10th place.
If last weeks Valencia squad show up this match should be another 3 points in the win category.
Playing in Pamplona is never an easy tast however and we should expect alot of attacking football.
The defence will have to be on and that means no Alexis in the back line.
No experimenting.
Emery is sure to play it safe for this one and we shoudl expect the best out of a team that has an excellent away record.
Villa Silva Mata and Pablo are all healthy and have in the last few weeks proven their attacking prowess.
Our only worry is the central midfield.
Personally a Marchena and Banega matching is ideal. The only question mark being above Banega’s head as the last couple of weeks have shown his current lack of energy.
My prediction.
Osasuna 0-1 Valencia
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team News
By: Javier |
277 Comments
Valencia fans are nasty fans.
Thats the conclusion that has to be drawn if you read the the chatter this week.
Our Che have lost 1 game all season. 1 Match. We are in 4th and within grasp of the top.
And yet even after a hard win against Malaga the fans complain.
Here are the highlights in case you missed the match.
What must Valencia do to get the fans behind her?
The defence has improved. Our attack is sufficiently scoring the necessary goals. Our goalie is keeping the sheets clean.
Lets get behind this team and push them to the pinacle of la Liga.
Can Valencia win the League?
Of course its a long shot. But like Benitez once said. In Spain to win the liga you need Barcelona and Madrid to flounder.
Well Madrid does not look solid and as usual is a management mess.
Barcelona looks in bad form and is either brilliant or vulnerable from week to week.
Sevilla and Valencia both have an opportunity to snatch the crown if this pattern continues.
Wouldnt it be brilliant if Valencia could grab that title again. It would be the third in a decade. And a shot in the face of the huge big money clubs.
Will it happen ? Its unlikely but Valencia have done it in the past. Till then i believe this is a top 4 team without a doubt.
Emery now has a core team which can scratch out victories without bleeding goals. That alone should create far more wins that losses.
The truth is that our current team reminds me a hell of alot of our Liga Champions team… Great striking. Creative midfield. Solid defence with a great goalie.
The Team is there. We just need the luck.
So this midweek we are back in Europa league action.
Its the start of winter in Slavia Prague and our palm tree loving lads are going to need to bundle up.
Im pretty sure its safe to assume that it will be the B team showing up with Moya in net. And thats fine.
Our B squad needs to improve and show what they can do. A win today is vital if Valencia intend to progress.
The strategy of using our second team in Copa and Europe has allowed Valencia to compete in la liga. At the same time it brings the players who havent been playing up and into playing form.
I would like to see Baraja and maybe Fernandes if he is fit. Play Joaquin Zigic and Miku. Lets get these guys in a place physically where they can pop into the first team and make a difference.
Just dont lose. 
This weekend we meet Zaragoza.
Zaragoza are in the lower half of the table right now and have a 3 win 2 draws and 4 losses record.
Not a very impressive start.
That said they could pose a problem in the counterattack. They have scored 13 goals so far this season only 3 less than Valencia.
However.. they have also allowed 18 goals so sneak through making them the second worst defensive team in the league after Atletico Madrid.
What does this mean for us?
Well if the Valencia defence stays firm and Cesar can perform as he has, then this one is in the bag.
Villa, Mata, Silva and Pablo have all shown how agressive they can be in attack when a team defends all out.
Imagine a weak defence.
it could be a goal fiesta.
That is alot of “ifs”
Will Zaragoza come out to play? Or will they pull a Malaga and turtle only to come out on a counter attack.
Its hard to say for sure.. this one though Valencia should still win.
Banega will hopefully be back to himself and Villa needs a couple to keep up his race for those golden boots.
My prediction.
In front of a home crowd.
Valencia 2-0 Zaragoza
Lets give Mestalla something to cheer about.
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team NewsA Win. A Confused Coach and a Two Game Suspension.
By: Javier | 165 Comments
The midweek Copa del Rey match went far better for Valencia than it did for a few of the other top leaguers this week. Though not spectacular the single away goal by Joaquin has placed Valencia firmly in the drivers seat for the upcomming home game.
Joaquin scored a a gorgeous little chip shot to gain the winning goal in the 10th minute of play.
The rest of the match was mostly forgettable.
Fielding a team of backups and freshly recovered players, Valencia did just enough to secure the away goal.
