Spain
Valencia were guaranteed a stern test as Real Sociedad visited the Mestalla on Saturday evening, yet few could have expected the result that followed. A complete collapse from Mauricio Pellegrino’s side allowed the visitors to deservedly knock five past Diego Alves, with only Roberto Soldado managing to muster any sort of a response through his brace. Brazilian playmaker Jonas was shown a straight red card before the interval, but the local faithful chanted for a different type of dismissal at the final whistle.
Supporters tend to target the manager after a lacklustre run of form, but Valencia fans were not looking for Pellegrino’s head. ‘Llorente vete ya!’ rang around the stadium as the two teams left the field, this time reform at the very top was required, and supporters insisted that president Manolo Llorente step down and not the tactician. The economist by trade had been involved with the club since 1995, and had always stood by managers in the face of fierce protests.
This time it was very different, Llorente had backed the likes of Rafael Benitez in the past and more recently Unai Emery despite a huge backlash at the backend of last season. This time they did not want the man of the sidelines, however, as Pellegrino has succeeded in guiding them to the knockout stages of the Champions League. They stuttered at best domestically, but the majority of the campaign is yet to be played out. Key injuries to midfielders Ever Banega and Sergio Canales have also disrupted the team’s progression.
Valencia have struggled financially in recent years, and despite drastically reducing their debt they are still over €330m in the red. The club also have two stadiums on their books, one they have been unable to sell and another that they do not have the finances to build. Spanish internationals such as David Villa, Juan Mata and David Silva departed in the last few summers while this year Jordi Alba moved to Barcelona, leaving relatively few game changers within the squad.
For the first time since being appointed president in 2008, the supporters wanted Llorente out of the picture and a radical change in the hierarchy of the club. The fact that season ticket prices at the Mestalla were the highest in Spain after champions Real Madrid has left a bitter taste for many local supporters. Llorente’s salary after tax is reported to be in excess of €350,000, and that has not helped his cause when appealing to the average fan.
Llorente’s solution for the protests directed at him was simply, and Pellegrino was swiftly shown the door while Ernesto Valverde was hastily appointed as the Argentine’s replacement. While other managers had been protected in similar situations, when the protests got personal the former Liverpool and Internazionale assistant was shoved out. The fact that Valverde was almost simultaneously also suggest a lack of a concrete plan going forward.
“It is an unfair decision and one that I do not share,” asserted Pellegrino on Monday morning, with the full backing of Valencia supporters in the majority of quarters. “It was quite clearly taken in the heat of the moment after a moment’s anger and above all fear.” Soldado backed his boss before the sacking on Sunday, and echoed the view that the players were simply not worthy of the manager. The whole fiasco has left a lot to be questioned internally at Valencia.
France
Lyon hammered fellow title contenders Marseille in midweek with Bafetimbi Gomis the star of the show bagging a hat-trick before beating holders Montpellier at the weekend to go top of the table. Nice defeated Paris Saint-Germain despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning to the starting line-up, and the Parisians have not slipped out of the Champions League places behind Saint Etienne and into fourth. Valenciennes continued their impressive run of form, beating Reims to go fifth.
Germany
Borussia Dortmund held Bayern Munich to a stalemate after Mario Gotze’s superb late strike settled the match on Saturday, and the Bavarian outfit remain top with a lead of eight points. Hamburger SV defeated Schalke 04, as the visitors have not completely lost touch with the title race. Bayern Leverkusen dispatched Nurnberg to climb into second above Dortmund. Werder Bremen convinced against Hoffenheim to continue their good run.
Italy
Juventus demolished Torino in the Derby del Mole on Saturday, despite Andrea Pirlo missing a penalty for the holders. Napoli trashed Pescara thanks to braces from Edinson Cavani and Gokhan Inler to keep up the chase in second. Inter meanwhile needed a late own goal from Santiago Garcia to see past Palermo at the San Siro. Milan beat Catania to maintain a strong run, while Fiorentina dropped points with a 2-2 draw at home to Sampdoria.
-Dylan Fahy
