Balearic Island Hop
By: Cesar | January 24th, 2009
Back to the grind this weekend and it’s a hop, skip and jump over the Mediterranean Sea and into the city of Mallorca to meet 19th place Real Mallorca.
This marks the first game of the second half of our schedule, as we played Mallorca in the first game of the season, a 3-0 victory capped by luscious goals by Vicente, Mata and David Villa.
Since then, the Barralets or Ensaimada Mecánica as they’re affectionately known (Xes, help me out here) haven’t done so well.
They’re a mere 6 points from First Division safety, with only 3 wins in 19 games. Segunda Liga, here we come?
Performances on the pitch have been a failure, while boardroom upheaval off the field have left the club in a permanent position of upheaval. Paul Davidson’s ill-fated takeover completely collapsed, leaving the club searching for a new backer to buy out current supremo Vicente Grande.
On the pitch, new signings are scant. While their league form leaves much to be desired, Mallorca’s Copa Del Rey form has been excellent. Their 1-0 win over Real Betis on Thursday sees them one result away from a semi-final berth in the competition they won in 2003. But their league record continues to toil into the New Year.
Comprehensive defeats to Real Madrid and Villarreal highlighted the extent of the decline.
As far as we’re concerned, David Villa will get some much-needed rest this weekend. Manuel Fernandes is suspended following his red card against Athletic last Sunday, and Pisha Joaquin is a doubt because of a knock sustained in training. Goalkeeper Renan is out, which could mean a start for former Real Madrid #1 ‘keeper Cesar Sanchez.
Attempted murderer/big-boned defender Miguel is back as is the diminutive David Silva.
Look for Fernando Morientes to start up front, with 87-year old Ruben Baraja in the middle. Don’t be surprised if newly-recruited Manolo wait-staff Pablo Hernandez gets a run out there, too. An Edu sighting might be in order as well.
As for Mallorca, I’m not too keen on many of their players. Now that former Pichichi Dani Guiza is plying his trade in Turkey, I’ve no idea who plays there.
There’s the ‘keeper we tried to knick in the summer, Miguel Moya. But he’s injured. There’s Webo, ex-Osasuna striker. He’s always a threat. And I notice former Valencia punch-out artist and current Spanish UFC Middleweight Champion David Navarro out on the pitch. Better wear head gear for this one …
Here’s Goal.com’s superb, always correct prediction to the match:
The league table would suggest a Valencia win, however, Mallorca have picked up points at home so may cause Los Che’s constantly changing back five a problem. A draw may be the end scoreline.
Mallorca 1-1 Valencia
I won’t state the obvious. I will say that I believe in my heart of hearts we’ll do some damage in this game against a poor opponent and win all three points.
There. I didn’t lose my cool. We good? Good …
Two more tidbits of news ahead of tomorrow’s 3-1 victory:
1 – Unai Emery says La Liga is the mother of all competitions, ahead of the UEFA Cup and Copa Del Rey.
You think he’s been reading the blog? Hi, Mr. Emery!!!!
The Kevin Costner lookalike admitted to the press that his side turning their heads towards the Copa del Rey second-leg against Sevilla would be a ‘tremendous misconception,’ before saying how important the league is.
“The league gives you the most consistency and determines what competition you will be in the following season,” he told Spanish rag Marca. “The UEFA Cup and the Copa Del Rey are important, but the league is the main one.”
Good to know.
2 – These next 19 games could be the last league games for David Villa in a Valencia kit.
According to the English press, Villa might be off to Manchester City for something in the neighborhood of €90 million.
That’s a lot of money, my friends.
And it’s not like Valencia have called off the hounds. According to the article, Valencia’s sporting director Fernando Gomez has given City encouragement that a bid in the summer would be likely to prove successful.
“We are calm at the moment, but it is normal for people to be talking about David,” he said.
“He is our best striker and we do not want to sell him. But, in football, nothing is impossible.”
Having said that, another article states that Man City coach Mark Hughes found the price for Euro 2008’s leading scorer preposterous. That’s called ‘inflation,’ Mr. Hughes.
“We will not pay ridiculous money,” Hughes is quoted as saying in the British tabloid the Daily Mail.
He continued: “If a club wants us at the table, it has to talk sensibly. Valencia wanted £90 million for David Villa and the fact is he isn’t worth £90 million, so no deal.”
The former Manchester United striker is keeping calm, affirming: “It is difficult to overcome the idea that there is one price for us and another for the rest but we have dropped deals before and we will again.”
Ok … so what do you think?
If Man City come to us with a 90-million Euro deal plus players, can we really afford to say no?
Trust me, I’d hate it more than anyone. I detest teams trying to buy championships (although I am a NY Yankees fan. That’s different!).
But can we really say no to a deal like this?
