Valencia’s Improbable Surge Has It Dreaming Of Europe

Who predicted this? As a dynamic Barcelona closes in on the La Liga title and several clubs scrap to avoid relegation, Valencia is an outside bet to qualify for UEFA competition during the last throes of the Spanish season. Valencia is unbeaten in ten matches; only Barça boasts better form across the previous six league games.

It has the second-lowest squad age in the division. Again, only trailing Barcelona (Hello, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal). And it’s more amazing given Valencia seemed odds on for the drop in December. That’s when, stuck in 19th place with two victories from its opening 17 fixtures, Los Che fired head coach Rubén Baraja and announced Carlos Corberán as his replacement. It happened within 48 hours, with the confirmation on Christmas Day. He’s proven a lasting gift.

Indeed, Valencia has gone from being stodgy to superb. The players have a spring in their step, with the shackles off mentally. Unlike Baraja, Corberán is not a club legend from his playing days, but he was born in the Valencian Community and played goalkeeper in the academy. He’s been at pains to reject all the acclaim. “I don’t consider myself a hero. I don’t feel like one, and I’m not one,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Alavés.

“I’m a person dedicated to my work. I’m from this city, and I’ve devoted myself to the club.”

While everyone has pulled together, Corberán—at West Brom in the English second tier before returning home—has been the difference-maker. And although Valencia is making up for a poor start and could be a force next term, now might be his best opportunity to secure its place in the continental Conference or Europa League.

Valencia will lose at least one key asset this summer. A towering presence, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is on the way to Premier League champion Liverpool. Meanwhile, two more young talents, defender Cristhian Mosquera and midfielder Javi Guerra, are heading for exits (Spanish), the local outlet Las Provincias reports. It’s in keeping with Valencia’s propensity to sell while not drafting in quality replacements over recent years.

A silver lining is the academy, the fourth-best in Europe’s top five leagues in 2023 and 2024 according to the CIES Football Observatory. That’s crucial for Valencia moving forward.

Valencia And Corberán Thriving In Testing Circumstances

Valencia’s uptick with Corberán is out of sync with the surrounding issues. With no plan to sell the club, billionaire owner Peter Lim, unpopular among the fanbase, looms large, his son Kiat now the president. Corberán is doing well under an 11-year management that has seen Valencia stall, its highlight being two consecutive appearances in the Champions League and a Copa del Rey trophy with ex-boss Marcelino.

There’s also an ongoing drama around the stadium. Scheduled to hold home games from 2027 onwards, years of hiccups and delays meant the incomplete Nou Mestalla didn’t make the list of host venues for Spain’s World Cup 2030 bid alongside Portugal and Morocco, although that may change. Still, the latest is more bureaucracy to overcome, not least an insufficient budget, and the supporters group Últimes Vesprades a Mestalla is standing up to the city council’s silence amid the deficiencies.

Further afield, many will argue that a lack of attention towards the women’s team has resulted in this campaign’s relegation from the top-tier Liga F—another disappointment. At least for the men’s squad, looking up rather than down the table, getting back into Europe and enjoying the financial rewards is a hope. It was remote before Corberán the handyman walked through the door.