Valencia CF

Valencia all but put an end to their Champions League play-off with Monaco, as Alvaro Negredo scored a neatly chipped goal in just the third minute to give the Spanish side a commanding aggregate advantage. 

The former Manchester City man hit a perfect chip over Danijel Subasic's head to give Valencia a vital away goal along with a 4-1 aggregate advantage over the Ligue 1 giants. 

Andrea Raggi gave Monaco a glimmer of hope just 10 minutes later, slotting home to make it 1-1 on the night and 4-2 to Valencia on aggregate. 

Negredo ouvre le score pour Valence. Monaco doit maintenant réaliser un exploit pour se qualifier ! https://t.co/JrzfjzIqRT

— L'Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) August 25, 2015

Elderson Echiejile pulled another make to get Monaco within a goal to even things out on aggregate and send the tie into extra-time. 

VINE: Raggi dá um belo giro na área e finaliza no canto. Monaco 1-1 Valencia. https://t.co/kfhfpecwNz

— Futebol Europeu BR (@FutEuropeuBR) August 25, 2015

But the visitors hung on to advance to the Champions League's group stages. 

GOAL! Elderson scores after the rebound. Game On. Monaco 3-4 Valencia (agg) https://t.co/XNw4MJ0yDl

— Troll Football (@Troll__Football) August 25, 2015

[Twitter] 

MESTALLA, VALENCIA—This was a night for celebration, for Los Che players and supporters alike. But when the dust settles and they analyse how this Champions League first-leg qualifier went, they will understand that it could have been very different. Valencia will understand that they need to improve if they are to see off Monaco in the second leg and reach the competition proper.

That will be easier thanks to two major factors. One, the terrible decision not to award Monaco a penalty when the score was 2-1 to Valencia. Two, the late, brilliant half-volley from Sofiane Feghouli that stretched the lead to 3-1 and gives them a degree more comfort when they head to Stade Louis II on Tuesday for the second leg.

It could have been so different. Valencia came flying out of the traps and scored in the fourth minute. Rodrigo de Paul whipped the ball in to Feghouli at the back post, slicing Monaco's defence in half.

Feghouli cut the ball back across goal, and Rodrigo and Paco Alcacer were falling over themselves to bundle the ball home. The former met it first and scored Valencia's first Champions League goal for two-and-a-half-years.

AS Monaco were missing some hugely important players, including Portuguese central midfielder Joao Moutinho, full-back Layvin Kurzawa and central defender Aymen Abdennour.

That would be enough to hurt any team, but the Ligue 1 side did well, and began to get on top of the game after around 15 minutes.

Enzo Perez was crashing into challenges in midfield but was fighting a losing battle, with Dani Parejo not offering him enough support.

Things weren't happening up front for Valencia, with Alcacer looking a little off the pace, as is understandable this early in the season. After all, this was the Spanish side's first official match of the season, while Monaco have also played two league games.

One player who was certainly on form was Mat Ryan, the Australian goalkeeper, who made several impressive saves to keep his side ahead. He will be needed in the weeks ahead, too, as regular goalkeeper Diego Alves is out injured for several months.

The stopper was watching at the Mestalla as his team-mates beat Monaco, and he will be praying that by the time he returns to fitness his team are competing in Europe's top competition.

He saw his replacement impress in his stead, with an excellent save to tip Bernardo Silva's shot onto the post after great work by Anthony Martial.

The French forward was a danger himself, with several threatening runs through Valencia's defence. Shkodran Mustafi was stepped up well in the absence of Nicolas Otamendi, who was dropped from the squad because of transfer turmoil.

Ruben Vezo, meanwhile, was struggling with Martial's pace. The forward was unlucky to see an effort ruled out in the first half for offside. His backheel flick was saved by Ryan, and he reacted with lightning speed to rifle the rebound into the roof of the net.

Martial had a big hand in what could be a crucial away goal, too, with his cross half-cleared to Mario Pasalic, on loan from Chelsea, who fired home from close range.

Almost immediately, Valencia were ahead again. Parejo, who actually had a poor game, found the net, after Pablo Piatti cut back Antonio Barragan's cross into his path.

Parejo, for one, is a player who knows he must improve drastically ahead of the second leg of this game and the season ahead. When Javi Fuego came on, the team looked a lot more sturdy.

