Rezaur Rahman is back to rank the Valencia players’ performances for the 2011-2012 season. Enjoy!

Valencia lost their last match of the season. The last time this happened was in 2006.   That said, they made their Champions League dream come true once again. Now it is time to evaluate performance of the players.

My benchmarks are simple:

4= Nightmare

5= Bad

6= Average

7= Good

8= Great

9= Near Perfection

Guaita: Without any doubt this has been Guaita’s best season with Los Che. He was consistent. His performance against Real Madrid was tremendous and always will be in the heart of Los Che fans. Throughout the season he made important saves for Los Che although he had few bad moments like the game against Espanyol. He was always calm and composed and had good positioning.  Rating:  9

Alves:  Another great keeper playing for Los Che. It was hard for Emery to keep him on the bench for the entire season. Alves was mainly used in the Champions League. He made great saves against Chelsea and Leverkusen in the campaign. He is also known as a penalty stopper, remember he stopped the penalty of Messi against Barca in Mestalla. Compared to Guaita he was less consistent. He was horrible against Real Madrid in Mestalla. He still has aerial weaknesses and was not good enough against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi finals. Rating:  7

Rami:  He started La Liga strong and proved to everyone that he is one of the best CBs in the world. Unfortunately, he lost his way in the second half a little bit. He was poor against Atletico Madrid in Europa League 1^st leg semi final match. His mistake led to the 1^st goal of the game.  He scored important goals for Los Che against teams like Racing and Alkmaar. He lost his cool several time this season which cost him several red cards. Rating:   7

Victor Ruiz:  Might be or should be the flop of the season for Los Che.Valencia spent a record 8 million euros for him and in return got almost nothing. His marking was horrible throughout the season and he lost his concentration numerous time while playing. Puyol scored the equalizer in Mestalla in the Copa Del Rey as a result of poor marking from Ruiz. Kone also scored for Levante in a 1-1 draw match which was also due to Ruiz. There are several more examples. He was also poor in the Europa League semis against Atletico Madrid where Falcao owned him. Rating:  4

Mathieu:   The Frenchman has a habit of playing well againstBarcelona. He made two assists whenValencia metBarcelona in Mestalla. Mathieu also had an assist againstBarcelona in the Copa Del Rey where Jonas scored the goal. Mathieu looked good in attack this season but not that great in defending. His pace has always caused problems on the left side. Rating:  7

Barragan:  He hardly got time on the pitch in the first 6 months of the season. Later he got his opportunity and he looked average. One thing that he never lacked is the desire to improve his game. So he gradually improved and booked his place in the starting 11. He showed he has good pace and technique. His dribbling skills and crossing got better and better. Barragan had few great matches with Los Che. He was superb in the home match against ALKMAAR in the Europa League. He always looked  dangerous and caused all sort of problems for the rivals. He provided wicked crosses on several occasions, but Aduriz failed to convert those into goals as the Basque was in poor form. Barragan’s left footed cross against Rayo was class. Feghouli’s header was saved by the goalkeeper but Jonas scored from the rebound. His defending was good enough and I believe he can improve. 1.5M euros for Barragan was a bargain to me. Rating:  6

Alba:  To me he is/was the most consistent player in the entire squad. His work rate, fitness, energy, technique and ability were great and consistent. It is very hard to find a bad performance for Alba. I remember he nutmegged Demichelis in the home game against Malaga. He also did the same against Glen Johnson in an international match against England. This is why he is expected to be in EURO 2012 for Spain.  Barcelona wants him badly. It looks like this guy is going to leave Los Che. To me he is the best Valencia player of 2011-12 season.  Rating:  9

R. Costa:  This man hardly played a match in the first 6 months of the season with Ruiz’ arrival. As Ruiz flopped, Ricardo Costa got his opportunity to show his abilities. His return in the second half of the season was inspirational and he was solid as a RB and CB. His performance against Real Madrid was exceptional. He was like a rock in the defense. That kept Ruiz and Dealbert on the bench. His tackling, marking, and intercepting were flawless. He even scored a few goals. He has been called up for EURO 2012 by Portugal’s manager which I call an instant reward.  He is likely to stay on at VCF and will be the first choice for the new manager I believe. Rating:  7

Topal: Topal did not live up to our expectations after a great first year with Los Che. He looked heavy and slow on the field. His marking was poor most of the time. For example his poor marking against Villarreal in an away match led to two goals although the game ended 2-2. His bad pass against Atletico in Europa led to a 3^rd goal. He was occasionally found not concentrating on his game. May be he was thinking of moving to EPL and that might had been worrying him. He said he wanted to move England and that Man City was interested in him. Rating:  6

Albelda:  No Rating.

