Football Season Guide

Valencia had recently endured a few tough seasons, but the appointment of Marcelino as coach in the summer of 2017 proved to be an astute one. Under their new coach Valencia started the 2017/18 campaign excellently and, although their form dropped off a little towards the end of the season, they had done enough to secure fourth place and, therefore, Champions League football. The goal for this season will be to replicate the success of last term and to maintain their Champions League status. It won’t be easy, as they’ll now have to play midweek football, a demand their thin squad didn’t have to tackle last year. It remains a relatively small squad, even if they’re still working to bring in some more players before the end of the transfer window, so this should be a concern. Valencia have also lost one of their best players from last season, with winger Goncalo Guedes returning to PSG at the end of his loan spell. Valencia are trying to secure another loan or even a permanent transfer for the Portuguese player, but have found PSG’s demands too much to meet so far. They’re also trying to bring in another centre-forward, but have so far struggled in this regard. The transfer business that they have completed so far has seen them boost the defence, with Mouctar Diakhaby and Cristiano Piccini coming in, while the signing of the versatile Daniel Wass is another one which should pay off. Valencia, then, are in a decent position ahead of the 2018/19 season, which starts for them in the toughest possible manner with a clash against Atletico Madrid. If they can cope with the extra demands of midweek football and the travel then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to enjoy another successful season under Marcelino.