Perhaps in Monaco it might be wise to start the combative midfielder, in a different formation. The 4-3-3 Nuno Espirito Santo deployed here was far too open, and on a different day Valencia could have conceded more dangerous away goals.

Then came a clear penalty shout for Monaco when Jose Luis Gaya hacked down Martial in the area, and despite one of the extra assistant referees being less than two yards away, no penalty was awarded.

Feghouli's goal followed that and put a gloss on the scoreline. Fans and players could leave feeling happy, but the truth is Los Che will have to raise their game for the second leg and beyond.

If Valencia are to make a dent in this season's Champions League, they will have to use this as a base to improve upon.

Valencia wasted little time jumping ahead of Monaco in their Champions League play-off on Wednesday evening. 

Rodrigo hit home from point-blank range to give the hosts a quick 1-0 advantage in the fourth minute. 

Rodrigo ouvre le score pour Valence face à Monaco ! 1-0 ! pic.twitter.com/2Xk2nLJbGW

— L'Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) August 19, 2015

Rodrigo was left unmarked to hit home Sofiane Feghouli's knockdown to break a typically stout Monaco defence. 

Monaco supposed to be water-tight in defence etc - that was shambles, if Rodrigo hadn't scored, Alcacer was unmarked and woulda tapped in.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) August 19, 2015

Mario Pasalic equalised for Monaco shortly after the restart, as the Chelsea man on-loan at Monaco pounced on a rebound in the box. 

Pasalic goal #UCL #VAL-#MON https://t.co/NErVv9twWJ

— Antonio d'Amuri (@cosimodamu) August 19, 2015

Daniel Parejo restored the Spanish side's lead, hitting home in the 59th minute.  

Parejo redonne l'avantage à Valence ! 2-1 ! https://t.co/O0HSqCvWZT

— L'Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) August 19, 2015

Feghouli got on the scoresheet and put Valencia into a commanding position in the tie, scoring Valencia's third goal of the night to make it 3-1. 

3-1 pour Valence. But de Feghouli. #VALASM pic.twitter.com/DrJFimhsw4

— Salon Football Club (@SalonFootClub) August 19, 2015

[Vine]

The end of the 2014-15 season was dramatic for Valencia, as they secured Champions League qualification on the final day with a turnaround 3-2 win at Almeria.

It was a deserved and emotional end to a tough first season with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge, with the team having gone through several different phases throughout the campaign to eventually finish one point behind Atletico Madrid and one point ahead of Sevilla.

From an initial stodgy style of play as they searched for defensive solidity to gradually showing more freedom, excitement and cutting edge in attack, Los Che became one of the must-watch teams in La Liga last season and had several key players who excelled. One of those was centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, the Argentinian who was in his first season with the club. He was the league's standout defender, and it has been no surprise to see him linked with big-money moves away.

Manchester United, per the Independent, and Manchester City, according to the Mirror, are both front-runners for his signature. However, Valencia have to make sure they keep their top players if they want to build on last season's big step forward, especially as they have not excelled themselves in the transfer market so far this summer.

Personal Best

Otamendi has been in Europe since 2010, playing with FC Porto until January 2014. He won the Europa League and three league titles with the Liga NOS outfit—but on a personal-performance level, last season with Valencia was by far his best.

With reliability, consistency and defensive strength, Otamendi was simply monstrous.

Testament to his performances is the list of accolades that came his way; he made the Liga BBVA team of the season, was voted into the similar lists by most pundits and, right here on B/R, was our top-rated defender and third-place player overall in La Liga for last term.

As his beard grew in stature throughout the season, so too did his performances.

Otamendi is naturally an aggressive player but combined this inclination to attack every ball that came his way with a real leadership, organise Valencia's back line and even display a propensity to make a telling difference in attack.

Whether stepping out of the defensive line to make interceptions and tackles or hold his position to make limitless numbers of clearances, Otamendi's reading of the situation and ability to judge correctly when to intervene was a big reason for Valencia's defensive solidity. They conceded just 32 goals last season; only Atletico Madrid and Barcelona bettered that tally.