Villa isn’t going anywhere this season. But next season? For a 27-year old striker going on 28, this may be the time to cash in the chips. It’s not like his value will skyrocket in the next few seasons.
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m changing my mind on the issue. I’m not. I want David Villa to stay here. I don’t want him playing in Manchester with City. At all.
But the money would surely help the club out. The money might afford us the opportunity to find a good replacement, invest in the future, pay down some debt, etc.
In other words, the viability of the club could be helped by this deal.
Uggh … frustrating, isn’t it? My heart is torn …
Category: Team News
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Comments
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@cesar, yes, I went to see them on jan 15, they played a lot of their new song plus allmost the entire black album, some garage Inc, and many of the oldies from ride the lightning, loaded, reloaded which I think was totally f***ing awesome…. Don’t expect too much from machine head though… I didn’t see them the same day since I got there 15 min before metallica started playing but I got a chance to see them a while back with hellyeah and nonpoint and they sucked…. I guess is a matter of taste. I guess those were $100 well spent.
Posted from
United States
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@ bob
I saw the star wars trilogy and Jabba the Hut also had a father, so that Soler must have one as well! In Star Wars Luke Skywalker was the father btw, so we might be saved by the Force on february 1st!Well i would say if he has currency probs he should have bought Mestalla back in november when everything was on the lowest point in history (almost got back in the Stone Age, but than i noticed i was on mushrooms). Sure Soriano said the foreign buyer has some “liquidity problems” like everybody has these days (except for governments it seems) but i dont see such liquidity problems being solved in this very week. If it just depends on these weeks, than i think they cant afford Mestalla anyway. But what do we care, Segunda División B is also cool!!!
Posted from
Netherlands -
timothy,have you read the millwall reports from the weekend?
jw if these buyers cant afford the mestalla,there are plenty who can,if the price is right,football clubs are like trinkets to these people,if buying the plot also includes don sorianos acciones then its a way into ownership.i didnt know luke was his father,is this fact or did it come to you in a dream?
Posted from
Spain -
@ bob
i don’t think there are too many buyers mate, especially in Spain the construction and real estate market is totally fucked. I know the ground / neighbourhood which is pretty good for some high rise and all but it is certainly not cheap. So these days who has 300 million to spend, and who sees a decent future in the Spanish real estate market? Not too many.About my visions, my mother used to say i was a direct child of god, so my visions and dreams can be considered as facts plus are registered trademarks of the Roman Catholic Church!! May the force be with you bob!
Posted from
Netherlands -
Hi, I must complain about the bad mouthing against Guaita
“pathetic” has been used more than once (Caesar) I watched a resumen of the whole game last night on minute a minute Spanish tv. I say all the goals in slow motion many times. The first goal by Varela was a very hard shot Guaita had to dive full stretch and only just got his hands to it. It was to strong to hold, you have to be behind the ball with that sort of strength. Marca commented few goalkeepers would have held that. The Penalty well thats the usual problem. Unless the Kicker telegraphs what he is doing its always just a guess.
The third goal was the same old defence story. I think it was Marchena who missed a cross and it went straight to Marti who tore off on the left wing in front of every one and scored when he was about 3 yards away. Goalkeepers should not have to face this one on one. Remember the games we had with Racing and Sporting ? Thats how we lost them and goalkeepers cannot be expected to cope with this, thats what we have defenders for.As to the rest well all the other shots that Mallorca put in and there were plenty of them,Guaita stopped, he has only played 2 Liga matches and in his debut last week he was first class. Dont trash players so easily otherwise you become like the Valencia Stadium fans who waved their white handkerchiefs at Quique when he lost a match and he was kicked out although they were 4 points from the top. Dont put topo much faith in Caesar he is very rusty. He wasnt that great. Last time they played in the same Liga together in 2005/2006 Canizares let in 29 goals in 36 games and Caesar let in 46 in 35. So he`s only a year and a bit younger, why get rid of Canizares then, he has played a lot more recently than Caesar has.
Hes had 2 years on the bench,when e was lucky to get that far. The best thing Caesar can do is to coach Guaita..We havent any money to spend so make the most of what weve got and try and make criticism constructive. Save the bad remarks for the Ref. That was no penalty for Mallorca, I saw it many times, a slight pull on the shirt a couple of paces outside the box and when he got in the box he fell forward with no body contact. If there was a tug from behind, how does it make you fall forward ?? Adios AlmendrasPosted from
Spain -
Dammit almendras; you definately could give the VCF some management advice….
Posted from
United States -
@Almedras .I agree with you 100%…
We have to support our team at all points of time,Just give heart felt support and u wil go through a range of emotions living with VALENCIA!!!!Every defeat will be painful…
but every victory will be sweeter than anything in this world!!!About the penalty we can ask the same question to the refrees association!!