Feghouli:   Unai Emery put trust in him and gave this guy a chance. Feghouli fulfilled his potential and put Pablo in the shadows. Last season was the breakthrough season for Soso Feghouli. His work rate, dribbling, pace and execution were awesome. He has improved a lot. He was a threat for the opposition throughout the season. He scored a few goals and had several assists. Rating:  8

Canales:  It is really hard to rate Canales, although he is a great footballer. He returned from injury in the latter part of the season and played few great games but fell prey to the same old injury. Hard to rate him here.

Banega:   Same case as Canales.

Parejo: He hardly touched the ball in the first half of the season as Banega was on a roll. So he lost his dedication for Los Che and refused to give his best later when Banega was injured. In the dying moments of the league he had some good performances. His performance against Real Madrid was solid. Overall an ok season for Parejo. Rating:  6

Pablo: I don’t know what went wrong with this guy. He did not perform up to his normal standards. Pablo struggled throughout the season and Feghouli put him on the bench for nearly the entire season. Obviously he had a few good games. There were rumors that he might be sold. Now all of this depends on the new manager. Rating:  5

Tino:  Tino stepped up as  Banega was unavailable. He has a good eye for goals and he scored a few valuable goals for Los Che. He always looked dangerous but his free kicks were not as powerful as prior season. His corners were amazing but his passing was poor. He has no dribbling skill which sometimes made him look like an average player. Rating:  6

Jonas:   El Detonetor is another man who found the net many times in the season, but there were games he was invisible.His 9th second goal against Leverkusen was a record in CL, second best after Roy Makaay. Obviously, he had few solid matches in the beginning of the season but lacked consistency. There were moments when he was wasteful and lacking that killer instinct. He missed many sitters and wasted many one on one situations. That said, he provided some great assists like the assist for the 3^rd Valencia goal against Racing Santander on the 1^st day of the season. He also provided cool through balls against Malaga in Mestalla where Soldado scored. Rating:  7

Aduriz:  The Basque must be on his way to Athletic Bilbao as his performances were very poor at Valencia. Aduriz looked out of touch most of the times, although he had a few bright moments against Racing in an away match where he scored two. He also played well against Osasuna in Mestalla. Aduriz has been very wasteful throughout the season, missing chance after chance, sitter after sitter. He sucked in one to one situations and his heading was nowhere near last season. Rating:  5

Soldado:  Hat trick on the first day of the league. He played awesome against Athletic Bilbao.  He scored a hat trick against Genk.  Soldado was in fine form inValencia for the most part, although he lost his way later in the season. Overall he scored nearly 30 goals. One thing is clear that Soldado is a great finisher but he is a sitting duck when there is no support. His game play hugely depends on the midfield. No support then no goals from him. Obviously he scored important goals forValencia but he could have ended the season in a better way. Rating:  8

Piatti:  Valencia had spent nearly 10 million euros to buy this player fromAlmeria and he has been a flop. Pablo Piatti failed to justify his price tag. He was very average so he ended up on the bench for most of the season. His passing still needs massive improvement as well his finishing. He had a few good moments like in the Copa Del Rey where he scored twice against Levante and owned them. Piatti was also solid against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. His inconsistency is a huge problem too. Rating:  6

In summary, I want to say that very few players had been great for Los Che in 2011-12. I do hope they can improve and continue to qualify for Champions League. I tried to give a balanced review. I did not rate few players as they hardly played. It is really difficult to evaluate someone when they are injured for a long time or a benchwarmer. Thus, I did not include Maduro, Dealbert, Miguel and others. Bruno is not included because he was poor and would rate a 4. So let’s hope Valencia will have a better season in 2012-13. Good luck to the players and new tactician.

Amunt!!

Rezaur Rahman

After the disappointing end to 2011/12, Barca fans’ attention now turns to the potential summer transfer business at Camp Nou. As always, there are several players linked with a move to Catalonia, but we could also see a few leave the club. The question is:   who goes and who comes in?