Moya looked unsure inbetween the posts but did manage to keep a clean sheet which is something he has been unacustomed to as of late.
The defence was adequate though Alexis did pick up a injury which saw him carried from the field. It has turned out to be a small fracture but will be available if needed for the weekend.
In the midfield Joaquin Baraja Maduro Jordi all made a show and did a decent job. Jordi’s pass to Joaquin leading to the game winning goal.
Up front Miku and Zigic looked slow and ineffective against a squad that should have been an opportunity for them to shine.
On the lighter side …
Joaquin played a solid match and also scored the winning goal.
However this seems to have come as news to Unai Emery.
During the after match press interview Emery twice said the goal by “Miku”
When this was mentioned to Joaquin he didnt seem pleased but hoped it was a simple mistake.
What game was Emery watching?
Here are the match highlights in case you missed the game.
Well in unfortunate news.
Uefa has decided to hand David Villa a two game suspension from European matches.
This was in response to Villa’s behaviour in the Europa league tie last week. In which Villa kicked out angrily after being fouled.
A club spokesman stated that the punishment is seen as excessive and would investigate any chance at a reduction in the suspension though he felt it was unlikely as the governing body does not tend to rule against their official’s decisions.
Now the good news.
Valencia continue to play on the road this time visiting bottom dwellers Malaga CF.
Malaga are dead last in the league and are having a brutal start to the season.
With only 1 win in 8 Liga matches Valencia should be able to take advantage of their current form and chaulk up another 3 points this weekend and keep pace up top in the league.
Another bonus is that Valencia’s key players all appear to be healthy and match ready with the exception of Marchena.
Oh Oh !!!! The Bullshit British Rumourmill of the minute!!!
Mata is going to Liverpool. According to some tabloid the brits call a newspaper. Benitez has convinced the Liverpool owners to shell out busfare for Mata. And because Valencia are ooooooh sooooo broke and desperate and stupid ect ect ect so for sure he is leaving.
My prediction this weekend.
Malaga 1-3 Valencia
AMUNT VALENCIA!
Javier De Roque
Ja Ja !!
Category: Team NewsA quickie
By: Javier | 53 Comments
So just a quick update before our Copa del Rey encounter.
World Soccer magazine has just awarded our very own DAVID VILLA best forward in the world.
Booya
Not that we didnt already know that. Villa has proven himself already this season with a stunning 7 goals.
There is however rumours once again that Manchester United are after Villa and SIlva in a 40 million pound bid to take them in January.
Like most rumours i would be quick to ignore these.. 40 million for two stars is rediculous.
Lets hope our club feels the same way. After all simply making it to the Champions league would net us an additional 25 million in television rights. And that would be undoable without Silva and Villa.
So today is Copa del Rey.
Hey want to have a good laugh. Watch this 250 million dollar flop !
My prediction is an easy Valencia victory 2-0 won by our backup team.
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team Newsfocus ALMERIA
By: Javier | 181 Comments
So the stars have aligned and the weekend thus far has worked out beautifully for los Che to move up int he table.
A win in Almeria and we move up to 5th place and within striking distance of the top 4.
These are a vital 3 points.
Now Valencia, truth be told should win this.
Silva is in.
Joaquin is healthy.
Baraja is healthy and looks like Villa is set to be in as well.
That means a full squad.
Also looks like Navarro has received the nod from Emery to play in Center Back.
This is good news.
Miguel Dealbert Navarro Mattheiu is our best back line. Alexis is simply in poor form and needs to sit a while. Also Navarro is a solid defender and deserves his place in the back line.
Cesar in net also calms my nerves to no end. Knowing that our goalie is solid and that the defence is competant means our team is good. The rest is on the Attack.
And what an Attack we have .. Pablo, Mata, Silva, Banega, Villa.
If we dont score at least 2 goals in this game i would be shocked.
A healthy A team Valencia should not lose in Almeria.
All that said. Almeria are not a pushover team. Emery’s old boys that only last season rose to the ranks of la primera have impressed thus far. They have become a mid table team that manages to steal points from above and below. They do surprisingly welll.
Málaga-Almería 1-2
Barcelona-Almería 1-0
Almería-Racing 2-2
Atlético-Almería 2-2
Almería-Getafe 1-0
Their only recent loss has come away at Barcelona. An understandable defeat but also only allowing 1 goal in Nou Camp is a feat. Also they have beaten Getafe which tore los Che a new A hole. Dont expect a pushover. This is going to be one tough match.
