Today, a guest post from Abdul Rahman Al Ze'bi, who thinks Our Beloved Valencia needs a lot of
stuff, like a new coach.
Agree? Disagree? Think Emery is over-caffeinated?
Have a read and post your opinions!
Take it away, Abdul ...
What Does Valencia CF need?
This has been the question everyone asks.
Well, I didn't see the match v Racing this past weekend, but from all accounts, it was yet
another shit performance from both Unai Emery and his players. Emery tried to play some nice
offensive football away in Santander, starting both Tino Costa and Éver Banega in midfield, and
within 2 minutes VCF was down 1-0.
It's always nice to know that people read your work, and when they do they take it to heart.
Clearly, Pablo Hernández has a good understanding of English and reads The Offside, because just
days after I called him rubbish and whatnot, he put on a blinder of a performance against Levante
in the Copa del Rey.
I'm back (kind of)! For those who used to visit The Offside but haven't in a while, welcome
back. For those who have never visited before, welcome. As Cesar mentioned in the previous post,
it's sad that I closed down Loco4LosChe, but I'm very excited to be a part of The Offside team now,
as I think it better suits me at this time in my life to write one to two articles a week instead
of daily news updates.
Like a phoenix rising in the night (or a bat rising above Mestalla), the Valencia Offside
returns.
As many of you know, Kyle's Loco4LosChe is ending as of today. That's very sad news.
But the good news is that Kyle's going to write articles here, IF ANYONE FROM THE
OFFSIDE ANSWERS OUR E-MAILS .
I don't know what to think after today's 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions
League in Germany.
On the one hand, we started strong, a Jonas goal in the 24th minute just reward for our early
dominance.
Our defense looked solid; our offense wasn't scoring but we were getting opportunities and Bayer
didn't look dangerous save the last minutes of the first half.
Humblest apologies for my scarcity. Unfortunately Final exams are taking me to bed each night
too exhausted and stressed to really have anything to offer. And this looks set to continue in the
next few months, but hopefully 1) i'll find to post as often as possible and 2) valencia give me
something to grin about tonight.
So Ricardo Costa is miffed that he isnt being played. He recently had an interview in
Portugal here is the jist of it translated to english.
The Portuguese international, 30, said about a news article about him being offered to
Español.
"I didn't want to believe it when I saw it [the story].
Here we are again. After a great tie in midweek against the blue giants from over the sea, we
return to La Liga fixtures that, while less prestigious or eye-catching, are simply must-win
games.
To be honest, looking around us I really feel we are competitive this season. We have started
well, have options, stopped Barca and Chelsea, so if we can be consistent and put away the sides
who we are simply better than (simple as that) we can do really well.
How 'bout that Chelsea match, eh?
I don't have much time today as I'm at work (shhh ... don't tell anyone) but this article by the
Swiss Ramble football blog regarding Valencia's finances and current economic state is 100% MUST
READ material for Valencia fans worldwide.
I can't stress enough how good this blog post is.
After seeing our wonderful run at the start of this season end in real disappointment against
Sevilla, we meet the English giants who took a dear son from us just a few months ago. Lets hope
for a repeat of the magnificent display that we offered when Barca visited the Mestalla a few weeks
ago.
Which Valencia will show up?
Our formation tomorrow against Chelsea? Yes/no/maybe?
What do you think?
Who should the spastic Unai Emery select against Chelsea tomorrow in the Champions League?
Discuss tactics and formations below.
And don't forget to read my take on the match at Forza Futbol.
On we go, with a visit from old friend Juan Mata and Chelsea, a club we have a recent history
with.
It's the Champions League! The goose bump-inducing song, the pomp and circumstance!
Today, I'm re-directing you to a post I wrote for our friends at Forza Futbol.
If you're not following them on Facebook and Twitter, what are you waiting for?
Tonight questions will be answered.
Just how good is our defence? Is it the no-show of the Racing game or the recent one where clean
sheets have arrived with impressive consistency.
Just how good is our attack? The Genk game especially highlighted the reality that although we
have a good attacking side, only San Roberto has that killer finishing instinct.
Tomorrow evening, it's Valencia-Barcelona at the Mestalla, one of the classicos of Spanish
football.
While not the biggest match on our schedule, it's an important one nonetheless.
It's only the 4th game of the early season schedule, but it will tell us a lot about where we
stand in the league.