Players Out

There are a few players lined up to be moved on, with Seydou Keita reportedly top of the list. The 32 year old has been superb for the club, but is probably not playing as much as he would like. Although he has two years remaining on his current Camp Nou contract, it is looking increasingly likely that he will depart this summer. Malaga have shown an interest, and with them qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League, they might be able to lure him to Andalucia. There are sure to be other clubs interested if he does indeed become available, so his options could be varied.

I would also expect Brazilian left back Adriano to leave this summer. Although he has played an increasing amount of games since the tragic illness suffered by Eric Abidal, he is likely to be moved on, with Manchester City reportedly heading the queue. You could be forgiven for questioning anyone’s desire to leave such a huge and successful club, but Keita and Adriano have won everything in their short time in Catalonia, and can be forgiven for wanting a new challenge, and more playing time.

In addition to these largely fringe players, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barca listen to offers for some of their big names. I’m thinking specifically about Dani Alves and David Villa. Alves has had four unbelievable seasons at Camp Nou, and has been a huge part of the club’s success since his €30m from Sevilla. Unfortunately, as I write this article, it has emerged that Alves has a broken collarbone and will be out of action for a while, possibly up to two months, which could scupper any potential transfer. Manchester City have long been admirers of the defender, and if he does recover in good time, then Barca could expect to recoup a significant portion of the fee they paid back in 2008.

As for David Villa, he is not a player I want to see leave, as I was so excited when the club signed him. However, he hasn’t really seemed to be the David Villa we all know and love, struggling to adapt to a role out on the left, which is of course not his natural position. It could be that he was given false promises when he signed, with reports that the club telling him that he would be the main central striker, and then playing him wide. There are plenty of clubs in England and Italy that would be interested should he become available, and Barcelona may need to sell one or two of their big name players to finance any incoming transfers.

Add to the potential departures, there are some other worries to contend with, namely the increasing injuries suffered by the likes of Puyol and Xavi. The two stalwarts have struggled for most of last season with niggling injuries, and there is no reason to think that the situation will improve. Add to that the seemingly increasing fragility of Andres Iniesta, and new blood is urgently required. There are players waiting in the wings, especially in midfield, but expect to see a big name centre back brought in this summer. In midfield, of course, there are Thiago and Cesc, who are fantastic players that can easily step up to the plate, while youngsters Jonathan Dos Santos and Rafael Alcantara, Thiago’s younger brother, are all waiting in the wings, hoping to get the call from Tito to step up to the first team. B team defenders Bartra, Fontas and Montoya are also likely to play more games next term.

And of course, let’s not forget poor Eric Abidal. The French left back has undergone a liver transplant following illness, and his future in the game is not clear currently. Obviously, this means that the club have to think about replacing him, certainly short to mid-term, and maybe longer.

Players In

There are bound to be a few new signings as Vilanova looks to add to his already phenomenal squad. The positions I would probably expect to see strengthened would be central defence, left back, central midfield, and maybe a striker if circumstances allow.

The first signing we can expect through the door would seem to be Jordi Alba, the Valencia left back. Alba would be a perfect signing for the club, as he is a Catalan, and was in La Masia until the club released him in 2005. He wound up at Valencia via UE Cornelia, and cost just €6000 when he moved to Mestalla! He is now expected to return to his hometown club in a multi-million euro deal. According to El Mundo Deportivo (link is to a translated article, the original is linked in the story), Barca can sign the player for just €12million, probably half what Valencia could ask for his services. According to respected journalist Guillem Balague, it would appear the deal is done regarding the players’ personal terms, and that the fee just needs to be agreed with the clubs. Of course, one name has been linked constantly over the last few months; Gareth Bale. However, Tottenham Hotspur have valued their man at more than £30million, which could easily scare off anyone other than moneybags Manchester City.

In the heart of the defence, any Barca fan would say new blood is needed badly. The main target is rumoured to be AC Milan’s highly rated Brazilian Thiago Silva. The 27 year old scored an injury time equaliser for Milan at Camp Nou in the first Champions League group match of 2011-12, and has enjoyed an excellent season with the Rossoneri. He would not be cheap, though, either in transfer fees or wages. Another option would be to go back to Valencia and take Adil Rami to Catalunya. However, there are a few Premier League clubs sniffing around too, so that would cause his transfer fee to increase.

