Problems Facing Gary Neville as New Manager of Valencia
Large portions of the UK population were forced to pick their jaws back up off the floor on Wednesday afternoon following Gary Neville’s appointment as Valencia head coach.
The Manchester United legend turned Sky Sports star pundit is a beloved figure due to his exceptional tactical analysis during games, and his one-hour show at the start of the week—a regular precursor to Sky Sports’ flagship Monday Night Football game—changed the landscape of football commentary for the better.
He joined up with Roy Hodgson in 2012 to help coach the English national side and has gained an excellent rapport with the players, leading millions to hope he, somehow, is the answer to the national team’s continued struggles on the world stage.
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His decision to take this opportunity in Spain—despite it only being a five-month contract that holds the club over in the wake of Nuno Santo’s recent sacking—has been met with glee.
We often yearn for English coaches to depart the British Isles and take in new experiences, rounding themselves as individuals and professionals as a result, and Neville has done just that.
Valencia is also a superb opportunity; the club boasts a star-studded squad with high-calibre players, and they were not that far removed from playing some of the finest football in La Liga in 2014-15.
But the job is also an extremely tough one, as Los Che have badly underperformed throughout the current campaign. A home loss to Zenit St. Petersburg in September prompted a round of boos for the side as they left the pitch, and chants of “Nuno, leave now!” have been echoing around Mestalla for weeks.
Owner Peter Lim has acted in a timely fashion, sending Nuno packing with the club just five points off Celta Vigo in fourth place, but the task facing Neville remains colossal.
What challenges does he face as he takes his first-ever head coach role, and how can he go about righting the ship quickly?
Defensive Instability
Neville isn’t happy with the state of defending in modern football, as he so brilliantly surmised in 2014, per the Telegraph:
"The minimum standards have dropped sharply.
When I was brought through from 1991-94, if a full-back allowed a cross it was a crime. Nowadays it barely seems to register. But I see no road back to the old ways.
It's like the guy who loves Ceefax pining for its return in the face of the internet. It's not coming back.
"
What he finds at Valencia will displease him; they’ve gone from a near-rock-solid defensive setup to a state of disarray in just half a year.
Injuries and suspensions have played a big part in an ever-changing back line. Antonio Barragan (RB), Javi Fuego (DM) and Joao Cancelo (RB) have all received red cards in league player this season; both Maty Ryan and Jaume Domenech have both been using in trying to fill in for the injured Diego Alves; and no settled partnerships have been established in the wake of Nicolas Otamendi’s exit.
That, in particular, is something Neville is not a fan of. He spoke in the above article about the need for familiarity and continuity, and he is highly likely to pick a back four and run with it wherever possible.
One player will be chosen to partner Shkodran Mustafi, while Cancelo and Jose Gaya—whenever possible—should fill the role of full-backs.
There may also be a rude awakening for Gaya and Cancelo—two inherently attacking full-backs—as they receive defensive attention and coaching from one of the greats in their position.
Pick a System
The shield in front of the defensive line, which was so effective last season, has faltered over the last few months, and without Otamendi to smash his way forward and dominate multiple zones, more chances have been created by the opposition.
It’s accepted that Javi Fuego, who had a stunning 2014-15 campaign, has dropped off this time around, and heavy rotation in personnel has contributed to an instability in the middle.
Dani Parejo has been a constant too, but aside from his remarkable game against Celta Vigo, in which he helped Los Che win a true smash-and-grab game, he has underwhelmed a little.
Outside of those two core players, Nuno mish-mashed all sorts of different XIs together over the final two months of his reign. The lack of consistency in the lineups, and resulting lack of forged partnerships on the field, has contributed greatly to the season’s struggles.
Cancelo has played plenty of right-midfield during November in place of Sofiane Feghouli, giving Nuno two right-backs on the right side, and making for a more overtly defensive approach—far removed from the exciting, flying system of 2014-15.
Two of Valencia’s best players last season were the two wingers, Pablo Piatti and Feghouli, but they have made just four and six La Liga starts respectively this season, per WhoScored.com. Piatti suffered an injury early in the season but then went unpicked following recovery, and Feghouli has been used too sparingly, and has also been tried in different areas of the pitch for reasons unknown.
It’s been loosely 4-3-3 in terms of shape for large portions, but the approach has needlessly changed from last season and has been tweaked incessantly. Again, no partnerships or connections have been solidified in this side.
Pick A Striker
These problems extend to the striking position, too; the personnel situation up front at Mestalla has been downright confusing, and laughable at times, this season.
Valencia are notably short of goals compared to this time last year. In 2014-15, Los Che had netted 24 times in La Liga and boasted a goal difference of plus-12; as we enter week 14 this season, they’ve scored seven fewer and are five worse off in GD.
No less than five different players have been tried up top, with even Rodrigo De Paul—a player who hasn’t even impressed in his natural wing position—pushed up there on one particularly scary occasion.
Nuno tried Santi Mina there despite his excellence shining through from a wide position for Celta Vigo last year, while Rodrigo’s been given a go too despite consistency issues.
Paco Alcacer has been the most successful of the lot, netting six goals in league play so far, but he has only started seven games, coming on as a substitute in five. Why? He ends up coming on to try and save the day anyway—just like Feghouli does in midfield.
The biggest, most embarrassing story is Alvaro Negredo, though, and his transfer from Manchester City to Valencia will go down in history as one of the stupidest.
He signed on loan with an obligatory purchase clause of approximately €27 million (£19.4 million) if Los Che qualified for the Champions League—they did so, but largely without his help.
Nuno didn’t use him very heavily—he made just 14 league starts, scoring five goals—but was forced to purchase him after the team landed fourth place in the division. It was arguably the most reluctant signing in football history. This season, he was excluded and forced to train alone for a portion, and although he’s back in the squad now, he hasn’t been playing.
Negredo, Alcacer and Rodrigo form a diverse trio of skill sets, with the former offering size, hold-up play and physical attributes, the second providing No. 9 instincts and good finishing, and the latter thrust in the channels with outright speed, but an unrefined end-product.
Neville can pick exactly how his team wish to operate in the final third from an array of options—though he likely already has a plan of exactly how he’ll be doing things in mind.
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