A perfect sign-off from club football was assuring Champions League football for the forthcoming campaign. He almost went one better at international level by winning the Copa America in the summer. That ended with Argentina losing in the final to Chile, of course, meaning Otamendi missed out on a first international title.

Partnerships

Otamendi started the season playing alongside Ruben Vezo, the young Portuguese centre-back. Vezo is a tremendously composed young defender, good on the ball and positionally aware with good recovery pace. He's not the toughest, but with Otamendi alongside him, Valencia had a good balance between aggression and reservation, push ahead and cover behind.

Once German defender Shkodran Mustafi had recovered from injury, though, it became apparent he was Nuno's first choice to partner Otamendi.

Vezo didn't necessarily deserve to be removed from the team, but the senior man took his place—and initially struggled. It was during this middle stage of the season, when Valencia were a little dour to watch but clearly trying to jell many new members of the team, that Otamendi really began to show his top form.

With Mustafi continually making mistakes in positional work and in attempting interceptions, Otamendi's recovery work was top class. He grew in stature and confidence, clearly revelling in being a key part of the team, and he helped Valencia win several early games that, without those points, would have meant they struggled to stay in the top four later on.

A run of 11 games from the start of December to the end of February saw Valencia lose just once, but only two of those were won by more than a single goal.

By the end of the year, Mustafi was more prominent at both ends of the field. As a team, Valencia worked extremely hard on their defensive shape and work rate.

It remained Otamendi, though, who embodied that commitment and organisation, as well as the determination to see out the season in one of those spots in the top four.

Los Che Back in the Champions League

So on to 2015-16, and Valencia are looking forward to a Champions League campaign—if they can navigate their play-off against AS Monaco, which is no easy task.

They will, with absolute certainty, need Otamendi at 100 per cent—both in terms of fitness and focus.

As soon as the Copa America was over, he was the subject of speculation; the Mirror reported he demanded his future be sorted before pre-season training got underway, but he returned, per Marca, on July 27.

Games over the summer have not gone well for Los Che; following an early win over Southampton, the likes of Roma, Bayern Munich and Porto have all beaten Nuno's men. Not too much emphasis should be placed on summer games, of course, but they are all sides indicative of the quality Valencia will face if they get into the Champions League—and Monaco, in France's Ligue 1, have already started competitive action. They beat Nice 2-1 on the opening weekend of league games.

Lack of Improvement

Champions League qualification aside, domestically it will be tougher than ever for Valencia to keep up their improvement. La Liga is ever more competitive with impressive squads, big-money transfers and smart work in the market; the two teams Valencia must match themselves against as closely as possible are clearly Atletico Madrid and Sevilla. In both regards, this summer at least, they have fallen behind.

While loans last season for the likes of Rodrigo, Andre Gomes and Joao Cancelo had to be made permanent, the similar arrangement for Alvaro Negredo meant they had to fork out €30 million for a striker who was important in physical and direct play late on in games at times but, by and large, did not impress. Negredo scored five league goals, played just 1,500 minutes or so and has already been linked with a loan move by Metro, quoting Spanish sources.

Quite frankly, Negredo is a massive waste of resources in a summer when Valencia should have been looking to buy smart and continue improving.

The only new additions are Santi Mina and Zakaria Bakkali, both impressive teenagers but not finished articles, and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.

By contrast, Sevilla have brought in the likes of Yevhen Konoplyanka, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Steve N'Zonzi, Ciro Immobile, Sergio Escudero and Adil Rami to boost last year's squad—all the while making a profit. Again.

Atleti haven't made a profit because they have been able to keep hold of their biggest stars. They have, however, added significantly to their core squad, especially in attack, where Valencia still look lacking, with only Paco Alcacer available to lead the line before turning to Negredo.

Defence

So if Valencia's attack isn't going to be significantly upgraded, then the defence must, at the very least, not be downgraded. And losing Otamendi would do exactly that.

It's not just the defence, though. Goalkeeper Diego Alves will be absent for most of the season after tearing his ACL at the end of the last campaign, and Ryan, though a talented young stopper, has not been called upon to play against this level of forwards on a regular basis before.

He was part of the Australia national team that won the Asia Cup on home soil in January, so the big stage shouldn't faze him, but there is something of a step up from facing Aleksandar Mitrovic or Renaud Emond to facing Leo Messi, Luis Suarez or Cristiano Ronaldo.