As I pointed out, I think that Vilanova will opt to have faith in the midfielders already at the club, so that moves us on to the strikers. Neymar, Santos‘ brilliant Brazilian striker, is believed to have agreed a deal to join the club, but not until the summer of 2013 or 2014. Even if  David Villa stays, I think that Barca need a new frontman, one that offers something a bit different. Someone like Athletic‘s Fernando Llorente. However, several clubs are again rumoured to be in for him, and he will cost somewhere around €30million. One story that has surface recently suggests that Barca will sign Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast striker is available on a free transfer this summer as his Chelsea contract expires. He is 34 now, but could probably still do a job at the highest level.

And the most eyebrow-raising story I’ve read? Zlatan to return to Camp Nou. Surely not?

-James Bartaby

Vicente Del Bosque has announced his preliminary squad for Euro 2012.  The list excludes FC Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea players.  These players will be available to play in the two upcoming friendlies against Serbia on May 26th and South Korea on May 30th. The final list will be announced on May 27th, when he will decide on David Villa and Carles Puyol.

VDB stated on Spanish Radio Cope that he would most likely call up 3 fullbacks in defense (a left back, a right back and someone who could play both) and 3 strikers (as he did in the previous tournaments).

VDB has made a conscientious effort to bring in young players due to the Olympics and those players who have made a significant impact this season. First time callups include Beñat (Real Betis), Isco (Malaga), Adrian (Atletico), Juanfran (Atletico), Javi Garcia (Benfica) and David De Gea (Manchester United).  Returning to the squad are Monreal (Malaga), Alvaro Dominguez (Atletico), Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), and Bruno Soriano (Villarreal).

The 21 man squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), David De Gea.

Defenders: Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Raúl Albiol, Jordi Alba (Valencia), Nacho Monreal, Juanfran Torres, Álvaro Domínguez.

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Santi Cazorla (Malaga), Beñat Etxebarria, Isco, Javi García, Bruno Soriano, David Silva (Manchester City), Jesús Navas (Sevilla).

Forwards: Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla), Roberto Soldado (Valencia), Adrián López.

Will you be placing a bet on Spain to win the Euro’s this summer? If so make sure you come to Bwin.com and check out all of their betting odds on the competition!

Very little football and nothing to do… well nothing except wait for the new kits from the 2012-2013. I came across a few rumored leaked kits for FC Barcelona and can anyone say tye dye is back?

I for one hope not.  The first kit is supposedly the blue and red kit with the tye dye type red stripe down the middle.  The away kit is the mango and lemon tye dey combo to the left.  Not the most attractive style in my opinion.  Different yes, stylish no?

The Unicef logo will be on the back towards the bottom. The same shirts have been leaked on todosobrelascamisetas and other websites, but nothing has been officially confirmed.

Do you like the new style?  Would you buy these kits?  What are your thoughts?

They cried. The neutrals cried. All most everyone cried. Some were tears of joy. Others were tears of despair. Earlier in the day people had seen the English Premier League descend into chaos as in the space of 90 seconds the league title would cross over Manchester. The question on everyone’s lips was would La Liga see any drama like that?

For 80 minutes the answer was no, but then Raul Tamudo, a player who many had written off, popped up and changed everything in injury time. The one team that had looked the safest suddenly were in the relegation zone and the clock was ticking down. And then it ticked no longer. Villarreal players sunk to their knees in anguish, Rayo players would have fallen to their knees in delight had they been allowed to but the pitch invaders had other ideas and the heroes of Vallecas were hoisted and carried like kings, ironic considering most of the fans are republicans (not the USA type). They had done it and for a brief second everything they had suffered was forgotten.

Villarreal are a pillar of integrity and honesty. Let’s not pretend that Roig, the club president, did not invest in the club because he did and he invested a lot. The thing is that he invested it wisely and correctly. There were no paper brown envelopes, there were no IOs  and there was no avoiding tax payments and transfer fees. Roig played it straight. Bills came in, bills were paid. Cheques were not written if the money wasn’t there. This is a club that rewarded loyal fans who had been unfortunate to lose their jobs in the recession by giving free season tickets. What is the prize for a team that is run so well: Relegation!