Valencia need to score early and play just like they did against Barca. This is not the B team. No excuses like during the mid week Europa league match which i purposely ignored and put behind me.
3 points here and we are on track.
My prediction this week. Almeria 1-2 Valencia crossing fingers.
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team NewsPft.. Barca.
By: Javier | 193 Comments
So now that I have sobered up from the drunken stupor after the Valencia Barca match I can look at things a little more subjectively before our next encounter.
But first a recap of our adventure with the best team in the world.
In case you missed it.
Which if you did..
shame on you.
Now i did predict that we would draw this match with Barcelona comming back 1-1. The score was wrong the result was right.
Barcelona was very lucky to come away with a point. At first i felt it was a fair result due to the fact that in the second half Barca did have some chances. But I’ve watched the game 4 times now and the more i watch it the more i realize Valencia dominated the first half completely, and it was about 50/50 in the second have with some clear goal scoring chances being tosses to the bin.
Its a pity. But regardless still a great result.
Now that Valencia have proven that they can play top level football. Lets keep this going.
If you look at the top teams. Madrid , Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia and calculate who they have played so far, one thing becomes clear.
Valencia have had a far tougher group of teams to play so far than the others.
Madrid has had a fairly easy go with only Sevilla being their top test.
A test they failed.
Barcelona’s top challenge so far has been Valencia.
They tied.
Sevilla has beaten Madrid but lost to Valencia. so 50/50
So far if you look at the top team records Valencia has performed very well so far.
We only have 1 loss. Thats not too bad. We have been drawing alot of games which means lost points but we have not been losing.
Considering the fact that for the first 5 matches we bled 9 goals against us. Thats impressive.
A few things have me convinced we have what it takes.
FIRST: Our goal is now in order.
Cesar may be 108 years old and fought in both world wars. But he is also and outstanding keeper. We replace Moya and suddenly the sheets are clean. 2 games in a row with no goals on Valencia.
To me thats amazing. Cesar has made some great saves but thats not the end of that tale because alot of that credit belongs to our second point.
The Defence is clicking.
Miguel has found a new lease on life. In the Barca match he was a demon. Nothing passed him. He robbed the ball at will and scuttled Barcelona on the right. Essencially forcing Barca to try the left. No worries. Matthieu has found his focus. Matthieu was brilliant. He could not be passed .. and would break out and get the ball forward. Who is this guy. Wow. Just brilliant. I cant wait to see when he is 100% in the zone.. its clear his speed and talent are going to go a long way if this keeps up.
Dealbert and David. The center is solid and there is no opening. Thanks for calling.
Anybody miss Alex. I dont.
One more point before we leave the kudos behind..
Albelda. Welcome back. We missed you capitan.
Albelda during the Barca match looked like Julius Cesar crossing the Rubicon. He led the Che relentlessly advancing and controlling the midfield.
Xavi, Iniesta ? Nobodies. If it wasnt for Yaya Barca’s midfield would have been non existant.
Albelda has shown he still has the flair and ability. After the match he was even emotional about the cheers for him coming from the stands. See Albelda. Valencia fans are not so hard to please. Just be amazing. It was nice to see alot of his blackened history wash away with this performance. And i hope its the start of a epic comeback on his part. Because he really is a great player. We could use some great leadership again.
Before i forget. Kudos to Unai Emery.
Our coach orchestrated a magnificent spectacle against the best team in the world.
He got them to tremble, shake sweat and a whole lot of other things that are unpleasant.
knock knock.. Who’s there? Fucking Valencia that’s who !
So who wants to come over and play with los Murcielagos now ?
SK Slavia Praha … bottom of our group. Not a point to their name so far in this Europa season.
Should we be worried?
Well Yes and No.
Yes we should be worried. Why. Because we are Valencia. We all know how great Valencia play against teams that appear to not be very good.
Barcelona Milan Arsenal.. no problem. Getafe… boom down 3 goals. WTF
No we should not be worried. The team that played Getafe is not this team. They do not have this mentality. And On top of all that these boys are pumped. At home and eager for blood. For the first time in a while Valencia seem hungry and want to use their new found form to tear a team apart.
Los Che did not resist Barcelona.
They went for the throat.
Prepare yourselves Slavia
Thursday you will need to be cleaned up off our new green Mestalla grass!
