The return of Valencia

 In December it looked as though the (former?) great club of Valencia was on its way down. They were in relegation spots in the league, and were playing awful. But how things can change with a new manager! Ruben Baraja was fired and on Christmas day Carlos Corberan was brought to his home town from West Bromwich Albion, where he had been coaching for 2 years.

And in his first few months Carlos Corberan has changed the team, which now seems to have faith in its qualities. Slowly but steadily the team moved above relegation, and last weekend they defeated none other than Real Madrid 1-2 at the Santiago Barnabeu. This victory was notable for being their first away victory in the league for nearly a year, as well as the first time they won at Chamartin since 2008. And just yesterday they pulled an important 1-0 victory at home against Sevilla, and the team is now on 13th place, safely above relegation.

Valencia will not be playing in Europe next season (although some are dreaming of this unlikely prospect), but the revived Valencia also has some fantastic youngsters like Javi Guerra, Christian Mosquera and Diego Lopez, that hopefully will help build a new and great Valencia.

Debacle

I was almost going to watch Barcelona-Valencia, but decided to do something else as expectations on Valencia doing anything are very low. And thankfully I did not watch a debacle where a team of washed-out veterans and youth players lost 7-1 to FC Barcelona.

Valencia is on its way to be relegated, being second to last, only ahead of hapless Valladolid. Perhaps it is time for Valencia to be relegated following the many years of Telenovela ownershipo by Peter Lim, and ever increasing debt, and all the most talented players being sold (one of the products of Valencia's youth academy, Ferran Torres, scored for Barcelona today). It has been painful to be a Valencia fan during Lim's ownership, and all the club needs is some stability, and perhaps this will be found in Segunda Division...

FC Barcelona grand mess

FC Barcelona appears to have started the season well with two victories over Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, two traditionally difficult sides. But the good start is overshadowed by the financial mess that is the Catalonian club, and which needs to be addressed, as well is putting in doubt these financial rules for big football clubs.

The entire financial situation is a mess as described in articles that can give a finer description of the details than I can. One immediate consequence that we see as fans is that FC Barcelona's salary ceiling appears to be too high, and they have this week been forced to let go of Ilkay Gundogan, the outstanding German midfielder who has returned to Manchester City after only one season at the Catalan club. While Barcelona also had to abandon trying to sign Nico Williams (whose partnership with Lamina Yamal would be a great asset), and need to find more savings to be able to be allowed to sign Dani Olmo from Leipzig.

While FC Barcelona and its accountants are trying to do do accounting acrobatics to stabilize income amid the rebuilding of the Camp Nou and closing a debt gap of nearly one billion USD, one has to wonder how a club like FC Barcelona has gotten itself in this situation...

It appears to be years and years of financial mismanagement as the "socio" structure: the club is owned by members of the FC Barcelona society, where anyone can become a member by an application and an annual fee. These socios elect the members of the board and the President of the club in democratic elections.

It is a model that is also used in Real Madrid, and has set the clubs apart less as "money machines" to an illusion of them being representatives of a community and working for that community.

But this is obviously an illusion as these clubs elect presidents who appear to have limited interest in the financial stability of the clubs, and perhaps more importantly, limited knowledge of what financial stability means. Because FC Barcelona, its socios, and its fans appear to have to face the truth that their club is bankrupt and that if it is not to be punished by being disqualified from European football and punished in La Liga (the latter being less likely), they need to find investors with real money who can save the club. 

As was seen with Valencia, this may not work, but it seems to be that the club either accepts a new ownership structure or accept a few seasons where the priority is to rebuild the finances at the cost of lower positions in the league.

I would prefer the latter if I were a fan. They still have a solid team that will play high level, if not fighting for trophies, as they rebuild. But that is exactly what seems to be unacceptable for anyone in this side, who prefer to live the illusion of democracy and great football.

As a football fan it is a pity, but FC Barcelona have brought themselves into this situation.

Starting up

 Following a post-tournament hangover and a pretty boring Olympic tournament that I did not even find worth writing about, we are now starting the European leagues with the Premier League starting yesterday when Manchester United defeated Fulham 1-0, starting a new season with a victory as they will try to improve on their 8th place in last year's PL.