Villarreal do only have themselves to blame at the end of the day. Three Coaches in a year, before that there were three Coaches in seven years. As Roig’s companies started to feel the pinch as the Spanish property bubble burst, Villarreal had to cost cut. The days of Riquelme, Forlán and Cazorla had come to an end. One thing Villarreal had always managed to do well was to find diamonds in the rough but this year those diamonds failed to shine and some started to worry that the club had dug up coal. Roig was owed money from clubs from transfers, the biggest culprits being Atlético de Madrid who still had not paid all that was due to the Yellow Submarine for Diego Forlán and Diego Godín. Roig should have sued Atlético but instead he was his typical respectful self and sent a polite letter. This to a club that owe over €200m to the taxman and here was Roig expecting the club to pay up on receipt of a nice letter. As his side cried their eyes out a club that had just won the Europa League with a debt that some claim is between €300m-€700m patted him on the back. Some would feel insulted. They would be right to feel so.

On the other side there was Rayo. Stories spread like wildfire  that Villarreal and Atleti had a pact, Getafe and Zaragoza had a pact, the moon and the sun had a pact and the list goes on. Nobody trusted anybody. Outside Vallecas there were signs all around the ground. ‘We believe in you’ ‘No matter what happens we will still stand by you’ and other messages of support. The day before the game the fans had attended training and applauded all the players. Rayo is really more than a club, it’s a community. Yes they were not as well run as Villarreal but that is not the fans fault.

The tension all around Vallecas was tense. News came through that Zaragoza were up, players had been sent off and that it was not looking good for Rayo. They pushed and they tried but Granada too needed a win. It had come down to this: Win for Rayo or they go down. Defeat for Granada and they go down. Granada fans sat solid in their seats. They couldn’t react, this was tension. It is one thing seeing it on TV but living it is another. Grown men were on the verge of tears, kids were begging their fathers to explain what exactly was happening and couples were comforting each other. Then Atlético scored but nobody seemed to notice. Rayo surged forward. Granada fans knew that they were safe but knew Rayo were going down and so out of respect they held their celebrations back. Even to the point that some were urging Rayo on.

The players had no idea what was happening. Last throw of the dice. In a place that is made up of many atheists prayers to god could be heard. And then it happened. The most amazing thing. Vallecas exploded. Tamudo scored, mobiles went flying, and so did fans. Tears of joy, of disbelief and relief with shouts and screams. Players, coaches, staff and security personnel all ran onto the pitch. But the game wasn’t over. Granada players started to panic. They hadn’t heard the news. Rayo players ran quickly to tell them. They weren’t convinced. Chants of Atleti. Atleti, could be heard from a section of the ground. The message was getting through: We are both safe now, don’t bollocks it up.

All then the ref ended it. It was over. The manager who was being sued by his own club to repay a bonus he had earned was bounced around the ground. Rayo fans ran to the Granada players and hugged them and danced with their fans. The PA announcer told fans to get off the pitch but couldn’t hold back the tears and in the end just said ‘Fuck it, let’s party’. Players were stripped and sent into the dressing room. They showered quickly, spoke to the press and ran out to join the fans who had waited to applaud the Granada fans who came out of the ground. Flares were all over the place, alcohol and songs were flowing and Rayo would see another year in the top flight. Sadly that meant Villarreal would not. The Yellow Submarine had been sunk.

Around the Grounds

• Bye Bye Guardiola and Unai.

• Atlético, newly crowned Europa League champions, finished 5^th. Málaga made it to the Champions League and some vindication for Pellegrini.

• Zaragoza did it. They actually did it. Maybe it is true about Manolo Jímenez.

• Levante did it. They actually did it. Levante are in Europe. Hopefully they will not pay the price so many others have done before.

Results: Betis 2-2 Barcelona; Real Sociedad 1-0 Valencia; Racing 2-4 Osasuna; Villarreal 0-1 Atlético; Málaga 1-0 Sporting; Madrid 4-1 Mallorca; Rayo 1-0 Granada; Espanyol 1-1 Sevilla; Levante 3-0 Athletic; Getafe 0-2 Zaragoza

-Garreth Nunn

It’s that time of the year and we want YOUR input. Who was the best of the best in La Liga this year? Best by position. Best young player. Best all around player. One selection per poll. We are opening the polls and will announce the winners on our Forza Futbol podcast! Ready, steady, go!

Who is the best La Liga Goal Keeper 2011-12?

Who is the best La Liga Defender 2011-12?

Who is the best La Liga Defender (Full Back) 2011-12?

Who is the best La Liga Midfielder 2011-12?

Who is the best La Liga Striker 2011-12?

Who is the best La Liga Manager 2011-12?

Who is the best La Liga Young Player 2011-12?

Who is the best Spanish player abroad for 2011-2012?