AMUNT VALENCIA!
Javier De Roque
Group B Pld Pts
Valencia 2 4
Lille 2 4
Genoa 2 3
Slavia Praha 2 0
Category: Team NewsITS GAMEDAY! !! !!
By: Javier | 186 Comments
So the day is upon us.
The day we look forward to and fear every year.
Barca is comming to Mestalla.
What will happen?
Will we play the glorious game that we saw last season.
Will Barca create magic and have a goal fiesta in our castle.
Well i hope not. It has been a rough few weeks for los che.
First Fernandes re-injures himself, followed by Villa our star goal scorer right when he was on a scoring streak. Then our devil Marchena also injures himself.
Lets go on. Joaquin, Vicente, Del Horno… ect ect ect.
Thank Goodness Spain has free healthcare. Imagine the medical bills.
So will we be destroyed?
Will the Murcielagos be beaten in their home?
I dont think so.
While Barcelona are a great team they have had their share of bumps and bruises as well. Ibra can play but recieved a nasty bruised knee. Henri is out and on the injury list. Messi was suffering from exhaustion after a rough international duty but should be deemed fit to play if not 100%.
Dont get me wrong. By no means is Barca weak. But they have shown in the Almeria match that even in Barcelona they can be held down. And there is no reason in Mestalla they can be held down.. then beaten.
We have a great team. Zigic has been scoring. The rumour is Villa could play. Mata was brilliant for la Furia Roja the last two games. Silva is also scoring. Pablo has proven he is a great starter on the wing. Our defence is all in tact. Well as in tact as Mathieu can be considered. Banega is on fire. Cesar is brilliant in net.
Valencia are a great team. And if that great team clicks then Barcelona should be worried. Ive seen Barcelona without Messi.. and they are half the team. If Messi doesnt play neither does Barca. And if Messi does play and he is exhausted.. then lets make them pay.
Come On Mathieu! Show us the best defender in France!
So let me do the tear down of the best team in the world right now.
In Goal:
Valdes.. well im not a big fan of Valdes. I dont think he is that great a goalie. What he has is Puyol and Marquez in front of him making sure that no sure shots get taken. Cesar is better.
Defence:
Alves. Good attacker poor defender. Leaves his Right Back open often. Just perfect for our man Mata to tear in and give a ball to Silva or Zigic or Villa.
Puyol and Pique: Puyol is a great defender.. and the man to beat. A man like Villa or Silva can beat him. Zigic.. well he’s about 4 feet taller than him. Pique is not so short.. but also not so good with his feet.
Abidal: Im not impressed by the guy.. but he is fast. I just think Pablo can beat him a few times and make a big play.
Midfield:
Iniesta Toure Xavi : A great combo. However Iniesta has not been himself lately and Toure can be very hot and cold. Expect Busquetes subbed in who is even worse and takes alot of wastefull long shots. Xavi is by far their best playmaker and must be shut down by Banega which is a very tall order. But if anyone can do it its him. Losing Marchena is going to be very painfull if we dont step up in central mid.
Forward:
Keita, Ibra, Messi: Keita is certainly not as good as Henri. Ibra is a poacher but needs somebody to set him up. He does not finese through defences well. Messi is god and we have to pray that we can stop him by any means necesary. Defence will be key. Lets hope Messi is indeed worn out from international duty. We need every advantage we can get.
So what do i think will happen. Well no idea. Im hoping for a Victory for Valencia. Its a tall order but i know that we do have a team that can beat Barcelona on the right day. Im just hoping that this is the day we do.
Barcelona are not invincible… they are only the best.
But remember last year they were also more or less the exact same team. And we had them beat until 7 minutes from the whistle.
Then again.. a tie wouldnt hurt. Wouldnt hurt if Villa made a miracle recovery either.
I dont think we will get blown out.
If Valencia lose they will have played a solid game. My prediction. Valencia 1-1 Barcelona Barcelona will score in the 98th minute. They always add way too much time if Madrid or Barca are losing. 
Hey some fun facts. The last time Ibra was in Valencia this happened. 
And here is a very nice highlight of last year in case you need a refreshing memory of how we treated Barcelona the last time they visited.
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team NewsA Win is a Win
By: Javier | 297 Comments
Ok i dont think anybody will disagree with me when i say that yesterdays match was far from pretty.