As it is, without upgrades on squad depth or the starting XI and missing their first-choice goalkeeper, the best stopper in La Liga last season, Nuno will have to work wonders to keep Valencia on a level pegging with Sevilla for a top-four finish.

Take Otamendi out of the equation, and the club may as well accept this will be another rebuilding year when they fight for a European spot, but any growth or silverware will likely remain well out of reach.

Follow @karlmatchett

It's time to talk about the big match of the weekend in La Liga, with one team fighting for the title and the other battling for a Champions League place. But not of Real Madrid, of Valencia.

Now under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo—former goalkeeper with (briefly) Deportivo La Coruna and (just as briefly) Porto—the team has thrived this year after the 41-year-old came into Valencia at an important, but also an opportune, moment for both parties. Having impressed at Rio Ave in Portugal over the previous two campaigns, Nuno took over in the summer as the spending started up again at the club following Peter Lim's eventual takeover.

What has transpired since then is a fascinating case study in team-building at pace, starting with a solid base and showing impressive tactical fluidity as the season goes on.

Right now, with the key fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu on the horizon, Los Che are attempting to seal a fourth-place finish. They have a three-point lead over Sevilla and are four behind Atletico Madrid, with three left to play. In the very simplest sort of analysis, had Valencia received more goals from their two main central strikers, Alvaro Negredo and Paco Alcacer, fourth would already be assured and third place would be a pretty fair bet too.

Next season, as Valencia look to crack into that top three, dominated by the Madrid clubs and Barcelona for three years now, it is in that central attacking area that they must look for their first and most obvious improvements to the team. Elsewhere, there are a number of impressive, top-class talents who can be retained and used to build around.

At the back, Diego Alves and Nicolas Otamendi have been the best goalkeeper and centre-back in La Liga. Absolutely without question, absolutely bar none. The likes of Diego Godin, Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique have all been excellent at times and certainly have longevity over Otamendi, but none have had his total conviction and consistency during 2014-15.

The same goes for Alves; there are three or four in the top flight—Sergio Asenjo, Fabricio, Claudio Bravo and so on—who can lay claim to being "next best," but none come even close to the Brazilian's dominating performances and (until the past two weeks, at least) total concentration on a game-to-game basis.

Those are the cornerstones of Valencia's defensive success this season, aided by a group of committed and impressive players around them.

Shkodran Mustafi has grown into the campaign after a very poor start, but even before he excelled there, Vezo was in place to partner Otamendi. The centre of Nuno's defence is well-stocked and set for the long haul. Jose Gaya may move on sooner or later, but the never-ending procession of attacking left-backs at the Mestalla has given them another tremendous season with that particular youngster.

Further ahead, Dani Parejo has emerged over the course of the season into one of the best controlling, creative midfielders in the country.

Mentioned earlier this week and sticking to it now again: On this season's evidence, he deserves to be a part of the Spain national team squad.

Parejo has everything Nuno wants in terms of his awareness, work rate and capacity to play in different shapes of midfield, but also has the skill set to grace Vicente del Bosque's setup: first touch, passing, vision, set-piece delivery and an ability to shoot from range.

He is complemented by the industrious and rugged Javi Fuego, not a star in the traditional sense but a key component in this team, almost as a Mascherano-lite with his tenacity, aggression and covering the ground quickly across the width of midfield.

Valencia do have inconsistency with other members of the midfield—Andre Gomes and Enzo Perez have flattered to deceive at times—but there is certainly a great base to add to and build from. That core of the team is hard-working but impressive on the ball. It perhaps lacks pace or drive at times if Parejo is unavailable, and on the occasions Nuno has switched away from a 4-3-3, it can lack support to the front players, but by and large Valencia look very strong down their spine.

It is, however, in wide areas of attack that the team has the most natural ability and potential.

Sofiane Feghouli and Pablo Piatti have both been excellent in 2015, while Gaya adds penetrating runs and very impressive crossing accuracy. Getting into the box to provide runners off the ball, cut-backs from dangerous areas and dribbling directly at the opposition defence are keys for Valencia's style, and Piatti was, pre-most recent injury, one of the best in the league at that.