Who is the best La Liga Player 2011-12?

Let’s vote for your favorite matadors! The polls are open! Celebrate the end to a wonderful season!

UPDATE: POLLS CLOSE JUNE 1ST 2012!

Ricardo Zamora

Goalscoring Pichichi chasers might be the ones who grab all the attention, but speaking as a failed goalkeeper I’ve a particular interest in the Ricardo Zamora Trophy.

Admittedly, I’ve little in common with the paragons of efficiency whose goals conceded per game ratio allows them to contend for this esteemed trophy. The most memorable moment of my twenty-odd years on the pitch was when I let a soft back pass slip through my hands and into the net, and not just anywhere, but at the oldest existing international stadium in the world! Yes, those were the days when you could pick back passes up. Hardly makes it a prouder moment, that.

Those sort of moments rarely afflicted Ricardo Zamora though. A distinctive figure in his white turtle neck sweater and flat cap, the bare bones of his career give you an impression of his importance, as he played major roles at most of Spain’s major clubs, playing for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Espanyol as well as winning two league titles as manager of Atletico Aviation, a short-lived incarnation of Atletico Madrid.

He won two Catalan championships with Espanyol and another Spanish Cup and earned one more of each trophy with Barcelona. Perhaps his most glorious moments came at Real Madrid though. He was between the sticks as they won their first league title, and he also starred for them in the first Classico final of the Spanish Cup, helped Los Merengues to victory despite being reduced to ten men early on.

He was also a regular member of the Catalan national side and played 46 times for Spain, having been part of the first ever national selection and held the record for most Spanish caps for forty-five years. That first Spanish side won a silver medal at the 1920 Olympics, although Zamora had quite an interesting time with them: he picked up a red card in the tournament for punching an opponents, and was imprisoned on his return for attempting to smuggle Havana cigars back into Spain from Belgium!

Such controversy never seemed to be far away from Zamora. Known for what is euphemistically known as a playboy lifestyle, his first spell at Espanyol ended after a row with a director, and was suspended for a year after lying to the taxman over the signing-on fee he received when he signed for a second time for Espanyol.

He also managed to maintain a controversial political ambiguity throughout his life. Perhaps it was wise not to nail one’s colours to the mast in a time of turmoil in Spain, but rather than keep his head down, Zamora kept people guessing by seeming to favour different sides of the political argument at different times. Therefore, rather than keep the issue of his allegiance out of the limelight, his perceived opportunism seems to have merely rubbed both sides up the wrong way!

It’s not for his larger-than-life personality that he is honoured though, but for his goalkeeping excellence. Once again it was Marca that established the trophy for the keeper conceding the fewest goals per match in the league season back in 1958, although recently the award has been back-dated to take earlier years into account.

That means Zamora has posthumously been awarded his eponymous trophy three times, including the first edition.

In the modern era the Zamora an area in which Barcelona has dominated Real Madrid. Victor Valdes has claimed the trophy for each of the last four years, to go with his first victory in 2004-5. Surprisingly, Iker Casillas has claimed it just once, in 2007-8.

Valdes’ five victories is a joint record, and he shares the distinction with another Barcelona legend. Between 1947 and 1961 Antoni Ramallets played 538 games for the Blaugrana, winning six leagues and five Spanish cups. Between them they account for over half of Barsa’s nineteen Zamora victories, the most any club has enjoyed.

Last season Valdes conceded just 16 goals in 32 games, the best coefficient in the history of the Zamora, beaten only by Francisco Liaño of Deportiva La Coruna in 1993-4, as he let in just 18 goals in 38 matches.

At the other end of the scale, remarkably Tomás Zarraonaindia took the award in 1930-1 despite conceding nearly two goals a game for Arenas Getxo!

Unlike the Pichichi, which has increasingly been dominated by non-Spanish players, necessitating the introduction of the Zarra, the Zamora remains predominantly the domain of home-grown goalkeepers. Apart from Marcel Domingo, a Frenchman who took the trophy twice in the 1940s and 50s, and Jacques Songo’o in 1997, all the winners have been Spaniards apart from a peculiar interlude between 1998 and 2007 when clearly Argentinean keepers were in vogue in La Liga: four different keepers (Carlos Roa, Martin Herrera, Pablo Cavallero and Roberto Abbondanzieri) from that country took the Zamora in those years.