Our midfield was not fluid.
Our attack was lackluster.
Our wings fairly ineffective.
Our defense and goal tending however was vastly improved.
While i will say that Bruno is no substitute for Miguel on most days, he was sufficient on sunday. And David and Dealbert played well in the center for the most part. Matthieu was well not as great but did manage some very decent defensive plays that saved us from a near certain goal.
Is Emery listening to the fans ?
We complain that Alexis isnt playing well.. he doesnt play. We complain about Moya .. Cesar is in. Emery must be reading out blog hahaha.
Here are the highlights…. only a minute and a half of them. Yes the game was that lacking.
So what are the positives ?
Here is my list.
Cesar is great.
I think that last nights match has shown that our best keeper is still Cesar. yes he is older but he is also far more experienced than Moya.
He still makes splendid saves and and a much more solid defence.
Clearly he is in command of the back 4. The defence looks much better when he is behind them. Im not sure but it really does seem like Cesar communicates to his defense more, they dont seem to be caught unaware as often.
Isnt in nice to have a clean sheet once in a while.
Zigic scores goals
One thing about Zigic is his ball handling is poor.
He isnt fast.
If you pass to him it never comes back.
And yet the guy always seems to find the net. That is his talent. Being at the right place at the right time. He is now 2 for 2. Nearly every time he walks on the pitch he scores. Thats impressive for a guy who seems so awkward even walking. He really does have a gift when it comes to finding the net. He will prove invaluable if Villa’s injury proves lingering.
Spanish Women are Hot
Did you see the girls in the stands.. wa wa wi wah. They make me think naughty things. Ok the match wasnt that exciting clearly. hahaha.
So our next match is in 14 days.
Against…. sigh Barcelona.
Im not gonna lie. I beleive our chances of beating Barcelona are not great. They are undefeated and really looking good. But if there is one thing that Valencia have its class when it comes to playing Barcelona.
Last season Barcelona looked unbeatable, yet Valencia led 2-1 untill the 80th minute where a blunder by Cesar cost us the victory. Im just hoping that same team comes here and we show them a solid beautifull game.
Against Barcelona we can play the style of football we excel at. My main concern… will Villa be fit.
The tragedy of Sundays match was that Villa limped off and we wont know until later today how serious it is. Im hoping its not.. while Zigic is great and has shown he can score goals, he is no Villa. Lets all cross our fingers that he doesnt play for the Spanish national team against Armenia and gets 14 days of rest before facing Barcelona. If it isnt too serious he should be fit to play.
3 points and 5th place gentlemen. Sacrifice whatever goats and pray to whoever you pray to. We need a win against the Evil Barca Empire. 
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team NewsAn Analysis of Our Defense
By: Cesar | 125 Comments
First off, don’t forget to read Javier’s post from yesterday. It’s a good one.
Today, it’s an analysis of VCF’s ‘defense’ from the perspective of last weekend’s Atletico Madrid draw by intrepid supporter/commentator Nithin, complete with videos from Kyle’s excellent Locos 4 Los Che.
It took some time to get up, but it’s well worth the read.
Nithin, the floor is yours …
Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Team NewsTrials and Tribulations
By: Javier | 70 Comments
Well its been quite the couple of weeks. Sorry about the lack of posting. The Offside did a update and it wasnt agreeing with my computer. But now all is well and you can expect to read my enlightened and grandious opinion once again from week to week.
So how was the week that past.
I guess that it started off sour and then turned out sweet. (anybody else have a craving for chinese food suddenly?)
Lets start off with the Sour.
Athletico Madrid.
There are few teams in the world that i dislike as much as Athletico Madrid.
Simao’s signing with them instead of us. Kun Aguero’s dives in the area. Forlans bouncy blond locks of hair.
I cant help it.. i just dont like them.
I dont like their style.. i dont like their luck.
This past weekend was no different. Once again we fought out of a hole took the lead and them let it slip away. It wasnt so much the fact that we left 2 points behind on the picth that would have kept us at pace with the top contenders.
It was the way we lost it.
Our defence was a complete shambles. We attacked well.. we controlled the middle but our defence was a welcome mat as per usual. Emery did his traditional faux pas. Bring on Maduro and take off Banega. And tada .. goal to the opposition.
It was like having a bad dream all over again.
None of our previous lessons had been learned.