In the meantime other favourites have also started well: Liverpool defeated Ipswich 2-0 with Mohammed Salah setting Diogo Jota up for the first goal and scoring the second himself. Arsenal, a side with huge ambitions after coming close to win the league the last couple of seasons, defeated Wolverhampton 2-o on goals by Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, while last season's number four, Aston Villa, defeated West Ham 1-2 and will the looking to repeat their great season.

The champions of the last four seasons, Manchester City, are playing tomorrow in a clash against a Chelsea side that also will want to improve on their 6th place of last season.

In Spain the league started today as well with Valencia losing 1-2 at home to Barcelona. I don't think we can expect anything from the Valencians while Barcelona will be looking to upset a Real Madrid side that frankly looks like nobody can threaten them.

I am moving soon. My TV is gone and my place is full of boxes, so I did not in fact watch the matches, but certainly expect to watch more soon!

New Spanish arrivals

So it has been confirmed: Kylian Mbappe is joining Real Madrid. Already the best team in Europe, the arrival of the great Frenchman would only seem to make it stronger, but at the same time we know how such an arrival can destabilize the team as different egos collide. That said, if anyone can manage such a situation it is Carlo Ancelotti. That said, it is also interesting how Mbappe will enter the tactical set up of Real Madrid. Both Carlo Ancelotti and Mbappe himself have proven quite flexible, so depending on the match it would appear that Vinicius Jr. could play on top with Mbappe on the left (and Bellingham just behind), or alternatively an Mbappe-Vinicius Jr attacking duo. It would appear that the main player losing his position would be Rodrygo.

But it remains to be seen.

FC Barcelona are struggling to catch up with Real Madrid. There was a circus in terms of Xavi leaving (first yes, then no, and then finally to leave anyway), and after many rumours it has been confirmed that the ex-Bayern Munich and ex-Germany manager Hansi Flick is to take over as FC Barcelona manager. He did not have much success as Germany manager, but as Bayern Munich manager he is perhaps best known in Barcelona as the one who presided over an 8-2 trashing of the Catalans in 2020. That said, he appears to be an interesting choice, although Circus-Barcelona probably needs much more than just a new good manager.

Real Madrid are favourites for the next season in La Liga.

Lazy Sunday matches

Despite it being a lazy Sunday at home I watched too great matches. The first was the FA Cup quarterfinal between Manchester United and Liverpool. 

Liverpool have ambitious goals now in Klopp's farewell season, while Manchester United is continuing its unstable ride under Erik ten Haag. It was nevertheless United who looked the strongest as the match got going and only ten minutes into the match it was the Scotsman, Scott McTominay who scored for United. Liverpool appeared uninspired but managed to put some pressure towards the end of the first half and it was Alexis McAllister who equalised, while Mohammed Salah brought Liverpool ahead just before halftime.

It was not fully deserved for Liverpool, but they showed some spine and appeared more confidence.

But confidence does not always translate into results: Liverpool pressured but they lacked concentration, both in attack and in defense, and they slowly let United into the match; three minutes before time Antony equalised for United after a clumsy Liverpool loss in midfield, and the match had to go into an exciting extra time (not that us neutrals cared). And just as the first half of extra time was ending Harvey Elliot brought Liverpool ahead 2-3, and they seemed to be in the semifinals, but again they lost concentration: Marcus Rashford equalised and in the last minute of extra time the young Ivorian Amad Diallo scored the winner for Manchester United after a quick counterattack following a Liverpool corner; a situation that seemed unnecessary (stupidly, Diallo got a second yellow card for taking his shirt off, and will miss the semifinal, showing him as a player that needs to grow...).

Manchester United will face one of the other victors this weekend: Manchester City, Chelsea, and every neutral's favourite, Coventry City, some the Championship!

The other match I enjoyed watching was La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona. Atletico Madrid have the best home record in the league, but today FC Barcelona played perhaps their best match of the season, and one has to wonder if Xavi's resignation at the end of the season is in place.

FC Barcelona were completely dominant the entire match, and the few chances that the Madrileans had were taken care off by a strong Marc-Andre ter-Stegen. It was the former Atletico player Joao Felix who scored the first Barcelona goal after an elegant pass from Robert Lewandowski (Joao Felix used to plat for Atletico, and I found it unfair that the fans were after him throughout the match. He did show himself as the bigger man by not celebrating his goal though).