As good as Denis Cheryshev was in the early stages of the season, and as he gained big notoriety with Villarreal, Piatti surpassed him in explosiveness, in end product and in consistency during his own best spell.

The one criticism of Valencia's attack has to be that at times, and this has admittedly seemed to lessen as the season goes on, a lack of goals. Neither Rodrigo (Moreno, the Spanish international) nor Rodrigo de Paul (Argentinian 20-year-old) have contributed anywhere near enough in that regard.

Alcacer started strongly but faded badly, while Negredo has been useful tactically but not in front of goal, netting only five. In fact, in the entire squad, only Parejo, who has added free-kicks and penalties to his tally, has hit double figures in La Liga.

And that brings us back to the Champions League.

They can qualify, and most probably will finish in the top four, but that lack of goals really could cost them.

Sevilla are just three points behind with three matches to play, though have the Europa League semi-final to navigate too. Valencia have the edge on head-to-head results.

There's not much they can do about it except wait and win their own matches, but if they do make the Champions League, there's scope for them to be seen as a much tougher opponent than some recent big European sides who reached the group stages and struggled to get out. Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Liverpool and Spain's own Athletic Bilbao have come undone at that point of late.

Valencia, though, are much sterner defensively than those teams, built on a tough tactical game plan with attacking prowess not at the expense of work rate or organisation.

Any new summer signings must add both determination and quality to Nuno's squad to embrace, not inhibit, that trait.

Lim's takeover will ensure there is no shortage of cash to challenge Atletico Madrid next season as Valencia bid to break into the top three. Barcelona can't buy in summer, and Real will do their usual—buy quality names, not needs—and have midfield issues to sort out. And that's without even deciding whether Carlo Ancelotti stays or not.

Atleti showed last year that organisation, determination, belief and, of course, quality can land titles. Valencia have the foundations for that and can add more again this summer. Indeed, given funds and direction, control and patience, this version of Valencia could go on to challenge a repeat of Rafael Benitez's 2002-04 period of battling at the very top for significant prizes.

Follow @karlmatchett

Sunday’s 0-0 draw with near-neighbours Villarreal wasn’t Valencia’s ideal scenario for celebrating Easter Sunday, but they’ll get over it quickly enough. Rather than being more of the same, it was a rare instance of the Mestalla’s demanding public being disappointed in this regenerative season.

National champions Atletico Madrid and European champions Real Madrid alike have both fallen to defeat at the famous old stadium in this campaign to date—and current La Liga leaders Barcelona required a late, late goal from Sergio Busquets to triumph there in late November. They have lost just one La Liga match at home and won 12, an equal tally to those posted by Barca, Atleti and El Real.

It’s symbolic, to say the least. A club that has slumped incrementally since the glorious Liga/UEFA Cup double authored by Rafa Benitez in 2004 has genuine reason to believe again, buoyed (finally) by solid-looking foundations.

The current wave of positivity has been swept in by the arrival of Singaporean businessman Peter Lim, whose Meriton Holdings football investment vehicle formally purchased a 70 percent chunk of the shareholding in November after 10 months of protracted and agonising negotiations.

Lim has been warmly welcomed by the locals; an inevitable consequence of his investment, you might say, particularly given the financial dire straits the club has been in through most of the preceding decade of financial mismanagement. Yet what has also impressed was Lim’s desire to set the club moving forward even before he completed the deal.

The cooperation of president Amadeo Salvo (who has remained in situ post-takeover) allowed it to happen, and Lim used Meriton to start restocking a flagging squad. With super-agent Jorge Mendes a close friend and fellow investor, Lim has invested in a range of talent. The pair had previously come close to buying English Championship club Middlesbrough, as reported here by El Confidencial (in Spanish).

Two of Meriton’s players, striker Rodrigo and midfielder Andre Gomes, were purchased on the last day of the winter transfer window in 2014 for a joint fee of €45 million, as per Mais Futebol (in Portuguese). They were then initially loaned to Valencia in summer pending the completion of Lim’s purchase.

As well as facilitating the arrival of World Cup finalist Enzo Perez this winter (also from Benfica), the pair’s connections led to Nuno Espirito Santo—or simply Nuno, as he is known—taking over as coach in the summer.

