Tactical Analysis
One victory in seven La Liga outings is simply not good enough. Valencia have only 5 points on the board and Mendieta runs the risk of being sacked if the current form continues.
Now, I respect the fact that team spirit plays a big part in how well the side gels (Valencia’s is roughly 65 at present) but that’s only half the story. The rest lies at the managers feet. Mendieta has been anaylsising video footage of matches gone and has decided to tweak things in order to remedy the situation.
The two main areas in need of attention are:
1. Ball retention.
2. Style of play/ldentity
1. Los Che simply put, do not retain the ball well. In trying to move the ball up the field quickly Valencia keep wasting possession needlessly which in turn leads to the opposition finding gaps on the counter. Which brings us to point...
2. To date Mendieta has attempted to implement a counter attacking style of play. Sitting deep, turning over possession and breaking up the pitch. The problem is, defensively Valencia are not soaking up pressure well. So The team are struggling to contain the opposition and win back possession and then when they do win the ball they are been wasteful with it (as mentioned above). It’s a recipe for disaster. The squad is simply not equipped to play this way.
A change of approach
Valencia will now switch to a more possession based style of football with an emphasis on keeping the ball moving, to frustrate the opponent, and patiently unearth chinks in their armour.
In Pes 2017 while playing possession I found that my players were not that interested in getting forward and had to be prompted to move .. .. .what season are you in at the moment totti? Season one is notorious for trying to push you to the bottom but after that each season gets better . .just my opinion.