Not that Zamora would surely mind. As a man who represented two international sides, he sounds pretty cosmopolitan!

Assuming Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t go goal crazy tonight, which admittedly is a rather naive assumption in such a lop-sided league, Leo Messi will be rewarded for his remarkable goal-scoring feats with the Pichichi. Every league honours its top scorer, but none of those trophies is as venerable or respected as the Spanish version.

Never mind the generic “Golden Boot” moniker which is prevalent across much of Europe; the Pichichi’s very name evokes thoughts of goal-scoring heroism. When Athletic Bilbao wave farewell to tradition and move from the San Mames, one of the many historic objects that will be carefully packed for transit will be the bust of Pichichi. Like the Zarra, awarded to the top Spanish scorer, it’s the Basque giants who provide the men after whom the goalscoring trophies are named.

Pichichi played for Athletic Bilbao, and Athletic Bilbao alone, between 1911 and 1921, scoring a phenomenal 200 goals in 170 league appearances. Crucially for a club which honours its past and its culture religiously, his Vizcayan credentials were impeccable: son of a mayor of Bilbao and nephew of a renowned Basque playright, Pichichi’s feats in front of goal earned him true iconic status. Immortalised in the painting “Idilio en los campos de sport”, (“Idyll on the sports field”) in which he is seen flirting with his future wife, distinctive for the white handkerchief he wrapped round his head during matches, Pichichi was a phenomenon. He ticked the columns for both quantity and quality: he racked up more than a goal a game throughout his career, and registered some important ones along the way, from two on his debut, through the first ever goal at San Mames to a strike in the 1920 Olympic Final.

Athletic Club's mythical Pichichi

His story is coloured by tragedy though. His final season saw his form decline, to the frustrtaion of the Athletic crowd, and a year after he retired, having failed to fulfil his hope of becoming a referee, he was dead: contaminated oysters were the presumed cause of death.

When Marca inaugurated a trophy for the top scorer in the Spanish League, it was named after him. Fittingly Zarra, that other Athletic Bilbao scoring legend, has won it the most times: six in total, one ahead of Alfredo Di Stafano, Quini and Hugo Sanchez, two ahead of Ferenc Puskas.

This year will see the winner of the Pichichi also lift the Golden Shoe as highest scorer in the European leagues for the fourth consecutive time, and will be a second victory for either Messi or Ronaldo. The phenomena of today are threatening the legends of yesterday. Sanchez and Zarra jointly held the record for most goals in a season until Ronaldo and Messi came along and wiped them out, but there are still areas where the names from the past hold out.

Remarkably, neither of the current heroes have managed to challenge the best goal per game ratio achieved in winning the Pichichi. Although Messi has reached an unprecedented half century of goals this season, he can’t match the strike rate of yet another Athletic Bilbao striker, Bata, who in the 1930-1 season scored a ridiculous 27 goals in 17 games, at a rate of more than one and a half a game!

I can’t help being drawn to the other end of the scale as well. Surely the most low wattage season for the Pichichi was 1968-9, when Real Madrid’s Amancio managed to win the trophy with just fourteen goals, despite taking on average more than two games to score each of them, the worst strike rate a winner has boasted.

But the trophy is about glory. That’s why it’s appropriate that through the feats of the modern greats, Pichichi’s name lives on. The tradition was for sides visiting San Mames for the first time to lay flowers at the great goalscorer’s bust. Spain does veneration well, and nowhere is that seen to its best advantage better than in the case of Pichichi.

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The Legendary Zarra from Athletic Club

The battle for the Pichichi looks to be over, although you could never totally rule out Ronaldo and Real Madrid pulling off something unbelievable on the final day of the season, but one scoring trophy will go right down to the wire.

The Zarra is the trophy which is awarded to the highest scoring Spanish striker in La Liga. Awarded by Marca, it’s named after legendary Athletic striker Zarra, and there could hardly be a finer example for Spanish forwards to emulate.

Zarra’s 252 league goals for the Basques, achieved in just 278 games, remains a record, although the current scoring phenomena who dominate the Pichichi will surely eclipse that mark soon, just as Ronaldo  bettered his milestone for most goals in a season last year. He also won the Pichichi more times than any other player, scored more in the Copa del Rey than anyone else, including four in a final, and hit twenty goals in his twenty internationals.

