Almeria Thoughts

By: Cesar | September 15th, 2008

I didn’t watch the Valencia-Almeria match yesterday as the game wasn’t shown here in the United States. So instead of reveling in our 2-2 draw against Unai Emery’s former squad, I was treated to the New England Patriots pasting my New York Jets (the Levante of the National Football League) with a quarterback who hadn’t started since high school … lovely stuff, I have to tell you.

Anyways, I’ve read up on the game and I have to say that, save some comments here and there, the analysis has been brutal against Valencia.

Now most of you know I’m quite negative when it comes to my Beloved. But some of the stuff, especially by the Real Madrid website goal.com, are simply ridiculous.

Here, a supposed ‘editorial’ by one of the website’s crack staff …

With Villa running around just to get a slice of the ball, Silva wondering from the medics’ table how Valencia are going to cope without him for the next few weeks, the midfield lacking imagination and creativity, the backfour uncertain and cocky and Timo Hildebrand (allegedly!) laughing himself off at Renan’s misery in front of goal, Valencia didn’t look the championship material that they appeared to be last week.
…
This is not to suggest at all that Los Che are creeping back into the old pit that was dug for them last season. Four points out of a possible six at the start of the season is considerably good when you consider that Valencia are actually second in the table, one point ahead of Real Madrid and three better off than FC Barcelona.

What is worrying is the way they performed against Almeria. They severely missed David Silva on the left, Ruben Baraja in central defensive midfield and Carlos Marchena at the back – a subtle attestation of how crucial these players are going to be as the season develops. Or was it because this was an away match for Valencia that they looked somewhat conservative and uninspiring?

Read the rest if you so desire. I think it’s a bit far reaching.

I mean, it is the second game of the season! Can we walk off the ledge a little please?

Second game of the season and we have a win and a draw against a tough, up-and-coming Almeria side who were looking to stick it a bit to their old coach on their home ground?

I’d say we did ok.

Not only that, if we’d played this game last season, we’d have been beaten 4-0, 5-0 for sure.

Now? We’re hanging tough, we’re taking the game to our opponents and we’re not laying down when we lose a lead or fall behind. All positives.

With Madrid winning and Barcelona tying, we’re 3 points ahead of the Catalan national team and 1 ahead of Team España. Again, early in the season but not bad.

Some tidbits:

- The ‘editorial’ talks about how disgruntled goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand must be laughing his a$$ of watching Renan make mistakes in goal that lead to two Almeria goals. I don’t know what he’s talking about. From what I saw on replays, the goals looked like legitimate goals. They were hard to handle and buried by the Almeria attackers.

- It sounds like the defense was shaky, especially in the first half. We’ve talked bout this ad nauseum. But with Carlos Marchena out, what’s to be expected? I’m surprised it’s not worse than it is, to be honest.

- Almeria’s attackers, Pablo Piatti and Alvaro Negredo, are very good, young players. Almeria as a whole are a very good team, something we knew when we hired Emery. So why such negativity with us getting just a point at their home ground? I dunno, but I’m happy with the result.

- Strange move by Emery having Joaquin play the game in the center. He proved more efficient when moved to a more natural wide role. Still, he slotted the ball to Villa for the second goal.
The absence of Silva, Vicente and Baraja necessitated the odd moves. The team looked better in the second half when Edu, Angulo and Morientes came on.

- Villa. What more do I need to say? Always fights, always in good positions. Villa is, in my opinion, the best striker in the world. He must have been frustrated somewhat by the lack of creativity in the middle throughout much of the match any by the lack of distribution, but when he got the ball, he cooly slotted home. He never fails.

- Unai?

“The people on the bench must always give us more drive, because they are fresher and that was exactly what they did tonight,” the ‘Waterworld’ actor said during the post-match news conference.

“But that is not to say the first eleven did not do their job. I am satisfied with the effort the team put in as a whole, although not with the result,” he added.

The 36 year-old tactician, however, does not believe that he selected the wrong eleven to start the game.

“In the first half, we did not pressure Almería enough. But in the start of the second half, with the same players on the pitch, we already looked a different team. The changes came later and we improved but it was not because of who was on the field. It was a question of absorbing Almería’s pressure,” he explained.

I’d have to agree. Almeria are simply a very good team and anyone who takes them lightly will pay.

For Valencia to sneak in there with Almeria’s ex-coach and expect a cakewalk would have been egotistical. I think a draw was a very fair result.

Next up? A UEFA Cup match on Thursday against Portuguese side Maritimo. I know nothing about them, so I’ll have to do some research before the match in Portugal.

A draw is a draw is a draw. But it’s better than a loss. I see positives in our display yesterday in Almeria. I think we’re certainly still on our way.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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