Benitez deactivates Valencia in his emotional return to Mestalla

 

Rafa Benítez returned to Valencia, the city where he was crowned a coach for the ages, and he did so with one of his usual virtues, his ability to unravel the mysteries of his rivals. Celta deactivated Valencia and that allowed them to add a point after 90 tedious minutes in which there were hardly any scoring opportunities. The point, at least, is a slight boost for the Galicians, eager to get out of the relegation zone in which they are installed in this first section of the League.

A veil of nostalgia fell on Mestalla in an after-dinner match. Rafa Benítez, the coach of the great Valencia at the beginning of the century, returned to what was his stadium between 2001 and 2004, enough time to win two Leagues after 31 years of drought, and a UEFA Cup. The coach went to Liverpool as a legend. The fans have not forgotten him and in the run-up to the game they rewarded his legacy with a warm ovation. A few meters away, to his left, was Rubén Baraja, one of his players, one of his pillars in those great years.

Benítez, like Valencia, is not experiencing a year of glory either. Your team is in the relegation zone and it's time to roll up your sleeves. Celta, who until now have been guilty of collapsing in the final ten minutes of the games, are a clean team that lacks edge in the final meters. They did not shrink against a Valencia team that was equally blunt at the top. So the first half, played at nap time, did not offer too many emotions in a period full of alternatives and void of inspiration in the danger zones.

Celta barely caused any concern with a cross header from Strand Larsen that came close to the post. While Valencia, somewhat asymmetrical due to Sergi Canós' inability to overwhelm his wing, trusted everything to the skill of a hyperactive Fran Pérez, who offered more eye-catching than effectiveness.

The two teams barely suffered in the first 45 minutes. The bland tone continued after the restart. The defenses, impeccable, won all the duels. The match was a fight in which the fists barely moved to one side or the other. The two coaches had to look towards the bench to find the unbalancing factor because no one was able to find the way to the goal.

The first to change a piece was Baraja. Gayá, who had just become one of the ten players who have played the most games for Valencia, was forced, with discomfort, to make way for Yarek Gasiorowski, another of Pipo's youngsters. The game was aging without great emotions. It seemed like it was one of those favorable afternoons for Iago Aspas to decide as he has done in countless matches with some of his genius. This was not the day. The striker, a true Celtic emblem, cannot find the rabbits in his hat.

Valencia does not have a squad with the quality of Benítez's time, but Baraja has opted for young people and that has managed, at least, to gain loyalty from the fans, who fill Mestalla every day. The public has been hooked on the dedication, honesty and brilliance of this new batch of players from the quarry, but in this match none of them managed to break the level of the contest. Javi Guerra tried, with more effort than success, but Benítez had taken it upon himself to fill the field with traps to disable the quality of this man specialized in breaking the lines.