Valencia Club de Futbol lifted the Copa del Rey in 2019, hounding Barcelona in a 2-0 win in the final with an impressive victory for Los Che. That is their last major trophy, and despite reaching the final again against Real Betis and losing out only on penalties, it looks like it could be the last for a while. On Thursday night, the Blaugrana thumped Valencia 5-0 at home, compounding the unrest created by a 7-1 win just two weeks prior, that time at Montjuic.
Manager Carlos Corberan, who only arrived in December over the winter break, elected to rest players for the game, handing new signing Max Aarons a first start, and giving Umar Sadiq the chance to lead the line. Down inside three minutes to a Ferran Torres goal, it could scarcely have gone worse for Corberan. His decisions will no doubt have an impact in the best offshore sportsbook.
Leganes arrived at their relegation six-pointer in far better form. Los Pepineros narrowly lost out to Real Madrid on Wednesday night in the Copa, but the ‘sensations’ are far better for Borja Jimenez, whose side have lacked quality at times, but never backbone or cohesion. A win at Mestalla for Corberan would draw them within a point of safety. Defeat… Would have raised the volume of the already sounding panic alarms.
Since arriving, Corberan has only lost three games: twice against Barcelona and once against Los Blancos in extremis. Outside of that, there have been victories against lower league Eldense and Ourense in the Copa, a draw away to Sevilla, and wins at home to Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo. Those results have given Valencia hope – Corberan has rejuvenated the side’s spirit for the most part, showing more aggression, more ambition, and more confidence from their own players.
However their defeats to Barcelona show just how fragile Los Che are mentally right now. Those are the only times they have gone behind first, and on both occasions, it has been succeeded by collapse. Keeping nerves at bay will be crucial for Corberan with a young squad that has been through peaks and troughs in recent years.
The other key area for Corberan to address is goals. Last season Hugo Duro secured a career best 13 goals, and is on 7 again this year. Luis Rioja will chip in, but Sadiq and Rafa Mir, his other forwards, look short on both confidence and goals still. If Corberan can inspire Los Che’s frontmen to take their chances, then they will feel that in the other areas, they can equal Las Palmas, Alaves, Espanyol and Leganes above them in other areas, including quality. If not… The reaction from Mestalla will be indicative of their decline.