Posted from
United States -
@bob, no mate, i didn’t read the reports. what happened? a supporter’s brawl?
Posted from
United States -
I agree with Almendras, I dont think Guaita was THAT bad. But I disagree on the 1st goal as I think it was Guaita’s fault that he didnt clear it further away. I mean no one expects him to catch that ball but he should have pushed it away from his goal (a good goalkeeper would have done that). I think Miguel should have reacted faster for the ball as he was closer to it than the attacker.
As for the 2nd and 3rd goal, I agree he takes no blame for those and it was the defenders fault (Albiol in the first and Miguel in the 2nd).
In the 2nd half Guaita was very good and he made 3-4 crucial saves.
But if we were to judge Guaita’s 1st two matches and Renan’s, Guaita is miles better and has made more crucial saves than Renan did early in the campaign. Remember how terrible Renan was when he first started?
I dont think that there is a big difference between Guaita and Renan, they are both unreliable keepers and they are both not good enough for Valencia in their current form.
Posted from
United States -
5 days left for Soriano to sell the old ground….
Posted from
United States -
@ fayez: take a chill pill mate..we have good goalies..with our defense and the spanish refrees the likes of asenjo will also be letting in 3 goals per game..as javier mentioned few weeks ago we grow stars..that’s what makes all this worthwhile..
@almendras:thanks for putting things in better light..
we really have problem away from home.. we dont play good football at all..and we have stated conceeding bucket load of goals in our home games too
Posted from
India -
almendres , the third goal,i thought he could have done more. given time i reckon he and renan will be ok.on the whole i think people are very hard on the team and young emery in particular,but everyone has their opinions its just as ive said before¨mine are right¨
timothy there was some ¨ exuberance¨ from the lions fans,they are now being blamed for everything from the dutch language to the failed mango harvest in the cook islands and guitis hair.the same happened with arsenal this week but thats ok cos they are arsenal.
JW there should be a thriving tourist industry built around you,like the holy tortilla lady of mexico
Posted from
Spain -
So we lose yet another Sunday game.
Man……is our defense Sh*t or what?
Just like everyone has stated, our attack is very much okay.In fact, besides yesterday’s match, we have been scoring an average of 3 goals per match with 1 in the 1st 10 mins since Silva’s return.
Unfortunately, our defense has gone bunkers since the departure of Alexis.
Now, those calling for Emery’s head,I’ll say its a tad too early.
Do not forget that this is the same squad that Koeman almost led to relegation.
emery has had to work with no financial back up and so far, I’ll say he has done very well.
Johnnie and co….Remember what I always said back then in the Armada.The key to a successful team like ours should be consistency.
We are not R.Madrid or Barca and I dont expect us to fire coaches every season.
A top 4 finish + a league title every now and then should do it for us.
I know we are the most ambitious fans you will find anywhere but it’s what Valencia has made us.With the kind of football we are known for, you dont expect less.
Unfortunately, that is NOT football for you.Take Arsenal for example,beautiful football but nothing to show for it.
Emery might say the Liga is the priority but dont forget he reports to a board.
In fact, I think the Copa is the board’s priority and they can axe Emery for losing it.
Unfortunately, our squad lacks the depth to go for it and we are beginning to suffer that now.
All we can do is hope and pray our players make it through this Season……….
My 2 centsPosted from
United States -
@ Kat : Dude for the 4.5ME we paid for Renan we could have added 1ME and had Asenjo (who is better, younger by 5 years, and has an EU passport).
Just another example of why we should get better scouts.
Posted from
United States -
I used the word Unfortunately like 4 times…….It goes to show Valencia is a very unfortunate club.
Posted from
United States -
@fayez, dude, i’m sorry, but just like olic, i don’t think the asenjo transfer is gonna happen. unfortunately, we don’t have a pot to piss in when it comes to transfer battles with the likes of barca and real mierda, who seem to covet asenjo. so we’re gonna have to make due with what we have. on a brighter note, my hotel in valencia went down to $90 us dollars a night, woo hoo!
Posted from
United States -
@bob, one day i wanna take part in some form of hooliganism, whether its for our beloved valencia or some part-time work with your millwall.
Posted from
United States -
Christ, Renan is in another league to Guita.
Well actually he’s not. They are both in La Liga. But only recently, as Guita was was with Mestalla and that WAS in another league. Thats the difference between them and anyone who cant see that should have gone to specsavers.
I’d take Renan as Van Der Saar’s replacement at United. He’s not without faults but there are very few keepers who are truly world class at 23 years of age. Maybe Cech and Buffon in days gone by – but probably not even them. He’ll go on to be a fantastic keeper, same as Ustari and Asenjo – even if one or both of them end up better than Renan.
