Valência CF will host Málaga FC at the Mestalla Stadium, this Saturday, for another La Liga fixture. With both teams tied with 50 points, a loss here could be fatal in the race for one spot for the UEFA Champions League 2013/2014.
While Málaga FC played the UCL Quarterfinals, Valência FC was eliminated in the group stage.
In an illustration of just how hard it is to attract younger talent from Europe to MLS, it appears that the Seattle Sounders recently had their bid rejected for Valencia forward Nelson Valdez (h/t Chazz4444). The 29-year-old Paraguay international had recently transferred from Russian club Rubin Kazan for a fee somewhere in the realm of $4 million, and apparently is choosing to pursue his dream of winning a European title.
Madrid has started off well under Mourinho, but the even the Speical One can turn a goalfest
into boredom. The last few matches have had the suspense and drama of an episode of Sesame Street.
The plot got more redundant than Heroes. Real scores early. Before halftime, Real scores to ice the
game. 45 minutes later, victory.
Paraguayan International forward NELSON VALDEZ is one step away from returning to Spanish
Football - La Liga - after playing two seasons with Hercules last time. This time around the 28
year old current RUBIN KAZIN player is about to land in VALENCIA CF with the only prerequisite
left of passing the obligatory medical exam.
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish wants Wigan's Colombian star Hugo Rodallega but will have to pay
£9million to get him.
Dalglish is keen to bring in the powerful attacker to give Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez some
top-class support as the Kop aim to get back on the glory trail this season
Rodallega has impressed Dalglish in the past couple of years, often dazzling against the Anfield
side in games, and he thinks the South American would be a huge asset
Dalglish is looking to move out David Ngog and Milan Jovanovic as he improves the quality of his
options and he knows Suarez and Carroll will pick up injuries because of their all-action
styles
So Dalglish wants Rodallega to fill that gap and hopes Wigan will be sensible with the fee as the
25-year-old is going into the last season of his contract and can go for nothing next summer
Wigan supremo Dave Whelan values Rodallega in the £9m class, similar to winger Charles NZogbia who
is also in the same contract position and boss Roberto Martinez is backing him.
La Liga Lowdown, Jornada 34: Thrills at the bottom as the big boys lose out is a post from: Just
Football
Barcelona lost. Real Madrid lost. When was the last time you heard that after a weekend in La
Liga? Well, let me tell you: 2009. It's been two years since they both succumbed to defeat in the
same round of games, so Saturday's events came as a bit of a shock.
Word on the Twitter machine is that Newcastle United have snapped up Hercules' and Paraguay's
Nelson Valdez. Â Is he a good replacment for Carroll? Well, it looks like he'll have to work on the
cheeks puffed-out thing, but otherwise a passable alternative. And obviously it'll be better in
vertical stripes.
BARCELONA,  — Lionel Messi struck twice to take his league goals tally to 21 as champions
Barcelona beat Hercules 3-0 to move seven points clear of Real Madrid on Saturday. Spanish
international Pedro Rodriguez scored his 12th league goal of the season to open the scoring on 43
minutes before Ballon d'Or winner Messi struck [.
Hercules coach Esteban Vigo believes his side can upset all the odds and complete a double over
table-topping Barcelona. The reigning champions were undone 2-0 at the Nou Camp on matchday two as
a brace from Nelson Valdez gave the newly-promoted side a famous victory.
MADRID, Spain Hercules routed visiting Atletico Madrid 4-1 with four first-half goals to close the
18th round of the Spanish league on Monday. Jorge "Tote" Lopez, Nelson Valdez, Olivier Thombert and
David Trezeguet all scored before halftime as a toothless Atletico seemingly had its sights set on
Thursday's Copa del Rey match against Real [.
I think it is clear that this season will not be the boring duopoly that everyone
predicted. Valencia and Villarreal are keen to make sure of it and teams like Hercules and Getafe
will always be happy to play the spoiler against the top teams.
Jozy Altidore was on the bench for Villarreal as they needed two equalizers to split the points at
the Estadio Jose Rico Perez on Monday. Nelson Valdez put Hercules up in the 26th minute with Joan
Capdevila equalizing three minutes later. David Trezeguet made it 2-1 Hercules in the 40th, and was
sent off just before halftime.