He was Mendes’ first client back in 1997, soliciting the then-nightclub owner for his business nous to help negotiate a move for the goalkeeper from Guimaraes to Deportivo La Coruna.

The 41-year-old was a surprise choice at the Mestalla, given his only previous experience was managing modest Rio Ave, albeit fairly successfully. Initially appointed on a one-year deal, his shrewd leadership meant that his deal was extended to 2018 back in January, as per Sky Sports.

Is it too much to hope that they can go on to challenge Barca and El Real? There is considerable optimism for the future, and that’s a great start. The Mendes connection has begun to make people think that anything is possible, and the Portuguese powerbroker’s client Radamel Falcao has even been mentioned as a possible reinforcement for 2015/16, when the club hope (and even expect) to return to the Champions League.

For now, that is the priority. Sunday’s draw meant Valencia slipped to fourth, behind Atleti, and the race is far from run, with Unai Emery’s strong Sevilla side breathing down their necks, three points behind.

In the medium term, it is Lim’s vision of finally completing the club’s long-delayed new stadium, the 61,500-capacity Nou Mestalla, by the club’s centenary in 2019 which will give them sufficient financial clout to compete at the top. At the moment, fans hope that the know-how of Lim and Mendes will pick up the slack.

Paco Alcacer has agreed a new five-year contract with Valencia, ending speculation he could be set for a move to Liverpool.

The 21-year-old will remain at the Mestalla until 2020, as reported by the club's official Twitter account:

Official Statement | @paco_alcacer extends contract through to 2020 http://t.co/jb453W7lAL pic.twitter.com/NGwbvm11ps

— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) January 27, 2015

Alcacer was rumoured to have caught the eye of Brendan Rodgers before penning his new agreement, as reported by James Orr of The Independent. However, new Valencia owner Peter Lim recently promised to invest significant cash into the side, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC.

This begins with keeping talented youngsters like Alcacer, a player who the first-team can be built around for years to come. Valencia are currently fourth in La Liga, with Alcacer netting eight goals and providing five assists in 20 matches across all competitions this campaign, per WhoScored.com.

It had been recently suggested by talkSPORT that Alcacer's new contract was likely to include a "gargantuan buy-out fee." This has come to fruition, per Spanish specialist Jamie Kemp:

Paco Alcácer officially renews until 2020, €80 million release clause. Valencia don't play no more. pic.twitter.com/TNsb1tfC2A

— Jamie Kemp (@jamiemkemp) January 27, 2015

Valencia are now assured to receive top dollar if they do decide to sell, thus protecting their investment in a manner which so many clubs choose to employ these days.

The Spanish international is a clinical finisher who offers all-round quality to his club. Only midfielder Daniel Parejo has netted more than him for Nuno Espirito Santo's side this season, with other forwards such as Alvaro Negredo and Rodrigo struggling to match his output so far.

You can see Alcacer's quality below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLgqgUbQp0I

His commitment is a step in the right direction for the side who face the difficult task of overhauling Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in the domestic stakes.

The five-year deal is certainly a marker of the club's ambition and will be joyously welcomed by Valencia fans.

La Liga restarted in tumultuous fashion last weekend. Barcelona and Real Madrid began 2015 by losing on the same round of fixtures for the first time since 2010/11. Hay Liga ("there is a Liga," or a competition for it), as they say in Spain.

Much as Real Sociedad—and their acclimatising coach David Moyes—deserve great credit for their Sunday night win over Barca, Valencia took the weekend’s plaudits, and rightly so. Their efforts in halting Real Madrid’s 22-match winning run at the Mestalla were titanic, in the midst of a cacophonous 55,000 sell-out crowd in the famous old stadium.

Of all the onlookers inside the stadium and on television screens worldwide, few could have been as satisfied as Jorge Mendes. His fingerprints were all over this. Mendes’ most celebrated client, Cristiano Ronaldo, had opened the scoring from the penalty spot, before Valencia clicked into gear. Los Che’s second-half winner was scored by Nicolas Otamendi, another from the Mendes stable and a symbol of his growing influence at the club.