All in all, Lewandoski showed that he still has incredible skills, and his 2-0 goal in the second half was a typical center-forward goal, but the goal in the low corner from a difficult angle. It was the young Barcelona player Fermin Lopez who scored the third for Barcelona, who seemed to be enjoying the match as they have not done lately. 

This was the Barcelona we know...

With Girona losing to Getafe, Barcelona now takes second spot int he table behind Real Madrid. That said, with an 8-point difference it seems unlikely that Barcelona can overtake Real Madrid. That said, this result is a warning regarding their coming matches, in particular against PSG in the Champions League.

 

Reluctant admiration amid disappointment

 I still consider myself a Valencia fan although the team has over the years gone from disappointment to disappointment. One of these disappointments has been the fan's racism, something that is sadly still too common in Spain. One player who suffered racist attacks in Valencia was Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.

I certainly supported Valencia against Real Madrid today, and even after Dani Carvajal's early goal for Madrid I hoped that Valencia would equalize, only for Hugo Duro to give us some shameful misses. But Real Madrid were far superior in the end, and a victory of 5-1 was fully deserved, and one could even not help to admire Vinicius Junior who, with two goals, contributed to Valencia's humiliation.

It was a sporting disappointment for a fan like me, but well deserved for Real Madrid in every other respect.

Spanish racism

Vinicius Jr., the splendid Brazilian stiker from Real Madrid, has again been victim of racial abuse from fans, most recently against Valencia. This has prompted him to come out with some harsh words about Spanish fans and football authorities, accusing them openly of racism.

He is probably right.

I have been to many games in Spain, and I am sorry to say that my impression is that there is an incredibly high tolerance for racist and xenophobic abuse than in other countries. This does not only includes openly racist chants as the ones that have been used against Vinicius, but certainly also xenophobic chants against South Americans or other nationalities. In a society already stratified by regional divisions, one can discuss the reasons behind the behavior, but the only truth is that it is wrong, and that a player like Vinicius Jr. should never be subject to these insults. And this is where the Spanish football authorities are acting so pathetically: it seems that the only solution they propose is “we have reported the case to the authorities”, when the real solutions must be to stop the matches, award the three points to the away team, and then let them play without spectators.

There is no other way from stopping this shit from happening, and they should take action.

Valencia in crisis

 I have supported Valencia for many years, but the last few years under the ownership of Peter Lim the club appears to have gone from bad to worse. Yesterday I went to a local pub in San Salvador to watch an important home game as Valencia are in a relegation position with only 30 points. So they were in need of a victory at home against a Sevilla side that is neither in a good position.

They were two organised sides, with Valencia having a few more attacks in a closed first half that ended 0-0. But it was a mistake by Dimitry Foulquier in the center that gave Loic Bade a free chance by which he brought Sevilla ahead 0-1. Soon thereafter we had one of those interpretative situations that VAR cannot give a definitive answer for: the ball clearly hit the arm of a Sevilla defender in the penalty area; nowadays these situation often give a penalty, but this time the referee did not give the penalty after checking with VAR. Surprising, as well as disappointing for Valencia, but there is no definitive answer....

Instead of an equalizer, Sevilla went ahead 0-2 on an elegant shot by Suso.

After this, Valencia pressed on, but did not seem to believe in it, and soon after another penalty call went against the side, Ilaix Moriba also got a red card, and the game was effectively over for Valencia.

Valencia are in great risk of relegation, and the red lights must be flashing. Only Elche seems certain of relegation, and only ten points separate numbers 11 to 19 in the table, so there are still chances, but the side must certainly improve and start believing.

Real Madrid- Barcelona 3-1

 After Leo Messi's and Cristiano Ronaldo's farewell to the Spanish league both Barcelona and Real Madrid have, after some adjustments, returned to the top of the Spanish League, and after Real Madrid's awesome league win last season, both teams were head to head at the top of the league as they were to face one another in the "Clasico" in Madrid.

