Football Season Guide

By winning the Copa del Rey and by finishing fourth, Valencia just had a season to remember. They were very difficult to beat and only lost seven matches in LaLiga all season, so would have finished higher if they’d been able to turn some of their many draws into wins. The aim for this season will be to consolidate their Champions League status. There hasn’t been much change at Valencia this summer as they planned for the new campaign, with coach Marcelino staying on and with only a few minor tweaks to the squad. The high-profile transfers of Valencia’s summer have essentially been swap deals, with some cash and other players thrown in, with the club swapping goalkeepers with Barcelona by trading Neto for Jasper Cillessenn and swapping strikers with Celta Vigo by trading Santi Mina for Maxi Gomez. They believe they’ve made slight improvements at these positions, but that remains to be seen. Valencia would’ve liked to have made more signings this summer, but their transfer planning was disrupted by boardroom politics and a major fallout in the offices. That seems to have been solved now, but they’re playing catch-up in the market. There should be serious optimism at the club as they do still have a strong squad and they have a coach who has built a style and made Valencia so difficult to score against and to defeat. That said, Marcelino’s methods often become tiresome for his players and the third season is often a bumpy one.