Mendes’ reputation is no secret. To briefly recap, he is without a doubt the most powerful agent in the world. His rise to the very top is undeniably built around Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, who he has looked after since brokering his 2004 move to Chelsea. Ever since, he has had a piece of anything of value from (or that has passed through) his native Portugal.

Last summer, he was the conduit for the biggest transfers in the window, with his clients Radamel Falcao, Eliaquim Mangala, Angel Di Maria, James Rodriguez and Diego Costa all making lucrative moves. Mendes’ latest deal was also on display at the Mestalla on Sunday, with Valencia debutant Enzo Perez (just signed from Benfica for €25 million) rarely leaving the side of his stablemate Ronaldo as he sought, largely successfully, to shut him down.

Mendes’ involvement in Valencia is a new step, though. He is no stranger to involvement with the Spanish game, having been heavily involved in recruitment at Deportivo La Coruna (he is friends with the Galician club’s long-serving president, Augusto Cesar Lendoiro) and having made a number of deals involving Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

This time, the hands-on nature of Mendes’ influence is fully recognised. It was the agent himself who introduced his friend Peter Lim to Valencia president Amadeo Salvo as the latter began to look for a buyer for the club at the start of last year, with major creditor Bankia (owed €300 million) keen to sell up.

Mendes and Lim had already been working together for some time on projects including a fund for young sports people (looked at by Matt Scott in The Guardian as early as July 2011), and Lim had already explored the possibility of buying out Liverpool and Atletico.

The chaotic state of Valencia’s finances meant that it took almost a year to complete Lim’s purchase of a 70 percent stake, but it was finally done in October. With Salvo retained as president, the club was already being run according to Lim’s (and, implicitly, Mendes’) blueprint.

The major summer arrivals included Benfica pair Rodrigo and Andre Gomes, bought by Lim’s player-investment fund on winter transfer-deadline day last year for a combined €45 million (as per Mais Futebol, in Portuguese) and left parked with the Estadio da Luz club until they were initially loaned to Valencia, pending the completion of Lim’s purchase of the club, in summer. Playmaker Gomes, incidentally, was again excellent against El Real.

Perhaps the biggest sign of the hand of Mendes was the arrival of Nuno as coach, to replace the Argentinian Juan Antonio Pizzi. The 40-year-old had little top-level experience, with two seasons in charge of Rio Ave on his senior CV. He did, however, guide the modest northern Portuguese side into Europe for the first time after reaching two cup finals in 2013/14.

It was Nuno who had set Mendes on his path. In 1997, when he was goalkeeper at Vitoria Guimaraes, he had asked his friend—then a local nightclub owner—to help him negotiate a transfer to Deportivo La Coruna. Mendes agreed, and the rest is history.

Whatever your view of the motivations behind the appointment, it’s been a resounding success. Nuno’s switch to 3-5-2 to exploit the lack of cover for Real Madrid’s full-backs was his latest tactical masterstroke in a highly impressive season. Valencia look good for a Champions League return.

There are many questions still to be answered. Marca pointed out on the completion of the takeover that Lim’s investment was significantly less than had been initially suggested, and one wonders whether new signings will ultimately belong to the club, or to Meriton. For now, though, the Lim and Mendes recipe seems to be working.

Valencia are in a fight near the top of the La Liga table, and now they're also in a fight with the law over variations in their new club logo. 

Spanish publication Plaza Deportiva (h/t Fox Soccer) first reported the legal dispute, as it seems DC Comics—the creators of the all-so popular Batman comic-book empire—don't approve of the use of a bat on the Spanish side's logo. So they filed papers to the OHIC, which governs the European Union's trademark registration body. 

Of course, there are obvious similarities: They both have bats! 

5 CRAZY THINGS: Valencia football club getting sued by Batmanhttps://t.co/FWLfQadX0w pic.twitter.com/NuxTDPO8fN

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) November 20, 2014

Valencia, however, have had a bat in their logo since the club's creation in March 1919. The first Batman comic book was published in 1940. 

DC Comics reportedly file complaint against Valencia for infringing on Batman logo .http://t.co/530Sso0TNy pic.twitter.com/ZTUQnRwPeL

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 20, 2014

Point: Valencia. 

We think the comics are going to have a battle of comic-book-like proportions (sorry) on their hands if they wish to win this one. 

