As has been the story for several summers now, the headlines in Valencia have been dominated by a departure. David Villa, David Silva, Juan Mata, Jordi Alba all left the club and the latest go the way of those four players was Roberto Soldado, to Tottenham.
To each loss, Valencia have responded rather responsibly and with extreme caution. Even before the sale of Soldado, they had to take more care than ever given the absence of Champions League football at Mestalla this upcoming season. The less lucrative Europa League pot awaits, and with it Valencia have been ever more circumspect with their limited resources.
Postiga - The Pawn on Djukic’s Chess Board
Soldado’s 59 goals in 101 league games is a serious haul, and one that Valencia must assess carefully in terms of how to supplement the loss. Their first action has been to sign Hélder Postiga, and whilst not being anything like a clinical scorer he will add a new dimension to the team. Miroslav Djukic needed a strapping, intelligent hold-up player to fit the direct system he often uses. Javi Guerra and Manucho shared this duty at Real Valladolid last season, and the pair managed 16 goals in total. This was just 2 more than Postiga’s entire total for the season, in a team that were eventually relegated.
His battling qualities and unselfish work as a lone front man kept Zaragoza fighting until the bitter end of La Liga 2012/2013. Postiga, for instance, won 3.1 aerial duels per game last season compared to Soldado’s 1.1. It’s these factors that Valencia will look to cling to, the areas in which Postiga can add to the squad rather than focus on the negatives of Soldado’s departure.
Instead of standing around looking for a striker to grow off a tree, Valencia have other ideas. They are in fact in a similar position to when they had Aritz Aduriz, who since his sale to Athletic Bilbao has been outstanding. Valencia have missed that sort of presence in the penalty area and outside it too, in terms of a battering ram to hold up the ball. Nelson Valdez did try last season, but for all his desire rarely found an end product and didn’t have the in-game intelligence that a Djukic system needs. Postiga is an intelligent player, a facet of the Portuguese game that is often overlooked – there is that technical side too.
This by no means takes away the fact Valencia need another striker, however, just like Sevilla reacted to the loss of Álvaro Negredo with several purchases in this particular area. Jonas dips in and out of goalscoring form, and the same can be said for Sofiane Feghouli. Elsewhere in the team it’s difficult to see where the goals might come from – a problem in itself that becomes greater if Djukic can’t manage a notoriously difficult and leaky defence.
Romeu and Fuego – Tough Exterior but Soft on the Inside
Incorporating two defensive midfielders gives the impression that Djukic is simply looking to turn his team into shut down merchants, preventing opponents from creating any momentum in midfield. In part, that is true. But the reason the pair suit Djukic so much is not just their ability to tackle, cover the area in front of the defence and regain possession. No, there’s more to it than that. Oriol Romeu and Javi Fuego will form the first line of transition for Valencia, allowing the team to win back the ball in key areas and break up play, but also distribute it in a sensible, efficient manner.
Fuego, for the past few seasons in La Liga, has been one of the most underrated performers around, regularly hitting the higher regions of the tackling and interception columns. Last season he made 3.8 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game. David Albelda, meanwhile - the man that Fuego will essentially be replacing - managed an inferior 3.1 and 2.1 respectively in these areas.
Fuego’s slightly younger legs and energetic, all-action style will fit perfectly in a Valencia side that has staggered and stumbled in recent years, failing to protect its defence. Fuego can play too of course, and only Roberto Trashorras, Rayo Vallecano’s playmaker, made more passes than him last season. The Spaniard maintained a very healthy 82.7% pass success rate. In the midfield department at Valencia last season only Éver Banega and Dani Parejo could boast such impressive figures.
Romeu, meanwhile, has a point to prove and a name to get back out there. Injury ravaged his chances under Rafa Benítez and José Mourinho showed no interest in keeping him at Chelsea, so Valencia landed a player they have tracked for some time now, dating back to the player’s Barcelona B days. In 2011/2012 he was handed only fleeting minutes but impressed with his passing in particular, maintaining an 89.5% accuracy from 41.1 passes per game on average. He also got through his fair share of defensive work, and averaged 2.3 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game.
The pair could play together in a pivot, or Romeu could even play slightly further forward in a midfield three, with Banega the most advanced player. Rotating between the defensive midfield pair however, does seem the more likely. What this creates is options in an area Valencia have been stretched for a while – going back to Mehmet Topal’s departure.
Future of the Left - Youngsters Taking the Stage
Another area of the Valencia team set to be adressed is the left-back spot. Aly Cissokho has never truly settled and concerns exist about his ability on the ball and to combine with the attack. His departure, which seems imminent, would allow the youngsters Juan Bernat and José Luis Gayá to battle it out for the vacant slot.
Bernat has been converted to a full-back over the summer while Gayá can play all along the left side. Both are highly gifted in possession, and have the confidence to overshadow their tender years. Bernat was an impact winger last season, and with 1.2 key passes and 0.8 successful dribbles per game he showed the competency in his attacking play. Defensively, however, he's untested aside from pre-season and will be a work in progress.
It's another new era at Valencia and the focus on youth in addition to signings of hungry, functional players all form part of the new identity. Fans will be hoping it's not a case of the mistaken variety.