The trophy is a modern innovation, and an admission that the game has changed. For the first 24 years of the Pichichi there was no need for an alternative award as the winner was Spanish (appropriately, the final winner in that sequence was Zarra, claiming the award for the sixth and final time).

However, the influx of foreign talent, led by the legendary Alfredo di Stefano, made a Spanish winner of the trophy an increasingly rare occurrence. Di Stefano was the first import to take the trophy, in 1954, and in the next twelve years there was only one outright Spanish winner.

It must have been hard to accept that local talent needed its own diluted trophy, but eventually Marca bit the bullet in 2005 and the Zarra was born. Since its inception the winner has only won the Pichichi in the same year once, when Dani Guiza hit 27 for Mallorca in 2007-8, clearly illustrating why this spin-off award was required!

In general the trophy has been dominated by David Villa. Guia’s victory split four seasons in which Villa hoisted the Zarra, although the pattern was broken last season by Alvaro Negredo. Of course, Villa’s broken leg means he has no chance of making a bid for the trophy this season. Instead, Roberto Soldado, who shared the segunda division Zarra in 2006, and Fernando Llorente stand level at the top of the rankings for this season’s award, each with seventeen goals, although there could conceivably be a late interloper as Michu, after his remarkable season with Rayo, is only two goals behind. If he can arrest his side’s slump in form with a hat trick against a Granada side denuded by suspensions after Bottlegate on the final day of the season and save them from relegation while claiming the Zarra, we’d definitely have our story of the weekend, unless Ruben Castro overtakes him by scoring five, that is!

Going into the final weekend, Llorente and Soldado lie a whopping thirty-three goals behind the phenomenal Leo Messi, though. The trophy may be named after Zarra, but it’s not a Spaniard who is emulating his great feats these days.

-Mark Griffiths

Forza Futbol welcomes to the family Javier De Roque who occassionally joins us on our podcast (6am in Valencia is hard(!)).  Javier takes a look at Mauricio Pellegrino. Enjoy!

This weekend the season draws to a close. Bringing with it an end to an era in Valencia. The Emery Era.  The Worlds worst kept secret was finally officially anounced.  Unai Emery will not continue.  While the debate will rage on for ages as to how good or bad Emery was ; there can be no doubt that his presence made a profound impact on this club.  Steadying a nearly sinking ship and three seasons straight qualifying the Che for Champions League qualifications.  The Llorente miracle made possible by that very financially lucrative display.  But this is not an article about Emery.

No I prefer to look to the future than to look at the past.  What days will come, what awaits Mestalla fans?  For weeks speculation over who would be next to take over the helm at Valencia was front page news.  Every conceivable name was tossed around.. Deschamps.. Pochettino.. Rudi Garcia..Andre Villas Boas.. and more.  Then suddenly out of the blue came a twitter from Cañizares the old hero from between the posts of Valencia.  Mauricio Pellegrino.

To Valencia fans Mauricio Pellegrino is a very well known player.  He was a key defender for VCF during their glory days.  Reaching two Champions League finals, winning two league titles and a Copa del Rey trophy.  His managerial experience however is far less glorious.  After retiring from futbol Mauricio Pellegrino stayed close to Valencia and was manager of Valencia’s youth team Cadete-B.   However when the opportunity arose to go back to working in top rank football in Liverpool he rejoined Benitez as his first team coach.  Mauricio Pellegrino would stick with Benitez all the way to Milan until they were both dismissed in 2010.

Valencia fans are a bit shell shocked by the news of Mauricio Pellegrino’s appointment.  While there can be no doubt that he has indeed worked with some of the best football coaches during his career.  The doubts persist if Valencia CF didnt deserve a more seasoned coach.  Llorente seems to have taken a gamble.. convinced by Pellegrino’s talent as a defensive player and his experience in working at Liverpool.  And it may pay off.

The same grumblings were heard when Guardiola took over Barcelona FC while having only minimal experience coaching the B team.  And we all know how that turned out.  Valencia fans can only hope that Mauricio Pellegrino can reinvigorate a team that has this year seemed to lack.. Intensity.  (Emery eye roll)  Alot will also depend on the transfer season.  As has happened every season Valencia is sure to lose at least one of their stars with the almost certain signing away of Jordi Alba to Barca.  But also on the list are Rami, Mathieu, Banega and Topal.

Can Mauricio Pellegrino pull off an Emery and keep Valencia competitive while hemoraging players?

Only time will tell.

Amunt Valencia
Javier De Roque