At this moment, the pre-derby tension in the Air of Valencia spread from the city on the east coast of Spain to the entire Valencian region. In addition to the upcoming city derby between Levante and Valencia in mid-March, Valencia and Villarreal will also meet at the Mestalla Stadium this weekend.
This showdown comes at a time when the recent developments of the two clubs are not at odds with their historical trajectories. Throughout the history of the league, Villarreal are relatively a latecomer in Spain's top flight, yet they have become one of the most powerful teams in La Liga over the past 20 years and are regulars in Europe, not only reaching the Europa League again and again, but even in the Champions League. Last season, they were given tickets to European competitions for their fifth-place finish.
Valencia, on the other hand, did not qualify for European competitions last season, but traditionally they have a strong squad and are currently staffed with talented players who aim to return to the top of the league table, who also bring the team a reputation both nationally and internationally. The regional derby against Villarreal has been a great opportunity to show ambition, as a derby victory can boost morale and earn points, which can greatly help Valencia move up the table.
Interestingly, few teams know Valencia as well as unai Emery's. In addition to the coach himself, there are currently 5 players in villarreal's first team, who have also played for Valencia. Just last summer, Huang qian signed Francis Coquelin from his neighbors, as well as former Valencia captain Dani Parejo. They join raúl albiol, jaume costa and paco alcácer, all of whom have made home at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia and have also experienced many great moments in their white-clad careers.
On the other side of the field, Denis Cheryshev and Gabriel Paulista are currently in Valencia's main squad, though they were both previously dressed in yellow jerseys. Before them, Roberto Soldado, Carlos Marchena, Victor Ruiz, Javi Fuego and Andrés Palop all played for the two East Coast clubs.
In just a few years, the former brothers became fierce enemies
The movement of players reflects the changes that have taken place in the relationship between the two clubs, from "germanor", the word "brotherhood" in the Valencian dialect, to increasing competition. Villarreal has even begun to compete with Valencia in the transfer market. Jorge López's move from Valencia to Villarreal in 2003 was a landmark turning point when the player pressed Huang's leadership to approve the transfer. After that, there is Roberto fabián ayala, one of the best defenders in Spain at the beginning of the century, who could go to Villarreal without any reinstatement of Valencia's contract, although he ended up playing for Real Zaragoza.
Since 2004, Valencia eliminated Villarreal from the then UEFA Cup with a goal from Miguel Ferrer, and since then, clashes between the two clubs have intensified on the pitch. After that, the two teams competed continuously, and there was another noteworthy moment in 2011, that is, in a match in the Copa del Rey that year, Villarreal scored four goals in a row after falling behind Valencia 0-2, and the Jedi counterattacked, and finally let the opponent return home with a score of 4-2. A year later, Valencia scored Huang Qian completely into the relegation zone with a goal from Jonas Gonçalves on the penultimate matchday of La Liga 2011/12.
After just one season, Villarreal returned to La Liga and has since maintained his place in the top flight and has achieved some memorable results at the opponent's home court. In 2016 and 2017, Villarreal, under roberto soldado, won three consecutive victories at the Mestalla Stadium. Huang Qian has improved a lot since his last promotion to the top flight – in the last seven seasons, they have only been below 6th place once in the past seven seasons. This stability and strength have made them a benchmark for the football movement in the Valencia region and truly an opponent who can stand up to Valencia.
Regional derby, vying for the crown of Valencia
The two teams' recent performances stand in stark contrast to their historical trajectories, as Villarreal did not make his first top-flight appearance until 1998. Although they have since been relegated twice, their leadership has stuck to their plans and achieved a bottoming out. All of this has allowed them to dream of making a splash in European football. Their city has a population of only 50,000, and about half of the population can fill the ceramic stadium, the home of 23,500 spectators, and it is also the tallest building in the city. Despite their small population, the city's home team managed to reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2005/06 and were just a penalty away from the final ticket.
Instead, Valencia are one of the traditional clubs in Spain's top flight and one of only nine teams to have been crowned La Liga champions, and they have not been relegated since 1985. Although they won the Spanish Copa del Rey as early as 2019, they have not shown the same stability as their regional rivals in recent years. Although the two clubs have very different historical contexts, the level of the two sides in this derby cannot be judged by the number of trophies of their respective trophies. Without hesitation, this Valencia Regional Derby, one of the hottest events in recent years, is of great significance to all fans.
The 26th round of the 2020/21 La Liga season, Valencia vs Villarreal, will kick off at 04:00 Beijing time on March 6, so stay tuned!
About La Liga
The Spanish professional football league Laliga (La Liga) is a global, innovative and socially responsible sports league, as well as a leader in the field of leisure and entertainment. The league organizes the Spanish professional football leagues , La Liga and La Liga , with 20 La Liga clubs and 22 La Liga clubs , affecting more than 2.7 billion people worldwide in the 2019/20 season. Headquartered in Madrid, La Liga has 11 permanent offices and 46 foreign representatives in 55 countries and territories around the world. In 2014, La Liga opened an office in Shanghai, China. In 2020, La Liga, together with Mediapro and Xinying Sports, established a joint venture company sfcm, which continues to make efforts in the field of sponsorship and brand licensing. At the same time, the league actively participates in social activities through its fund Laliga Genuine, and is the only professional football league in the world with a league of intellectually disabled players.
(Editor: Yao Fan)