Valencia’s Strategic Player Utilization Yields Results

Valencia has earned four points in their last two league matches, largely due to the significant contributions of players who did not start in the initial lineup. Luis Rioja, in the match against Betis, and Hugo Duro, against Levante, both came off the bench and scored pivotal goals that helped secure a draw and a victory, respectively.

Prior to the transfer market closure, the coach had already acknowledged the challenges regarding the squad’s depth. He noted, “This will not be a season where I settle on a fixed starting eleven. I will have players who allow us to make decisions based on the previous match and the one we are about to face.”

Indeed, this flexible approach has only been evident in the last two matches against Betis and Levante, where the coach not only repeated the starting eleven but also implemented a tactical variation by utilizing a three-man build-up through the center, capitalizing on André Almeida’s role as a playmaker.

The lineup that Corberán has consistently fielded includes Agirrezabala; Thierry, Tárrega, Copete, Gayá; Pepelu, Javi Guerra; Diego López, Almeida, Danjuma; and Beltrán. In the match against Betis, with the score at 0-1, Luis Rioja was substituted in the 68th minute for Diego López and scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute, just 14 minutes after entering the pitch.

During the game against Levante, the same starting eleven saw Hugo Duro replace Lucas Beltrán in the 54th minute and score a stunning goal with a bicycle kick in the 79th minute, securing all three points for Valencia.

This statistic is noteworthy, as only on two previous occasions had substitutes played a significant role in scoring, although those contributions did not influence the final score or the points earned by the team. In the match against Getafe, with a 2-0 lead, Ramazani entered in the 87th minute for Rioja and assisted Hugo Duro in the 97th minute. Similarly, in the match against Athletic, Duro, who had started on the bench, came on in the 70th minute for Rioja and scored in the 93rd minute to make it 2-0.

Corberán has consistently emphasized in multiple press conferences the need for all players, whether starters or substitutes, to be impactful. He seems to have not only settled on a starting eleven but has also found compelling arguments to support the notion that the five substitutions can be crucial to the team’s success.