Antonio Valencia... | Will wear #25 shirt from this point onwards by request

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Pogue Mahone said:
You can remember back "a whole year"?

Maybe I was harsh to criticise your memory.
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Look, to put it simply - I don't think Valencia is a particularly good player. I don't need to scientifically or statistically validate that, I have eyes, and have used them to watch football for many years. From that, I have developed an ability to determine what I consider a 'good player', and that is not what I feel when I watch Valencia.

The opinion is really not that controversial either,the whole world of football followers is not actually unanimous in thinking Valencia is a great player or anything.
 
I've never thought its a case of him being found out, he's still getting the ball in exactly the positions we would want him to its just that more often than not he won't take his man on and his delivery is poor and it's more through his own play than anything a defender is doing. Sometimes he looks to passive, not willing to take a chance and make something happen. Sometimes tbf I don't think he's helped when we over flood his area of the pitch. Rafael overlapping is good but sometimes you see clev or jones when they play in the middle try and overlap as well and it just pushes Valencia a little more inside.
 
He was kicking the ball like it owed him money today, he's a very frustrating player to watch when he keeps turning back into midfield when we break, it's been this way all season.

Maybe he is feeling the pressure of the #7 shirt.

Sam said:
He's an embarrasment. Fergie's love for him is just wrong, simple as that. Wouldnt get into the likes of Wigan's first XI.
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Not true, that's where we got him from!
 
Brwned said:
In his first season he was probably our second best attacker. Certainly in the first half of the season before Nani turned things around. I obviously agree that he was more dangerous last season than he was in his first but he was still a danger. If the solution to that danger was as simple as telling the LB to stand off him and show him down the flank then they would've done that, surely? Why would they choose not to?
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He wasn't the danger you'd immediately seek to combat by any stretch. Obviously fullbacks would still watch and prepare for him, it goes without saying.

The truth is it's not as simple as anyone is suggesting. They players around him, the style of play, his own confidence/ performances, how opponents view and prepare for him... it all counts.

I personally have perceived a shift in how players approach him, not allowing space in behind and forcing him to play football in front of them rather than battle physically all day. It's definitely factor is his rapid decline IMO.
 
I just don't think he has after a great year come back this season and completely lost all his previous powers. He is being forced to play a certain way by the opposition, as opposed to imposing himself on them as a winger should.

This is down to in my opinion, an increased focus on stopping him after a great season and his own lack of confidence or response.
 
Duafc said:
I just don't think he has after a great year come back this season and completely lost all his previous powers. He is being forced to play a certain way by the opposition, as opposed to imposing himself on them as a winger should.

This is down to in my opinion, an increased focus on stopping him after a great season and his own lack of confidence or response.
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But this doesn't really ring true with what we see imo. It's not like Valencia is never found in loads of space and constantly being pushed inside. He's played or gets himself into great areas where he can either directly put a ball in or is one on one with his full back. The opposition aren't stopping him, he's usuallythe free man in our attack, which is why we switch the ball so often to him. It's his own hesitancy and poor delivery that is the problem.
 
I really disagree with your point about him being singled out because of last season's form. With Spurs it's different they only really have Bale who's worth paying special attention to. With us there's Rooney and now this season RVP who defenders are likely to pay special attention to.

Some players are one dimensional, defenders know what they are going to do but yet it's difficult for them to stop it. Valencia is one of them and is just going through a period of bad form. Look at Lennon for instance. Pretty much every time we play Spurs he rapes Evra on the outside, do you think Evra does not know how to stop him or that the coaches have not had a word with him?

To a lesser extent even Robben in quite one dimensional but damn effective
 
The shirt is haunted. It clearly wants to be re-united with it's Ballon d'Or winning occupant of 2008.
 
His purpose and drive as well as his use of pace was better today than it has been, then when he got into a good position (something which he's not been able to do for a while) he just blootered the ball like he's trying to bang it out of the Emirates and through Wenger's car window. Nani was better, because when he got into the right positions, he dinked the ball towards a head of our own player, and didn't take a shot like the goal posts were in the 3rd tier of the stadium.

Not sure why he blasts his crosses now. There's just no need unless you're drilling it along the ground into a crowded penalty area, but blasting it over everyone.... Why? Just chip it in!
 
