Valencia endured a desperately underwhelming 2020-2021 campaign with Los Che finishing 13th in the La Liga rankings, as well as crashing out of the Copa Del Rey in the Round of 16. However, the appointment of former Getafe boss Jose Bordalas has managed to alleviate some of the negativity surrounding the Mestalla.

The 57-year old promised to “recover the DNA of Valencia” before adding that “I am not here to add anything new”. The Alicante-born coach insisted that he would not talk about the past, and would only focus on the challenge ahead.

Having spent €11 million this summer, Valencia have managed to reshape their squad and the early signs are extremely promising. Although not all of the arrivals have managed to establish themselves as first-team regulars so far, Getafe loanee Hugo Duro has already found the back of the net this season, whereas goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has played every single minute.

Bordalas achieved notable success with Getafe, helping to guide the unfashionable capital club to promotion and a remarkable fifth-place finish in La Liga three seasons ago. Having secured the club’s passage to the Europa League, the former striker quickly became one of Spain’s most sought-after coaches and his arrival on the southeast coast understandably caused a ripple of excitement amongst the Valencia fanbase.

Los Che took ten points from their opening four matches and, despite a last-gasp defeat to Real Madrid on September 19th, there’s still plenty of positivity within the camp.

It seems that under the tutelage of Bordalas, sides are always combative. His rigid style of play often forces opponents to adapt accordingly and he also tends to be faithful to his favored 4-4-2 set-up. In addition, Bordalas’ players always work exceptionally hard out of possession. His style has been compared to current Everton boss Rafael Benitez and he isn’t afraid to shy away from using ‘the dark arts’ in order to help his side achieve success.

Although he admits that he has a stubborn streak, Bordalas is always keen to learn and develop, and with a talented bunch of players at his disposal, as well as a hugely passionate fanbase, he will fancy his chances of guiding the club back to UEFA Champions League this season. Valencia are 15.00 in the latest football betting to finish in the top four this season and the lack of European distractions is also likely to benefit the six-time La Liga champions.

Under Bordalas, Valencia fans can expect their side to keep plenty of clean sheets and their defensive record has been fairly impressive so far. Only five sides have conceded fewer goals than Los Che, although both Sevilla and Villareal have played a game less, and although the aforementioned Mamardashvili has made the joint-highest number of saves in the division, they’ve been relatively tough to break down in their opening five encounters.

Some of the club’s recent managerial appointments over the last decade have been questionable. However, securing the services of Bordalas appears to be a savvy piece of business. Having made a fantastic start to life at the Mestalla, he will be aiming to give the fans something to celebrate this season.

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