Valencia are one of the most perplexing teams in the global game.
Sure, they won their UEFA Champions League group. They’re also seventh in La Liga, just four points out of the top four.
Keep in mind that this is the same team that lost 4-1 to relegation fighters Mallorca and have a spotty record against the bottom half of La Liga, collecting seven wins, three draws and four losses.
In this tactical analysis, we’ll look into Valencia’s performances, gauging where their performances rate among the La Liga sides. With the information we uncover in the first category, we’ll (spoiler alert) look into the reasons this extremely talented side is wildly underperforming. Our attention will focus on the midfield, particularly through a scout report on the central players.
Evaluating Valencia’s season
Let’s jump into this analysis with a look at xG vs xGA chart for La Liga. In this plot, the elite clubs are converging on the bottom-right portion of the graphic, whereas the relegation fighters are diametrically opposed. While Valencia rank ninth in La Liga with an xG tally of 32.59, their 44.8 xGA is the second-worst in the Spanish top flight, training only Levante. The nearest team to Valencia in the chart is Mallorca, the newly-promoted side sitting in 18th place and on the brink of relegation back to the Segunda Liga.