Real Madrid went ahead after only 12 minutes on a goal by Karim Benzema, who has risen to become the star of the team, and after 35 minutes the Uruguayan Federico Valverde brought Real Madrid ahead 2-0 on a great strike at the edge of the penalty area. Despite this, Barcelona was not shaken, and in particular in the second half threatened Madrid's goal, and when Ansu Fati came on he certainly put pressure on the home team. Ferran Torres scored one back, and Barcelona came very close to an equalizer (and in my opinion should have had a penalty), but in the last seconds of the match VAR gave Real Madrid a (correctly called) penalty kick, which Rodrygo scored on to give Real Madrid all three points, and they are now three points ahead of Barcelona at the top of the table.

Xavi's first Clásico

 When Xavi Hernandez became FC Barcelona manager in November the mighty Catalonian side were in a slump; on the way out of the Champions League and outside the top spots in the League, and expectations were that Xavi would have time to build up a new side. 

Today FC Barcelona roundly defeated the La Liga leaders Real Madrid 0-4 at the Santiago Bernabeu, and they played like the Barcelona-side of other times; the result was not larger only thanks to Courtois in the home goal.

FC Barcelona has always had a talented side, even after Messi left, but Xavi has given them confidence in their style; notably the often-criticized Ousmane Dembelé appears to have had a rebirth under Xavi. The team has also been supplemented by some extraordinary players: Ferran Torres (signed in December) was outstanding today, with one goal, and the newly signed Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang scored two goals.

FC Barcelona are still 9 points behind Real Madrid, who remains likely to win the league, but the result today certainly announces that FC Barcelona is back on the top under Xavi's leadership. They can still win the Europa-League, and after defeating Galatasaray this week, are probably favourites.

Real Madrid in the meantime played what is arguably one of their worst games of the season, and although they remain comfortably on first spot, this result hurts and exposed some weaknesses that were also seen when they played Paris St. Germain in the Champions League. Karim Benzema, who did not play today, was able to punish PSGs dreadful mistakes when everything seemed in their favour. But without Benzema today the counterattacks lacked something, and when going behind, they offered nothing in the way of a comeback. Ancelotti could offer nothing to counter Barcelona's game, and that was perhaps the biggest surprise of the match.

Be sure that we will see much more of Xavi's Barcelona.

The rebirth of FC Barcelona?

 This has not been an easy season for FC Barcelona. Ronald Koeman had to leave in November and was replaced by the former Barcelona legend Xavi to start a reconstruction. With a very talented side I think it was only a question of time before they would return to the top, and today they were playing the defending Spanish champions of Atletico Madrid in a match where both teams are fighting for the fourth spot in la Liga (they are behind Real Madrid, Sevilla and Betis).

An outstanding Barcelona side played as a team that belongs to the top again. Their recent new player on loan from Wolverhampton, Adama Traore, showed that he is there to make a difference, while the veterans Jordi Alba and Dani Alves played leading roles (both scoring). 4-2 was the final score of a splendid match between two splendid teams, and perhaps this match will be remembered as the rebirth of Barcelona in the post-Messi era.

Watching Valencia

 It is more than 20 years ago I became a fan of Valencia CF, as I spent a semester watching them make it to a Champions League final. But it has been some years ago that any hint of success has been near the club, and this season has started as one of the worst ever, as the team is lingering around the relegation area. Today I watched them play against Liga leaders Atletico Madrid. Although Uros Racic gave the Valencians an early and surprising lead, there was not much to be positive about in the match as Joao Felix, Luis Suarez and Angel Correa all scored to give Atletico Madrid the victory (and the veteran Luis Suarez, on his 34th birthday, showed class and experience in his goal, and is alone as the leading scorer of La Liga). 

Although many players have left the club, the players remaining are not players that should be playing to avoid relegation, but they do not appear to be performing or having belief in their abilities. It may be a period of lack of confidence that happens to a lot of teams, but the club is also in turmoil as fans today demonstrated against the club leadership who appears to be putting the financial issues ahead of the team (which is ok, but the problem is that in football these two issues are connected). Valencia should not be the kind of club that that should be relegated, but as it is going now, it appears there that it is heading.

There was not much to cheer about as I watched them today.