Part of me thinks your over-critical view of Renan is because you’d rather sell him and then buy 3 Brazilian attackers for the squad Fayez. But there are talented outfield players from Europe too
Don’t forget that. And if thats not good enough, just add “inho” and “aldo” to the end of each Valencia players name and you’ll be sorted.Posted from
United Kingdom -
@lillo….
lol.Adding inho and alod will sure make them brazilian since they are already latin american.Posted from
United States -
@ Lillo
i think you are looking through veeeery Valencia-biased glasses with that statement mate. Just look at him objectively and tell me , did he really impress? I mean what does a goalkeeper have to do: catch balls, have quick reflexes, stay calme, guide our defence, shoot some balls and take every ball possible. So lets see where Renan is good at, or maybe could be good at: in catching balls the dude is ok, nothing spectacular and sometimes fucking up some easy balls. Second the quick reflexes, naah thanks the dude wont ever make a Casillas move, maybe in his dreams. Stay calme, no thanks, i think even Guaita shows more confidence and is more calme during a match. Guide our defence, well they can screw themselves very well so hard to say there, than shooting some balls, as i said before he has a very bad shot, only his throw in is good (handball is also a cool sport). Than last but not least, trying to get every ball possible; I must say he certainly isnt bad at than, but he just shows too many minors to be able to save us big matches. I was one who was totally glad with his coming but seriously, he shows soo few things that make me put my confidence in him making him our nr 1. Sure goalies age, sure they need time, but this guy has not proven anything but being a out-of-confidence goalie with some good saves yeah, but a lot of bad moments…Posted from
Netherlands -
@ Lillo: Bro, Asenjo is 19 and Ustari is 22, and both are miles better than Renan (24 – it was his birthday a few days ago). There is no way that Renan would be half as good as them in the future unless he has a rare and dramatic improvement. Kameni, who is also 24, is also much better than Renan. So even for his age he isnt a very good goalkeeper.
The thing about Asenjo is that he was available in the summer and Real Madrid and Barca were never in the picture. We were interested in him but we paid 4.5ME for Renan when we could have gotten Asenjo for 5ME. Asenjo not only knew la liga but was younger too. I just think our scouts should have seen that.
I agree with Johnnie’s analysis of our goalkeepers, they’re not amazing. Where Renan is REALLY lacking is in the reflex department, and that’s something that doesnt improve much with age.
Posted from
United States -
Re: Fayez, I’m sorry but I think you’re being just a bit ridiculous on this one. Yeah Asenjo and Ustari are both younger and might be rated as having better futures in football… But are you really telling me that a goalkeeper who doesnt impress you at 23/24, isnt good enough? That he isnt likely to improve enough over the next 6 years to at least have another 3-5 years at the top level like most keepers do? I’ve seen awful young keepers be fantastic keepers in their late twenties and into their thirties. Thats how it tends to work in fact.
Even the young keepers that have been mentioned would probably fall apart behind the world’s worst defence. At least at their clubs they play with an organised back-four, Renan plays behind a swirling cluster-fuck.
Short of signing Buffon, I really dont know what you want. Renan is another player who isnt at the top level yet, but has shown enough promise at a young age to suggest he could get there if he’s given the time and experience needed. Sell him now and you could lose a potential star in the future (like we did selling Forlan for £1 million…). Besides, what happened with Hildebrand? He was once rated the best German keeper and set new records for clean sheets in his league. I can remember because we used to play against him each season in the champions league and he’d impress. But take him to Valencia, expect him to play behind that ‘defence’ and look what happens. I mean, forget Buffon – he’d be making individual errors in such a poorly organised backline. You need Superman.
As for Asenjo, if he really was available for that price and I’ve never seen a quote that suggests that, but if he was thats a shame and it would have been an amazing coup. But nobody did it… So the whole world missed out didnt they. Either that or the information is incorrect. Afterall, one club missing him might happen but nobody secured the deal which is a bit fishy.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Re: Mr. Walker
I watched Renan for Brazil as well as in each league match this season and while he’s had some awful moments… Well I dont believe any keeper in the world would not have awful moments with the valencia defence the way it is right now. I’ve also seen him make some very good shot stops. Wouldnt say he’s very good on crosses but no goalkeeper in La Liga is. Oh well, just be careful what you wish for is all I’ll say. I can see him maturing into one of the better keepers around in a few years time, you better hope I’m wrong if you get rid of him
Posted from
United Kingdom -
@ Lillo
i hope you prove me wrong
But than again, in how many years do you think Renan will be at his top, or at least such a level capable of undisputable be our number one? I see that taking a loooong time and in football we do not have the luxury of waiting thát long. I’d lay we get an Asenjo or Ustari, we will have more security right now and a better future ahead. Cause in football of course a goalie should learn, but we can not wait for ages before he gets settles. I remain sceptical with Renan!Posted from
Netherlands -
this is going t be so cool.
Posted from
Australia
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