For all the praise lavished upon Jose Mourinho for his so called 'shrewd' signings this summer,
it should not be forgotten that there were other coaches around who did a little more than use the
World Cup as a scouting guide. Take Esteban Vigo for example. Whilst Madrid and Barcelona were off
spending their millions, Vigo was trying to decide which players he could realistically bring to
newly-promoted Hercules to keep extend their stay in La Primera past just one season.
It was 16 months in the waiting but on Saturday night Pep Guardiola and Barcelona experienced
their first home defeat in La Liga and it was to the most unlikely of opponents.
Newly promoted Hercules came to Camp Nou with more hope than expectation but left this great
stadium with the 3 points after a stunning 2-0 victory over the reigning champions.
Jonathan Wilson was on Twitter today writing that Russia will change their schedule to meet the
current FIFA regulated schedule beginning in the 2011-12 season. Sounds like they will play a split
season with a long winter break. This will put a lot more pressure on MLS.
Barcelona – Hercules It's the typical David versus Goliath matchup; Last year's champions against a newly promoted
side. Hercules were one of the most active teams during the summer transfer window but they are up
against a fresh side boosted by the presence of Mascherano.
An absolute shocker in the Liga as Javier Mascherano's debut turns to dust.
Hercules, a club promoted after 13 years and composed of former rejects including Real Madrid's
Royston Drenthe, Juve's David Trezeguet, Pompey's Noe Pamarot, and Borussia Dortmund's Nelson
"Haecho" Valdez defeated the Liga title holders, 2-0 at home.
No one can say they saw that coming. Unless your name is Esteban Vigo of course.
When the Hercules manager stated midweek that his team would only be happy with a
win in the Camp Nou, there was a deathly silence followed by howls of derision.
Nobody expects Barcelona to slip, at home, against smaller teams. Hercules are a newcomer to the
Spanish 1st division, and in their second match in the top league, nobody awaited them to shake the
mighty Catalans. But lo and behold! The beauty of football is that Hercules against all odds won
0-2 on two goals by the Paraguayan striker Nelson Haedo Valdez.
Real Madrid fans, and the Special One himself, must be licking their lips and sharpening their
knives. Barcelona has lost at home to newly promoted Hercules. There are all kinds of Greek myth
pun headlines we could have gone with, but those will be done to death, and so we're taking the
high road (or we couldn't think of one we liked).
With a name like Hercules you would expect godly results from the squad of new boys.
And for the lowly club to survive their first season in the Primera Division they will need a
few small miracles. And perhaps the club was recently granted exactly that with the recent signing
of Nelson Valdez from Borussia Dortmund.
Remember when the Venky's group bought Blackburn Rovers and said that they would provide the
funds needed to turn Rovers into a Champions League side?
Venkys bought Rovers for around £25 million and agreed to take on the £18 million overdraft in
the form of a mortgage.
The Mirror however is reporting that the bank are demanding that the £18 million overdraft
amount be reduced, with the cash from the sale of Phil Jones to Manchester United.
Borussia Dortmund and Paraguay international Nelson Valdez have admitted that he my be forced to
leave the German giants. The 26-year-old forward doesn't believe that he really has a future.
Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp hasn't used Valdez very much which in turn has made the striker decide
to look for a new team.
Sid has gone the extremely poetic route this morning, opening with a paean to Nelson Valdez, a man
who apparently buys 1500 Christmas presents for kids in his town in Paraguay, and who also managed
to put two past Barcelona on Saturday (Trezeguet should have added a third toward the end but
didn't). He also manages to quote interesting statistics and little-known tidbits, like Hercules'
club owner Enrique Ortiz, locked in match fixing speculation from last season.
A classy display by last season's Champions League runners-up was enough to despatch of Spanish opponents Valencia at the Allianz Arena tonight with goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroo's before Nelson Valdez grabbed a late consolation goal, before Adil Rami received a second yellow card for a tug on Robben in the box.
