Orange Crush

By: Cesar | October 22nd, 2007

I went to the local pub this weekend with every intention of meeting my friends for the Rugby World Cup final (mind you, I know nothing about rugby).

But I got stuck there when I noticed that Spain’s cable dispute caused Barcelona’s shellacking at the hands of Villarreal to be blacked out in favor of our boys matchup against Deportivo La Coruna.

Move over World Cup Final, I’m watching the Orange Crush instead!

And Orange Crush they were (wearing their lovely orange away kits) as they trounced their old Galician rivals, 4-2.
(For video of the game, please click here and enjoy!)

I’ve been quite negative about Valencia the past few weeks (months?) but all in fairness, it’s been warranted.
I’m not saying that this game made up for the months of negative football we’ve seen.
But it was a step in the right direction.

First off, the team played well for much of the first half. They piled it on, with Joaquin and Silva playing outstanding football. In the face of David Villa’s absence, the attacking lines really stepped up. Big kudos to the aforementioned wingers and Fernando Morientes, who scored two brilliant headers.

What worries me probably shouldn’t worry me as much: The defense looked shoddy in the second half.

We were up 3-1 at halftime. It’s possible the boys saw the big lead and didn’t play up to their abilities.
Or it could be that the defense is that bad.

I’m not sure. Deportivo certainly had their chances at the end of the second half, hitting a post here and taking advantage of defensive miscues there. A ball bounces this way or that way and the game could have been more of a nail-biter at the end. Then again, isn’t every game a tale of a few ball bounces this way and that?

Still, the defense needs to get better. Helguera’s red card near the end of the game means Alexis will probably start in the middle next week against tough rivals Sevilla. Miguel looked strong and Moretti is pretty good, in my eyes.
But Albiol, as good as he can be at times, fails to convince me. True, the lad’s a youngster and he’s progressing. But is it only me or does he scare you a bit out there in the center defense?

As far as the midfield goes, I think it’s still a work in progress. There’s a definite lack of creativity in the middle of the pitch. I’d describe our current play as efficient. Which is fine. But we can get better. The additions of Fernandes and Edu to our regular rotation should make the middle of Los Che’s team that much more imaginative.

Still, big kudos to the squad for this important victory. Scoring four goals at the Riazor against a limited Deportivo may not be like beating Manchester United at Old Trafford, but it certainly speaks well for a team missing a few starters and coming off lackluster play. Depor’s stadium is always an intimidating place to play (Valencia are not exactly fan favorites there, as evidenced by the garbage flying at the players throughout the game) and the team rallied to play good football.

Just imagine, a squad with Vicente back on the wing, playing with a rejuvenated Edu in the middle along with Fernandes. Joaquin, who is out of his mind at the moment, flinging balls into the middle for the tall man Zigic, who drops them for El Guaje David Villa. And let’s not forget Silva and deadly ‘Sixth Man’ Morientes. If they can shore up the defense a bit, that sounds like a killer squad to me.

So with the victory, Valencia move up to a tie for second place with 18 points, one behind leaders Real Madrid and tied with Week 1 destroyers Villarreal. Not too shabby.

This Wednesday, it’s a matchup in cold, rainy Norway against Rosenborg in the Champions League.
The good news preceding the game is the return of David Villa, who has been shelved for a few weeks with a knee knock. Unfortunately, midfielder Fernandes won’t be in the Scandinavian fixture, with recurring injuries.

A victory here will be tough, but it’s not impossible. It would go far to establishing our foothold in the group. Chelsea face a tough matchup against Schalke 04 and even though they defeated us a few weeks back, nothing is to be taken for granted. In my mind, we control our own destiny and a victory here in the middle game of the group stage will go a long way towards establishing our qualification to the knockout stages.

After this week’s game, it’s Sevilla in Andalucia and then a tough home game against current leaders Real Madrid.
Should be an entertaining few days that’ll show us exactly what Valencia is made of.

As always, AMUNT!