La Liga Preview: Valencia - Mallorca

The Big Kick Off

Well, La Liga is finally upon us, and a mouthwatering festival of the best football in Europe awaits.

Los Che’s hosting of Los Bermellones is the standout fixture of the opening day. New coach Unai Emery leads his team out in the first match of what all Valencia fans hope will be a completely different experience from the nightmare of 2007/08.

There is no clear-cut top four in La Liga - never has been - and while we know Barcelona and Real Madrid are sure to populate it, the order and make-up of the chasing pack is anyone’s guess. Valencia fell away badly last term, but now look to return to their customary place in the pecking order of Spanish football, located firmly among the top guns of the league.

While last season saw some surprise performers in the shape of Racing, Mallorca and Almeria (who all made the top eight unexpectedly), ultimately, as is so often the case, the excitement and intrigue of this season will depend upon the challenges made to the Clasico pair. La Liga needs a firing Valencia, and the circumstances are ripe for a resurgence. The big question is, are they really up to it?

Villa and Silva Stick

Perhaps one of the most unexpected conclusions to any of the long-running transfer stories of the summer is that Valencia have managed to nail down their star duo after the heroics of Euro 2008. Had David Villa and David Silva chosen to twist, the duo's options would have been plentiful.

As far as we know, both players turned down opportunities to leave the Mestalla. Given the financial problems at the club, all either really needed to do was ask to leave. It would have inevitably heralded a flood of big offers, and the temptation to take the money, rather than hold on to personnel who may not give their all to the cause, would surely have proved too hard to resist. Villa and Silva’s retention, and very public retention at that - with a variety of positive statements coming from both recently - is a magnificent shot in the arm for Valencia as a whole.

However, the fact is, all of this is temporary. Villa may have won many hearts by claiming Valencia is as good for his career as Real Madrid, but perhaps not so many minds. We will know all we need to about his bold statement in the coming weeks.

Crucially, the focus for Valencia must be on every other (and I mean every other) area of the field. For the club to get off to a flying start, Villa will need to received an endless supply of service, and Silva alone cannot be relied upon to provide it.

The midfield has massive question marks, not least in the centre, while the horrid defensive showing of last season must be wiped from the collective mind.The Valencia players are far, far better than that. Now they absolutely must show it.

As I have said already, this season the club almost needs to apologise to its fans, and do so with entertaining football, and even more entertaining results.

Success Breeds Change?

Mallorca had a fantastic campaign last time, missing out on automatic qualification for the UEFA Cup by a whisker.

The islanders then turned down the opportunity to enter the Intertoto, quite possibly because they a knew a busy summer lay ahead. Ten players have left the Ono Estadi (or Son Moix, as the locals prefer to call it), and twelve have arrived.

Gregorio Manzano has a lot of work to do if he is to fashion a team as fluidly functional and confident as last season’s incarnation. The heart of the team has been torn out with the loss of Borja, Fernando Navarro, Jonas, Guiza and Ibagaza to name but five.

The likes of Cléber Santana, Martí, Josemi, Ayoze and David Navarro are a mixture of sound signings, gambles, ifs, buts and maybes. It’s fine to plug a gap, but not half a team. Time will tell if Manzano’s got it right, but you have to feel a little for the Mallorca fans who have endured so many relegation dogfights in recent seasons, largely because of poor planning and use of resources.

The final piece of the Mallorca jigsaw was secured just recently in the shape of Bilbao’s Aritz Aduriz. Anyone who has watched the Basque forward will know he is no replacement for the departed Dani Guiza, in style of player or quality terms. But there is real hope in the shape of youngster Oscar Trejo, if he remains on the island amidst concrete pursuit from Premiership outfit WBA, while new signing Alhassane Keita will also be looked to for goals.

Either way, Guiza's sizeable haul will have to be covered somehow if 2008/09 is to be another trouble-free campaign for the plucky club and its much-travailed fans.

FORM GUIDE

Valencia

24/08 A Real Madrid 2-4 (Spanish Super Cup)
17/08 H Real Madrid 3-2 (Spanish Super Cup)
11/08 H Vitesse Arnhem 3-1 (Friendly)
09/08 A Newcastle United 1-2 (Friendly)
02/08 A Borussia Monchengladbach 2-4 (Friendly)

Mallorca

22/08 A Girona 1-1 (Friendly)
17/08 A Castellon 3-1 (Friendly)
14/08 H PSV Eindhoven 1-1 (Friendly)
09/08 A West Brom 1-1 (Friendly)
03/08 H Newcastle 1-0 (Friendly)

TEAM NEWS

Valencia

Experienced, first choice centre-back/midfielder Carlos Marchena missed both legs of the Spanish Super Cup against Real having suffered an ankle injury in early August that was said to require three weeks rest. With no good news on his progress, it means Alexis should continue in tandem with Albiol at the back..


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