Fletcher would add a touch more class to magical Mestalla
IT ISN’T long since Valencia, in football terms, were on a lifesupport machine. Vastly in debt, creditors calling in their markers, riven by internal feuding. If it hadn’t been for one local bank and the regional council, this proud club would have been driven into complete economic meltdown — administration a certainty and total collapse quite feasible.
So it might seem niggardly to award them a ‘could do better’ report card for their first half of the Spanish season.
Ahead of tonight’s fascinating, volatile and unmissable match against fourth-placed Sevilla
(Sky Sports 5, 8pm), fifth-placed Valencia can boast of having played some of the most enjoyable, attacking and aggressive football in the country. At a tarted-up stadium, which is now more Savile Row than Skid Row and which houses raucous, newly-optimistic fans bay for opponents’ scalps.
But LosChe fall short of an A+ on their report card for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they boast more peaks and troughs than the Lake District, secondly they ignominiously exited the Copa Del Rey against the normally toothless Espanyol.
Some examples. Valencia thump Spanish champions Atlético then lose, heavily, to Deportivo La Coruña, who had just shipped eight goals at home to Madrid.
Valencia, now owned by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, powered by super-agent Jorge Mendes and coached by the Portuguese-Scottish tandem of Nuno Espirito Santos and Ian Cathro, dismantle the excellent Villarreal but then take one point out of nine against Athletic, Levante and Barcelona.
Even before crashing out of the Cup, Valencia win at Rayo but then concede four at home to the same team and only just manage to claw their way back into the tie having trailed 5-3 at home.
Irregularity either requires prunes — or more experienced players. And experience was just what was on the mind of Valencia director of football, Rufete, when he began discussions to add Darren Fletcher to their squad before Christmas.
Despite the decent midfield resources where Dani Parejo and the absolutely terrific Andre Gomes have starred, Rufete saw knowledge, talent, drive, savoirfaire and leadership — all of which was lying needlessly unused at Manchester United.
Completely physically fit for a long time now, just in need of games, Fletcher had made it clear to both Louis van Gaal and United chief executive Ed Woodward that at this stage of his life he needs regular football for having fought through a series of excruciating and intimidating operations in order to cure his ulcerative colitis.
United not only value him for the rest of the season, the club wanted to extend his contract which finishes in the summer — a testimony not only to his football skills but to his leadership, his willingness to act and play like a ‘captain without the armband’, his intelligence and his dignity.
Back to Valencia. They are not alone in wanting Fletcher, West Ham do, too, and the difference is that it’s a change of city, not country, and Sam Allardyce has a stronger say in squad management than Nuno Espirito Santo does.
Valencia are at their salary maximum viz Financial Fair Play, recently spent close to €30million in order to sign Enzo Perez from Benfica and need to clear out a few lesser-used players in order to incorporate anyone.
In Fletcher’s position, Javi Fuego feels he has one big, lucrative move left in him and wants to savour life in the Premier League — he too tickles Allardyce’s fancy. So it may be that tonight’s game dictates whether or not West Ham end up with a Spaniard and Valencia with a Scot. Or vice versa.
Decisions on how to move forward in terms of signings and sales have been put on a backburner at Valencia this week while total concentration has been focused on how to defeat the team from the south.
Spain works on a system of what they call ‘goal average’ but we call head-to-head to separate teams who are tied on points at the end of the season.
Right now the pair are just one point apart and Sevilla, a place ahead, have their game in hand against European champions Madrid at the Bernabéu next week. Valencia managed a 1-1 fightback draw at Sevilla on the first matchday of the season so, if they should take tonight’s ‘win-at-all-costs’ battle at the Mestalla, then it’s like having an extra point advantage over the Europa League holders.
When it comes to Champions League qualification and revenue, that’s a point which could be worth upwards of €10m.
So, yes, this is, potentially, a €10m match.