10 Things I Think I Think about Valencia ‘07-’08

By: Cesar | August 23rd, 2007

So the season starts again.

Hope springs eternal. Flowers bloom, children rise, the sun cascades its rays over the land and the dew is sweet as honey.

And every team in the table in Spain’s La Liga comes in with optimism and belief, that this is the year, this is the season they can break free and win a cup, book a place in next season’s Champions League, maybe sneak by the big boys and win the championship.

Ahh, it’s a good time of year.

But let’s get back to reality.

Barcelona is stacked. They carry 4 of the 6 best players in the world in their training room.
Real Madrid is stacked. They bought about 78 new players to take over from the likes of Roberto Carlos, Jose Antonio Reyes and David Beckham (whose lighting it up over here States-side). Robben, Drenthe, Heinze and Sneijder (should have been here …) are great additions.
Real Zaragoza is better. Sevilla’s a tough out. Atletico Madrid looks very dangerous.

So what’s going to happen? Who will emerge from this mess to claim Spanish glory and bring the title home?

A season is so hard to predict. What looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily translate onto the pitch.
Case in point: Last season’s Barcelona. Or Real Madrid’s 2004-06 teams. You just never know what can happen.

This is going to be an unorthodox season preview.
You all know the squad, how we play, what we’re capable of (and if you don’t, shame on you!).
All the footie web sites will say the same stuff.

But I love and care about Valencia CF … that’s the only club I care about. So I’m biased and emotional and maybe a little too passionate about this club.

This is, in the style of Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, who writes the wonderful Monday Morning Quarterback column on the magazine’s website, 10 Things I Think I Think About Valencia 2007-08.

In no particular order:

1 – I think Joaquin will have a breakout season. The purchase of the ex-Betis forward last summer will come to look like a bargain, even at almost 30 million Euros.
He looked great at the end of last season after a tough settling-in period.
He’s played amazing this pre-season and I look for him to build on that to become one of the best wingers in the world. He certainly has the talent. With a solid strike force to work with, expect Joaquin to emerge.

2 – On the other side of the pitch, I think Vicente will struggle to stay healthy. He’s already hurt and will miss the Villarreal match to open the season. This guy’s so talented, so quick with his feet, so technically gifted. But he’s as fragile as an 80-year old man. He breaks down every few games and can’t be relied on.
It’s a shame, because healthy, he’s one of the best in the world.

3 – I think if we stay healthy, we can finish in the Top 3. Sadly, I don’t think that’s good enough.
Why only a Top 3 finish? Well, although Madrid is struggling, it’s early and they bought wisely.
Barcelona is super strong and boast one of the best squads of all-time. They’ll both be good.
But the biggest reason for my pessimism is that our midfield situation is still not rectified. Then again, we might buy Lucho Gonzalez in the next few days, which would make all of what I say null and void. But until then, we deal with the present. And the midfield is not good.

I also think we’re wildly inconsistent, losing to clubs we should beat. That comes down to lack of motivation. And that lack of motivation means bad coaching, from our beloved Mr. Flores, the man paid to motivate.

We’ll go for it until the latter stages of the season, but I think when all is said and done, we’ll finish third. Unless we get midfield help. Then we’ll win the Treble.

4 – I think we’ll go farther in the Champions League this season than 2006-07. That means the semifinals, at least.
But don’t expect to be celebrating in Moscow come late-May.

5 – I think the pressure will start to mount on Coach Quique Sanchez Flores, president Juan Soler and sporting director Miguel Angel Ruiz. Flores acts like a muppet most of the time, Soler seems clueless and Ruiz? What is he good for, really? The heart of this team was bought by ex-sporting director Amadeo Carboni. He got us Sunny, Mata and Alexis. What’s Ruiz done? I think failure to bring the city a trophy will increase the calls for Soler to leave. Remember, he kept Flores in the bitter power struggle last season. Now’s the time to deliver.

6 – I think the new home kits are wicked. Really class and maybe the best ones we’ve had since the Terra Mitica days of 2000-01.

7 – I think David Villa (left) will have another great season with us, especially with the tall, lanky Serbian striker Nikola Zigic taking attention away from him. But something tells me he’s going to be frustrated by the lack of trophies this season. Enjoy him while we have him, because I can see this being Villa’s last season with us.

8 – I think Sunny will mature as the season progresses. He’s going to be an excellent buy. Mata will be loaned out, Alexis will fit in nicely and Gavilan will play more than he thought, especially with Vicente injured and our midfield situation so muddled. Also, watch for Canizares to be slowly inched out and for Timo Hildebrand to play the majority of the games as the season progresses.

9 – I think Silva will continue his ascension into a Mestalla legend this year. He’s so talented, it’s not even funny. I also think Edu will come back and actually play this season and that Baraja will also contribute more than anticipated. Still, would have been nice to have someone like Kallstrom or Sneijder organizing for us in the middle … *sigh*

10 – I think I may not be the only Valencia fan at the bar watching the games this season! Maybe my dream of a ‘NY CHE’ penya will come true after all! Remember, if you’re in New York and want to meet up for a game, e-mail me and let me know. I’ll be at Nevada Smiths in New York City this Sunday for the first game of the season. Stop by and introduce yourself!

Now remember, I’m pretty bad at the predicting game. And anything can happen. We might even get a midfielder, which would blow most of what I say out of the water.

So let’s hope I’m really bad at predictions and we’re celebrating a Champions League victory in May, a La Liga title and a Copa del Rey triumph, as well.

You never know, right?

See ya Sunday! AMUNT SEMPRE!!!!!!