Revitalised Valencia face title test

MADRID: Both unbeaten and off to club record starts in La Liga, Valencia host Barcelona in the game of the La Liga season so far tomorrow aiming to prove their title credentials are for real.

After two seasons in the doldrums riddled by coaching changes and questions over Singaporean owner Peter Lim’s running of the club, Valencia have been revitalised by a combination of new boss Marcelino Garcia Toral and sporting director Mateu Alemany to post a record run of eight straight La Liga wins.

They still, though, trail Barca by four points at the top of the table as the Catalans have amassed 34 points from a possible 36.

“The truth is the team has changed completely. Not just on a playing level but also our mentality. That is what the coach has helped us a lot with,” said Valencia’s top scorer Simone Zaza, himself reborn after a disastrous loan spell at West Ham United last season.

In contrast to recent years where Lim’s recruitment has been questioned for his closeness to Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes, the majority of Valencia’s seven new signings after another summer clearout have shone.

However, the need for Los Che to take advantage of poor starts to the season by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for a historic achievement like a first La Liga title since 2003/04 is intensified by the fact that three of their top performers — Goncalo Guedes, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and Andreas Pereira — all arrived on season-long loan deals.

Nevertheless, Lim hit back at his critics blaming ‘fake news’ and ‘fake fans’ for Valencia’s struggles in the last two seasons.

“Peter Lim invested more than €200 million (RM977 million) of his own money to save this club. None of the fake fans who pretend to defend this club from Meriton and from Peter Lim put any money to save this club,” read a recent Valencia club statement.

Alaves v Eibar, Real Madrid v Malaga, Real Betis v Girona, Levante v Atletico. Deportivo v Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad v Las Palmas, Villarreal v Sevilla, Valencia v Barcelona. Monday: Espanyol v Getafe. AFP