Valencia’s bitterness, a Barcelona win that underlined a missed chance to return to Europe | OneFootball

Valencia’s win over Barcelona brought little joy, the dressing room subdued by Diego López’s injury and a sense of a chance squandered to rejoin Europe. As reported by AS, the mood on Saturday night was one of regret.

Valencia will miss European competition for a seventh straight season, their longest run since debuting in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in the early 1960s. The previous worst was six years in the 1980s, including a drop to Segunda, and this comes with up to eight Liga clubs now going to Europe, nine if Rayo win the Conference. The sadness deepens with Mestalla set to bid farewell without a European send-off.

A season of extremes featured quirks from the stadium announcer omitting the head coach’s name to a wild night in San Sebastián, when minute 88 left them three points from the drop and minute 94 had them within reach of Europe.

The first half of the campaign yielded 17 points, with only three home wins. A 32-point surge after the turn left them behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid in that spell, yet it merely avoided a last-day scrap. They won at the Sánchez Pizjuán, San Mamés and Anoeta, but took no points off bottom side Real Oviedo, who claimed 20% of their 29 points against Valencia.

Discontent grew in the stands, with Gayà barracked on his way to the bench and calls for Corberán to go surfacing after January’s defeat by Real Madrid.

They finished 11 off the Champions League, five off the Europa League and three off the Conference, their push undermined by a home loss to Oviedo that included a missed Danjuma penalty at 1-0, soft set-piece concessions, further squandered spot-kicks and injuries clustered in the same roles.

Corberán has accepted the crisis took hold in the first half and credits the group’s effort and winter reinforcements for the recovery. That points to investment, a note for Ron Gourlay before his report goes to Singapore. Reflection is required across the club, starting with the head coach.

Source: AS