Winter in Barcelona and Madrid

Amid a pandemic and and harsh winter in Spain, the two greatest Spanish football sides, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are both undergoing extended crises. Both have recently suffered humiliating defeats that have underlined their current low forms and the fact that they increasingly risk ending with no titles this season, something that would be completely unheard of.

FC Barcelona has been in a deep crisis even since before their 2-8 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The drama of Lionel Messi's wish to leave and the changes of managers was already taking a toll on their performance, and the side has struggled in the new season under Ronald Koeman. This culminated in their recent Supercup 2-3 defeat to Athletic Bilbao, which also saw Lionel Messi receive his first ever red card in the Barcelona shirt when he punched an opponent in the last minute of the match. Messi's action appeared as a complete act of desperation, not just at losing at that match, but at the entire situation with the club. While Messi is clearly carrying a non-performing team on his shoulders (he is the most scoring player), he is clearly not happy; and this is not good for Messi, for his teammates, for FC Barcelona, and for football fans in general. FC Barcelona is in need of some renewal, and as of now, it does not appear that it can happen under the current circumstances.

In Real Madrid Zinedine Zidane, who has otherwise been an outstanding manager, seems unable to manage the crisis that culminated with Real Madrid being eliminated in the Copa del Rey by the 2B Division side Alcoyano, in what should otherwise have been a walkover for a team as Real Madrid. The beauty of football is that these results like these do happen (which Zidane also underlined), but it does points to a crisis where Real Madrid's style and player commitment seems shaky. The team appears to depend on Sergio Ramos, the veteran captain, who seems able to inject energy into the side. There has been a lot of talk of Zinedine Zidane losing his job, but perhaps it shows his enormous standing in the club (having won everything there both as player and manager) that he has not been fired yet. But a lot of (justified) questions are being asked about the route the club is taking.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are trailing Atletico Madrid in La Liga, but are still in the last-16 round of the Champions League, where their current form will be tested to the fullest against Atalanta and Paris St. Germain respectively.

The Luis Suarez circus

Luis Suarez has always, no matter what you think about him, been a great footballer. And he has also been prone to scandals. As FC Barcelona is renewing under Ronald Koeman, the Uruguayan striker was not to be found in the plans, so in first instance it was reported that Suarez was signing for Juventus, which was surely to be an interesting pairing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. But in what was a truly bizarre turn of events, Luis Suarez did not sign for the Italian side: as he needed a European nationality he applied for Italian citizenship, and in what appears a truly odd turn of events, Suarez has been accused of cheating in order to speed up the paperwork application. If it is true, Suarez would really appear as an entitled rich footballer who can bypass what so many others struggle to achieve, although one has to wonder about Juventus (who appeared to backtrack on the signing) and University of Peruggia, where the exam was administered.

So after this entire circus, Luis Suarez has joined a new circus: namely Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid side, a team where Suarez experience, skills and passion will fit in well. In his debut against Granada, Suarez came on for Diego Costa 20 minutes before the end, and scored twice, showing that it might be another interest season ahead for the traveling entertainment that is Luis Suarez.

My week is ruined

It was with expectation that I sat down and watched Valencia-Real Madrid this morning (I am in El Salvador). Valencia have been strong under Marcelino, while Real Madrid are in a crisis: eliminated from the Copa del Rey by unfancied Leganes and 16 points behind Barcelona there is even talk of firing the great Zinedine Zidane.
But the match was a disappointment: down 0-2 at halftime (on two penalties by Cristiano Ronaldo), I got some hope when Valencia scored and seemed on the way back. But at Marcelo's 1-3 goal, I stopped watching, only to learn later that Real Madrid won 1-4.
Real Madrid remain in fourth place, just behind Valencia. If it ends like this, it would be the first time since 2004 that Real Madrid ends outside the top 3, but this result  shows that this is unlikely.
My week has been ruined.

End of the year in Spain

For Real Madrid it has been a good year: winners of the Spanish League, the Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup (when they trounced Barcelona) and lately the World Club Cup against Gremio. Zinedine Zidane has been a genius managing the Spanish side, so it must be strange for him to end the year in such a bad way by losing 0-3 at home to their arch-rivals from Barcelona, and almost surely disqualifying themselves from the title race, being 14 points behind Barça.
Will this mean the end of Zinedine Zidane as manager? In my view that would be cruel to the best manager that Real Madrid has had for a long time, and I think he could bring them back (all eyes will be on the Champions League), but Real Madrid does not work like that.