Ash_G said:
But this doesn't really ring true with what we see imo. It's not like Valencia is never found in loads of space and constantly being pushed inside. He's played or gets himself into great areas where he can either directly put a ball in or is one on one with his full back. The opposition aren't stopping him, he's usuallythe free man in our attack, which is why we switch the ball so often to him. It's his own hesitancy and poor delivery that is the problem.
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again I'd disagree, though it is partly his hesitancy and poor delivery because his confidence is gone what I see is defenders staying with him, he runs, they run, he stops and fakes, they stand and wait for him to run again, he does.

He then either plays it backwards, off the defender or over everyone.

Noone commits to a challenge on him as they used to so you never (or so rarely) see him skipping past people like he used to so often when they were more aggressive/naive in how they defended him.
 
He was a monster physically in previous seasons, burning off defenders for fun. Hopefully he'll be back next season.
 
I'd actually consider giving him the rest of the season off. Playing games hasn't gotten him his form back, so perhaps resting well before the pre season will.
 
ISSYNAZAR said:
Twas the only one on the first page specifically showing his 09/10 season. It is genuinely annoying though
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Yeah it's gay. Gives me a headache and can't see what's properly happening because of all the jumping around and greyed out shit.
 
Duafc said:
again I'd disagree, though it is partly his hesitancy and poor delivery because his confidence is gone what I see is defenders staying with him, he runs, they run, he stops and fakes, they stand and wait for him to run again, he does.

He then either plays it backwards, off the defender or over everyone.

Noone commits to a challenge on him as they used to so you never (or so rarely) see him skipping past people like he used to so often when they were more aggressive/naive in how they defended him.
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But that's down to his hesitancy, like I said we play it out to him in good areas but he often takes to long to do anything with it. He's faster than the majority of full backs and stronger then them as well so no reason he couldn't take them on, you only have to remember back to the game against Liverpool where he absolutely destroyed them with pace for our winner. It would be understandable if the biggest teams were stifling him but to think that virtually every team has figured out how to stop one of the top wingers in the league in recent years seem a bit unlikely.
 
Having re-watched the game I don't agree with all the 'he was shite' comments. He kept it neat and tidy, helped out Rafael on the right and worked his socks off. Played a great cross for Jones in the first half as well.

Want him and Nani on opposite wings next season. In better shape, too, may I ask?
 
Tomuś said:
Having re-watched the game I don't agree with all the 'he was shite' comments. He kept it neat and tidy, helped out Rafael on the right and worked his socks off. Played a great cross for Jones in the first half as well.

Want him and Nani on opposite wings next season. In better shape, too, may I ask?
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Valencia and Nani have barely ever played together, one always seems to be injured, and if both are fit it's usually a case of whichever one is in the best form playing on the right and the other being benched.

It's something I'd love too, but sadly never likely to happen.
 
Yeah, such a pity. The first half against Bayern at home in 09/10 was magical from them.
 
That was the 5-0 wasn't it? I remember that game, we were class.
 
That's the one. Berbatov got the 5th with a cheeky backheel and Rooney nearly burst the net from 25 yards out but it was our wingers that were doing all the damage. A shame we've so rarely seen the two of them at their best at the same time.
 
Yeah I remember Nani's outrageous run for Welbeck's goal. It is easy to forget how damn good they were at their best.
 
That was an absolute abomination of a first half performance. fecking hell, it's insane that Sir Alex persists with him time after time after time despite him constantly being god awful.
 
Has been dreadful all season yet still finds himself starting every week. Mind-boggling.
 
He's been better lately I think but wow has he been poor today. He's not as frustrating as he was earlier this season, at least he's trying to beat his man and put in crosses. Too bad they're all shite crosses.
 
ha_rooney said:
Has been dreadful all season yet still finds himself starting every week. Mind-boggling.
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Well, tbf if Nani and Young are injured then there aren't that many options to play on the right.
 
I am expecting someone to say that he put two excellent crosses today, and that he isn't playing bad at all.

He really makes me cry.
 
The fact that we use the right side so often makes it worse, because he gets as many touches or more than any other attacking player in the side and always does the least with it. When the ball goes to Valencia that's when the attack's tend to end.
 
There's absolutely no urgency there to take on his man anymore. He literally just stands infront his opponent for a few seconds, before passing it sideways. Either that or he puts in about one decent cross out of 10.

He's pointless at this stage.
 
It's bizarre how far away from a professional Footballer he looks. It's like they've just given a random bloke from the Stretford End the number 7 shirt.
 
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