Football is a results business, and the pressure on managers and Coaches from owners and Presidents who pour money into a club to get the required results is immense. This is certainly the case at Valencia, where Nuno Espirito Santo’s debut season yielded a return to Champions League football and some admirable performances against the big boys of the League, notably wins against Real and Atletico Madrid at Mestalla. On Wednesday, they face Zenit St. Petersburg in their opening group game.
In some ways, though, Nuno could be a victim of his own success. Benefactor Peter Lim is an extremely demanding majority shareholder, who now expects Valencia to push on even further, mounting a more serious title challenge and impressing in the Champions League. If Nuno manages to maintain this team’s performance levels game after game while striking the correct balance with rotating his starting XI, then it could be possible. But that is a lot easier said than done.
Unfortunately, this is where the problem lies for Los Che. Admittedly, they have lost the majority of their debt and now have the financial means to sign the players that they want, but the quixotic ideas of the owner could cause issues. For example, to what extent has the squad actually been improved?
Rodrigo Moreno, Alvaro Negredo, Andre Gomes and Joao Cancelo, all players who were in the squad last year, have been signed permanently for a combined €85m, youngsters Santi Mina and Zakaria Bakkali have been brought in and Aymen Abdennour has replaced the outgoing Nicolas Otamendi, who it could be argued was the best centre-back in La Liga last season. Therefore, there hasn’t been much upgrading, despite the plenitude of signings.
Undoubtedly, Nuno has the depth to cope – there are two players for almost every position, which will aid their performances when playing twice a week. “We have a squad with quality and depth, which means all players are an option,” he said. “With no mishaps everyone’s available. The group is balanced.”
Yet even last season, when Valencia had no European football with which to contend and solely the League to focus on, the intensity levels that Nuno desires were not met in some matches. This is natural for any team throughout the highs and lows of a season, but Nuno must rotate his players on a more frequent basis in order to prevent injury and fatigue amongst the group.
“Last year was tough and demanding, but we got what we wanted and we are here,” said captain Dani Parejo. “For any player, to play in this competition is amazing. It is the best competition and we have to approach it as such. For the entire 90 minutes we have to give one hundred percent.”
Parejo’s words perfectly sum up the challenges that come with playing Champions League football. The players have to give everything that they have for the full game, something that will leave them physically and mentally drained. Once the recovery process is complete, there is another game just days away. Over the course of a season, this will start to take its toll on the group, depending on just how far they go in the competition.
It will also be intriguing to see how Nuno, a Coach who has taken every challenge to date in his stride in his short managerial career, deals with the added pressure. It will be his biggest test yet.
The return to elite European football should be welcomed at Valencia, and the remarkable atmosphere Mestalla engenders will be fantastic to see once again. But if results do not go Valencia’s way and Lim’s expectations are not met, then it could be a troublesome season.