[Fox Soccer]

Valencia had made an impressive start to the 2013-14 La Liga season, finding themselves in the top three up until their most recent fixture, but a heavy 3-0 defeat away to relegation-zone side Deportivo La Coruna has halted their progress for now.

3 - Deportivo have recorded their biggest win in a La Liga game against Valencia since 1995 (3-0). Super.

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 19, 2014

With one Champions League spot certainly up for grabs in the Spanish top flight and Los Che having placed third in three consecutive campaigns up until last year, they are one of the favourites to clinch the fourth spot and return as a European force once more.

Following that defeat to Depor, though, and a tough run of games coming up, new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has to regroup his side and prove that they have the depth, quality and consistency to continue getting the good results required to finish in the top four.

Valencia coach Nuno back at Deportivo, club he joined back in mid-1990s in what was Jorge Mendes first ever transfer in football #memories

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) October 19, 2014

First Defeat

Valencia remain fourth following the weekend's games, with the defeat in La Coruna being their first of the league season. They have a good defensive record—only Barcelona, who've yet to concede a goal in La Liga this season, have a better goals-against tally—and have shown in plenty of games that they can dominate, create and have a clinical edge about them.

However, their recent loss does mark two games out of the last three in La Liga, the other being a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad, that they have struggled to translate having the ball into much meaningful possession in the final third, something that indicates there is still much work to do.

Valencia's first loss at Riazor since 2003. Nuno's side: 4 total shots, 17 bookings, and 67 giveaways. Lesson learned I would hope.

— Adam Matvya (@adammatvya) October 19, 2014

FT Depor 3-0 Valencia. Victor Fernandez gets one over former player Nuno, named very attacking side which overcame cautious visitors.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) October 19, 2014

What Valencia do have, though, is a little depth now in key areas.

Shkodran Mustafi at centre-back has been hit-or-miss since coming into the side, but youngster Vezo looked more than capable alongside Nicolas Otamendi. Sofiane Feghouli, Pablo Piatti and Rodrigo have all had to exchange places in attack at times, giving Nuno an option off the bench to change things in the final third.

And in midfield, Javi Fuego and Filipe Augusto give Valencia a bruising, physical side to their play to back up the more technical, offensive-minded Dani Parejo, Andre Gomes and Carles Gil.

Testing Games

Five wins from eight games means that, even with the weekend defeat, Valencia stay above Atletico Madrid on goal difference—though by the end of the season, head-to-head results count for more than that separator, of course.

Two of their next four matches come against sides in the bottom three, Elche and Levante, and will be games that Valencia are expected to take nothing less than three points from each time. The wins should come if they are to not only bounce back from defeat and show mental resilience but also prove they are able to consistently grind out the wins needed to eventually claim a top-four finish.

Between those two, however, Valencia face two of their biggest rivals for that all-important fourth place: Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao.

The latter of course took the spot last year, though they have begun this season with a woeful series of results, which leaves them in 17th place at present. They will still be no pushovers, though, and Valencia will have to be far better than their offensive play against Real Sociedad of a few weeks back showed.

After that bout of four games, still some time off of course, comes the small matter of Barcelona.

Top-Four Challengers

Villarreal are perhaps the bigger imminent threat to Valencia, with their exciting and pace-fuelled attacking line and their hard-working, diligent midfield. Valencia have the deeper squad, but in an 11-on-11 scenario, Villarreal can certainly match Los Che.

It will come down to who can be the more incisive around the penalty area, with both teams boasting impressive goalkeepers and, for the most part, strong defensive pairings. But both have proved culpable to a few mistakes, too.

The other big opposition to fourth place this season is Sevilla; the Andalucian side have only lost once themselves and sit second in the table, two points above Valencia.

Nuno has made an exciting start to the season, which gives fans of the team plenty of optimism that Valencia can establish themselves as a top-four side once more—not just for a single season but, as was the case between 2009 and 2012, as more or less a permanent fixture. The signings could well keep on coming in January, and the manager is proving himself adept at getting the best out of them.

With Bilbao's demise and Sevilla similarly unproven over an entire campaign, Valencia sense that opportunity knocks.

But first they must prove themselves capable of bouncing back from their first major set-back with telling fixtures ahead.

Follow @karlmatchett