And i will be the first to admit that i saw the goal comming but was praying some devine being would grant us a moment of peace and save us from ourselves.
Of course it was not to be. And a draw was our reward.
That day i was livid. And hurt. And a whole lot of other emotions only women should express in public. But the day passed.. i calmed down and now i feel somewhat better.
You see at the end of the day it was a point against Athletico Madrid. They are a good team with an impressive attack regardless what their league possition says right now. They will be in the top half by years end and we managed to take a point at least from them. I truly believe we will get better in the back.. and our attack has already proved it is lethal. Once our Defence gets their act together, we will be a very impressive team.
Miguel Dealbert Bruno Matthieu have never played together until this season. It should be expected we are going to leak goals until they bond.
Moya.. im not as forgiving. I am finding that while better than Renan. He is no Cesar.
Which leads me to the Sweet.
EUROPA LEAGUE.
Valencia 3 – 2 Genoa
This scoreline was not a true representation of the match i watched.
Genoa was shell shocked by our attack and movement. Mata, Pablo, Silva, Zigic, Banega all attacked non-stop.
Our poor finishing and bad luck prevented this match from easily being 5 goals in favour of los Che.
Here is what ESPN had to say about the match in case you missed it.
A David Villa penalty earned Valencia a deserved 3-2 success over Genoa to end a four-game winless streak.
Unai Emery’s side opened their Europa League Group B campaign with a draw against Lille but were good value for this win at the Mestalla, although they fell behind to a Sergio Floccari goal for Genoa.
Valencia stormed out of the blocks in the second half and quickfire goals from David Silva and Nikola Zigic put them in front, before Houssine Kharja drew the Italians level from the penalty spot.
The match was finally settled when Villa was tripped in the box with 10 minutes left and applied the finish from 12 yards.
Juan Mata gave Genoa an early scare when he appeared to be clean through and although he steered the ball past Marco Amelia his shot also drifted past the post.
Jeremy Mathieu blocked a weak shot from Floccari from close range in the 12th minute and then Silva went close with a driven left-foot shot which just missed the bottom-left corner of Amelia’s goal.
Defender Salvatore Bocchetti blasted a shot into the Mestalla’s second tier after 20 minutes and Valencia striker Zigic was equally wasteful with a right-foot shot over the top after a smart interception and pass from David Albelda.
Genoa got themselves in front with three minutes of the half to play when Giandomenico Mesto headed the ball into the danger area and as Valencia pushed out for offside, Floccari stretched to volley past Cesar Sanchez.
The Spanish side drew level after five minutes of the second period after Ever Banega drove forward from deep and nudged a teasing ball into the left-hand channel.
Genoa defender Socratis Papastathopoulos should have dealt with it but stumbled at the key moment and Silva seized on the ball and steered a left-foot shot into the far corner.
Mathieu’s header then drew a save from Amelia and Banega drilled a right-foot shot wide after a typical burst from deep.
Emery’s men were relentless and they took the lead in the 56th minute as Silva slipped the ball through to Mata, whose low centre from the left presented an unmissable opportunity for Zigic from close range.
Incredibly though Genoa hit back when Raffaele Palladino spotted a clever burst into the box from Papastathopoulos, who made the most of minimal contact from Mathieu and tumbled to the ground, allowing Kharja to roll a cool penalty past Cesar.
Villa, on for Zigic just before Genoa’s equaliser, forced Amelia into a near-post save with his feet.
The Spain striker was in the thick of the action again with 10 minutes to go as he won Valencia a penalty after being hauled down by fellow substitute Andrea Esposito, and made no mistake as he took the spot-kick himself.
Amelia denied him a second after Villa made space to shoot in the box with a sublime drag-back
I must say that the Genoa match was Exciting and Terrifying.
We played brilliant football, but were not properly rewarded. Valencia did in every aspect earn and deserve the 3 points.
If Valencia continue to play with that fluidity and passion we will make the top 4.
This is the Valencia i want to watch week in and week out.
Our defence was solid.. our keeper was solid.
I love the Valencia i saw that day and im so proud of them. AMUNT VALENCIA.
Can you beleive Villa has now scored 8 goals already.
Anybody that thinks we should still sell him is nuts.
Seriously .. the guy is priceless.
Humble, Loyal, Brilliant.
Bring on the weekend.
AMUNT VALENCIA
Javier De Roque
Category: Team News
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