Three Points: Valencia end Real Madrid winning streak with 2-1 win

Three talking points from the
Mestalla as Valencia end Real Madrid's 22-game
winning streak:
1. Isco got away, but Andre Gomes is a great
alternative
Taken on paper, the fact that one goal came from
a spot kick, the second from a deflection and the
third from a corner would suggest that this game
wasn't one for the strikers, and that was certainly
the case. Instead, the real tale on this huge night
came in the middle of the pitch, via two players
who have very different experiences of Valencia.
Letting Isco go for a mere 7 million euros in 2011
is a stick Valencia are constantly beaten with, and
considering his development in the years since, it
is easy to see why. The Andalusian joined the
club at the age of 14 and played alongside Paco
Alcacer in the youth team, yet a combination of
failing to spot his true potential and (more
importantly) the desperate need for finances in
those days means he is now showing off his
talents with Madrid, via Malaga.
In that context, the home support was
understandably none too thrilled when he
repeatedly spun away from assailants, shielded
the ball in tight spaces and dribbled his way into
danger areas over the course of the game. While
Carlo Ancelotti had chosen a more direct
approach in the first half, Isco was the one
antidote, adding the pausa Madrid lacked from
other players.
Crucially, however, Valencia had an antidote in the
form of Andre Gomes -- a man who won't be able
to relate to the scenario in which Isco left the club
he now plays for. The Portuguese, who was one
of Peter Lim's big signings for this season, took
part in a personal battle with the former Malaga
man to see who could deliver the more productive
feints and flicks, and quite often he came off the
better of the two. Excellent under pressure,
Gomes at one stage had the audacity to flick the
ball over Toni Kroos' head and could have scored
with a shot that beat Iker Casillas but hit the post.
Gomes' display may not have been rewarded with
a goal like Nicolas Otamendi's or Antonio
Barragan's, but it was a far better indicator of the
progress at Valencia -- a sign that they will no
longer lose, but instead add, his class of player.
The sight of Isco scrambling to foul his fellow
midfielder on a handful of occasions was a nice
reflection of the changing times.
2. Ancelotti's tactics were too simplistic
Valencia were the more energetic team in the first
20 minutes, but not the most thorough. That
accolade lay with the visitors, who used the ball
with one clear purpose in the opening period.
Nuno's decision to field three central defenders
with wingbacks left an obvious gap to exploit
should Pablo Piatti or Barragan let their
concentration lapse, and Ancelotti had evidently
instructed his team to force the issue.
As easy as it was to spot the gap, so too was it
relatively simple to fix. As Nuno adapted to the
approach, the Italian failed to do so sufficiently.
When the final whistle went, Madrid were
ultimately left looking like a team that had failed
to find the intricacy some periods of play called
for.
In the opening 20 minutes, it was all working like
a charm. Madrid were more direct than usual,
repeatedly opting for searching long balls into the
space behind Piatti where Gareth Bale was having
the better of it against the Argentine. A natural
target as the fastest player on the pitch, at that
point he exploited his sheer velocity to the
maximum, dragging Lucas Orban out of position
and forcing him into uncomfortable one-on-one
situations.
A foul from one such encounter in the 11th
minute won the free-kick that preceded Cristiano
Ronaldo's opening goal from a penalty, and while
Valencia can debate how fair the handball
decision that led to the spot-kick was, they
couldn't debate Bale getting the better of their
defender in the move that led to it.
In the second half things changed. The
introduction of Jose Luis Gaya after Piatti limped
off meant Bale had less space to work in, and
Madrid were forced to search for other options
that largely eluded them. Chances were created,
but as Ancelotti fumbled, the night became the
home team's, which grew into the game while the
visitors faded.
3. Excited Mestalla crowd didn't always help
Valencia
Valencia went to great pains to try to create a
hostile atmosphere in the buildup to the game,
and they were granted their wish. Yet it didn't
always help the home team.
From kickoff, the Mestalla was a cauldron,
supporters greeting their idols with a huge
mosaic reading "Yes We Can," but it was the
greeting Real Madrid were given that really added
to the tension. A guard of honour from Valencia
recognised Madrid's recent Club World Cup win
as Los Blancos walked on to the pitch, and that
made the sold-out crowd more determined to
contest every decision like it was the last.
It wasn't necessarily a good thing. The huge
weight of expectation in the air seemed to make
Valencia anxious in the first 45 minutes, and they
often dove into clumsy challenges that tempted
punishment from referee Jesus Gil Manzano. He
obliged with seven yellow cards in the opening
period, five of which were for the home side.
The rashness with which the occasion was
contested conjured up memories of a tight 1-0
loss to Barcelona at this stadium in December --
another night where Los Che struggled to slow
things down and were too one-paced. That fixture
saw three-quarters of Valencia's back four go into
the book.
Atletico Madrid have proved that there is gold
dust to be extracted from cutting through La
Liga's sometimes flat atmospheres by creating a
siege mentality, but the nervousness that Valencia
showed suggests a touch of patience from the
Mestalla could also be useful. That may sound
ludicrous after this crowd spurred its side on to
end a 22-game winning streak from the
Champions League holders, but at times it
tempted fate.