Valencia’s return

I have been happy to see Valencia back where they belong, namely among the top of the Spanish league. After some hapless years with a stream of managers and players who did not perform, things seem to have stabilized under manager Marcelino, and three of the new players are surely becoming the revelation signings of the season: Goncalo Guedes is on loan from PSG, where he has no chance of replacing Neymar. But he is a talented youngster who has flowered in Valencia, and is now surely eyed by the biggest clubs in Europe.
Geoffrey Kondogbia was considered a huge talent when he started, but he faded a bit during his time at Inter, and was surely hoping to get attention again. And he certainly has: he fit perfectly into the Valencia midfield, where he has turned into a dynamo of energy, with running and tackes, as well as a fantastic overview of the field. Also on loan from Inter, they may look to get him back next season.
The Italian striker Simone Zaza was on loan from West Ham last season, and although he did not overly impress Valencia used the buy-out clause. This has proven to be very wise: with nine goals he is currently second, only to Lionel Messi, on the Spanish top scoring list, and looks highly motivated to give many more goals.
While these three players have stood out as new players, others, such as Jose Gaya, Rodrigo and Dani Parejo are also flourishing, and I just hope Valencia is able to keep onto all these players for the next few seasons at least.
Today Valencia, second in the league, played the league leaders FC Barcelona in what was a true test on whether Valencia are in the right direction. After a difficult first half (where Messi had a correct goal annulled, strengthening the call for video referees, something I have always thought was necessary) they put better pressure on the Catalonians in the second half, and even went ahead 1-0 on a goal by Rodrigo, following good combinations of the left side, where Guedes was giving Umtiti problems throughout the second half.
But Jordi Alba managed to equalize for Barcelona following a fantastic pass from Lionel Messi, and the match ended 1-1 despite Valencia getting close to scoring a second in the end. While this does not change the positions at the top of the league, there can be no doubt that Valencia intends to fight for the top, and maybe, probably too much to hope for, even a title....
Let us dream!

Villain and Hero

Last week, when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-3 in Madrid, Marcelo was unfairly criticized for not having made a free kick on Sergi Roberto when the defender rushed through the center in the last seconds of the match. The ball ended with Messi who scored the winning goal.
A player should not be criticized for not making a foul, although in football terms I think any professional or fan understands that this is part of the game too.
The defeat left the Spanish league title more open, with Barcelona nearly catching up to Real Madrid, who last night was facing Valencia, a team that has not been doing well this season, but who are notably known  for being specialists in giving Real Madrid a hard time. And it seemed to be another flop when Dani Parejo equalized to 1-1 ten minutes before time. Previously Ronaldo had brought Real Madrid ahead, but he had also missed penalty against Diego Alves (who has saved the last 3 of 4 penalties from Ronaldo). 1-1 would have left the hunt for the league title completely open, but in came Marcelo, who scored the winning goal for Real Madrid with a sure right foot-shot.
Real Madrid celebrated as if they had won the league, and I also think that goal will give the title to Real Madrid.
Then everyone will have forgotten that Marcelo did the right thing in not stopping Sergi Roberto, by fixing it with a great goal that gave Real Madrid the title!

The continuing Valencia crisis

I had really hoped that the arrival of Cesare Prandelli as Valencia manager would change things for the (now tiny) Spanish giants. But I was wrong, after only three months in charge, and only one league victory, Cesare Prandelli has resigned in a way that has to make Valencia fans wonder if the problem with the club is the managers (there have been nine managers since 2012) or something more systemic.
Mr. Prandelli's qualities as a manager cannot be doubted, and he is just one among many successful managers who have left Valencia without success. So what is wrong with Valencia? Is it a management who thinks more of numbers than about football? Is it players who have no commitment for the club? Is it fans who are not supportive enough of young talented players?
Or is it rather a combination?
Truth is that Valencia, who ten years ago was among the great clubs in Europe, is now nothing more than a mediocre club that fights to avoid relegation. And as a fan of Valencia, it hurts to realize this.