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Club Focus - Valencia - Hope for Valencia after favourable Champions League draw
Yesterdays UEFA Champions League draw is one that offers much hope for Los Che as they will face Manchester United, Rangers and Turkish Champions Bursaspor in Group C.
English Premier League outfit Manchester United will offer the sternest test for Unai Emery’s men, in a group which offers a good chance of progression for the Spaniards. Most recently winners of the competition in 2008, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have the European know how and the depth of squad to put themselves forward as real contenders for the trophy, and qualification from the group should prove a mere formality for the Red Devils.
So, on the surface it would appear to be a three horse race for the runners-up spot behind the Englishmen, with Rangers being the big name of the two remaining rivals. The current Scottish Premier League Champions, led by former national team coach Walter Smith, disappointed in last year’s competition, finishing bottom of their group behind VfB Stuttgart, Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni, and as a consequence will be looking to better their showing this term. Off-field financial worries surrounding the Glasgow based club have led to the sales of key first team members. However Scottish international Kenny Miller and new signing James Beattie, their first cash signing in over two years since the acquisition of Maurice Edu, are capable of causing headaches for any defence on their day, and with Algerian Madjid Bougherra bossing the backline the cash strapped Scots will be no pushovers.
Group C is rounded off by Champions League new-comers Bursaspor. The Bursa based club, nicknamed the Green Crocodiles, defied the odds last season to claim top spot in the Turkish Süper Lig, becoming only the second ever side from outside of Istanbul to do so, alongside Trabzonspor. Amazingly it was only the first time the Green Crocodiles had ever finished inside Turkeys top three and this lack of experience could well hamper Ertugrul Saglam’s side as they embark on their first ever European adventure. Former Olympiacos front-man Lionel Nunez leads the line for the Turkish outfit, but the main goal threat comes through Argentinean midfielder Pablo Batalla who finished last season with a tally of eight goals making him joint top scorer with Ozan Ipek.
On paper Valencia are favourites to progress with Manchester United at the expenses of Rangers and Bursaspor, nevertheless it remains to be seen how Emery’s side will handle their return to Europe’s top table. For now however, attention turns back to domestic matters, with the commencement of the new La Liga season, as Los Che travel to La Rosaleda to take on Malaga in a game that should provide an opening day three points. Malaga became somewhat infamous last season for their turgid, defensive football – a game prioritising cynicism over beauty. Should Valencia match Malaga for aggression, they surely have the quality to win the game. Despite much talk of a change in approach this season it is expected that Emery will adopt the 4-4-2 formation partnering new signings Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz in the forward positions. Vicente Rodriguez’s impressive display against Fiorentina, in which he supplied the assists for both goals, may well land him the left wing role, with Juan Manuel Mata remaining a doubt with injury. Another new addition expecting to make his competitive debut in the Malaga clash is centre-half Ricardo Costa, who looks set to partner Angel Dealbert at the heart of defence, with Jeremy Mathieu and Miguel Monteiro occupying the full back positions.
Another defender pushing for a starting place is Bruno Saltor, who recently spoke out about the teams disappointing pre-season:
“I don't think that the preseason has been strange as such, but in terms of results we have been struggling a bit,” he said. “However, last Wednesday we cleared up a lot of doubts, with a good game that showed the Valencia that we all want to see. We have to take things game-by-game when the season starts. We kick off with the Malaga match and then we will see how our rivals do. Every time we take to the pitch will be difficult, because we have two external competitions besides the league.”
Competing on three fronts may prove difficult for a Valencia team reeling from the sales of David Villa and David Silva, their two foremost attacking threats over recent seasons. Pre-season has been centred around adapting to their key players’ departures, a task which is proving every bit as difficult as expected, if much is to be read into poor performances against the likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa. Saturday’s opener will indicate just how strong the Valencia of 2010/11 are.
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