2007–08 Valencia CF season

During the 2007–08 Spanish football season, Valencia CF competed in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Finally, Valencia won the Copa del Rey this season.

Valencia CF

2007-08 season
Manager	Quique Sánchez Flores until 29 October 2007; Óscar Fernández from 29 Oct. to 4 Nov.; Ronald Koeman from 5 Nov. to 21 April 2008; Voro from 21 April to end of season.
Stadium	Mestalla Stadium
La Liga	10th
Champions League	Group Stage
Copa del Rey	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: David Villa (18) All: David Villa (22)
Home colours Away colours

Overview

Valencia started the season with coach Quique Sánchez Flores. Valencia's good start were cut short in early season due to slump and thus Sánchez Flores was fired for poor performance, however after his replacement, Ronald Koeman, became the new coach, the team turned to be worse. Koeman did not use Santiago Cañizares, Miguel Ángel Angulo nor David Albelda, which resulted into many affairs out of the playground. Although Valencia won Copa del Rey as a consolation prize, Koeman was fired for his bad performance in La Liga. Voro, who was born in Valencia and played for Valencia in his career, took the place of Koeman and helped the team to avoid relegation to the Second Division with four wins and one loss.

Section by manager

Quique Sánchez Flores

On 29 October 2007, the Valencia board of directors fired Sánchez Flores after a string of average results with poor performances, including a 3–0 defeat at Sevilla followed by a second successive loss in the UEFA Champions League.

Óscar Fernández

In 2007, Valencia fired coach Sánchez Flores and replaced him with Fernández as interim head coach. After his last game with Valencia when the beat Mallorca 2-0 with 2 goals from Fernando Morientes, after the match he said, "I am very happy. I want to dedicate this victory to the fans of Valencia who have suffered, they deserves everything. Alexis also and above all to the team. They are football players committed to the cause and I thank them. As for the match, the team has been extraordinary and my defense has been composed by Morentin and Timo Hildebrand. Manuel Fernandes has helped the team, in defense and is the one to praise. As for Alexis, you may have some injury, but until Monday, we cannot say anything."

After that game Fernández was sacked and went to manage the B team for new first-team coach Ronald Koeman.

Ronald Koeman

On 31 October 2007, Koeman agreed to be the new coach of Valencia after the sacking of Sánchez Flores, effective 5 November 2007.[1] With Valencia, he won the Copa del Rey, a tournament he previously won as a player with Barcelona. This was Valencia's first Copa del Rey title since 1999.[2] However, the remainder of his tenure at Valencia would prove disappointing: the team would slump to 15th in the league, only two points above the relegation zone, as well as finishing bottom of their Champions League group. A 5–1 defeat by Athletic Bilbao would prove the final straw for Koeman's time with Valencia. He was sacked the following day, on 21 April 2008.[2]

Voro

On 21 April 2008, after several years working with Valencia as match delegate, Voro became manager of his former team following the sacking of Koeman.[3] After having guided his team to its Copa del Rey victory, however, he was replaced by Unai Emery for the 2008–09 season and reinstated in his previous post.

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ESP Santiago Cañizares 2 MF  NGA Sunny 3 MF  NED Hedwiges Maduro 4 DF  ESP Raúl Albiol 5 DF  ESP Carlos Marchena 6 MF  ESP David Albelda (captain) 7 FW  ESP David Villa 8 MF  ESP Rubén Baraja 9 FW  ESP Fernando Morientes 10 FW  ESP Miguel Ángel Angulo 11 MF  ARG Éver Banega 12 DF  POR Marco Caneira 13 GK  GER Timo Hildebrand

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF  ESP Vicente 15 MF  ESP Iván Helguera 16 MF  ESP Juan Mata 17 MF  ESP Joaquín 18 FW  SRB Nikola Žigić 19 FW  ESP Javier Arizmendi 20 DF  ESP Alexis 21 MF  ESP David Silva 22 MF  BRA Edu 23 DF  POR Miguel Brito 24 DF  ITA Emiliano Moretti 25 GK  ESP Juan Mora — MF  ESP Ángel Montoro

Competitions

La Liga

Top goalscorers

David Villa scored 18 goals, two of which were penalties, and ranked fourth (tied with Real Madrid's Raúl with 18 goals) in La Liga's goalscoring table. (Daniel Güiza won the Pichichi Trophy with 27 goals.) Villa scored on hat-trick, on 11 May 2008 against Levante.

Matches

Match day 38, Valencia 3:1 Atlético Madrid
Georgios Seitaridis 11' 1:0
David Villa 40' 2:0
David Villa 55' 3:0
Sergio Agüero 76' 3:1

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
8	Almería	38	14	10	14	42	45	−3	52[lower-alpha 1]
9	Deportivo La Coruña	38	15	7	16	46	47	−1	52[lower-alpha 1]	Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
10	Valencia	38	15	6	17	48	62	−14	51	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 2]
11	Athletic Bilbao	38	13	11	14	40	43	−3	50
12	Espanyol	38	13	9	16	43	53	−10	48

Source: LFP
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head goals scored; 5th goal difference; 6th number of goals scored; 7th Fair-play points
Notes:

1. DEP 0–3 ALM; ALM 1–0 DEP
2. Valencia entered UEFA Cup as winners of 2007–08 Copa del Rey.

Copa del Rey

The Final was held at the Estadio Vicente Calderón in Madrid, in which Valencia CF lifted the trophy for the seventh time in their history with a 3–1 victory over Getafe CF.

phrase	rival	results	scorer	match dates	other information
Round of 32	Real Unión	5:1	Joaquín * 2, Zigic ; Zigic * 2	November 13, 2007 January 2, 2008
Round of 16	Real Betis	4:2	Zigic, Vincent; Joaquín * 2	January 9, 2008 January 16, 2008
Quarterfinals	Atlético Madrid	3:3(away goal 2:0)	Home: David Silva; Away: Juan Mata 35" 60"	January 23, 2008 January 30, 2008	Red card for Atletico's Thiago Motta in first leg match
Semifinals	Barcelona	4:3	Away(1:1): Villa 69'; Home(3:2): Baraja 17',Mata 44', Cléber Santana own goal	February 27/28 2008 March 19/20 2008
Final	Getafe	3:1	Mata 4', Alexis 11', Morientes 84'	April 16, 2008

This is the 7th title that Valencia won in Copa del Rey. Žigić, Joaquín and Mata are top goalscorers of the team in this Cup with 4 goals.

Third qualifying round

Valencia beat Sweden's Elfsborg with 5:1. First leg result is 3–0 and second 2–1. In the first leg at Mestalla, David Villa's shot was only parried by Johan Wiland and Vicente pounced on the rebound. There are two heads later by David Silva and Fernando Morientes and either are from Joaquín's cross. In the second leg, Helguera scored when unmarked with just five minutes on the clock. Elfsborg battle bravely, and Alexandersson found the net on half an hour. Villa scored for Valencia in the final seconds to fix the result to be 5:1 and qualify for Champions League Group stage.

Group Stage in Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Chelsea	6	3	3	0	9	2	+7	12	Advance to knockout stage
2	Schalke 04	6	2	2	2	5	4	+1	8
3	Rosenborg	6	2	1	3	6	10	−4	7	Transfer to UEFA Cup
4	Valencia	6	1	2	3	2	6	−4	5

Source: RSSSF

Only two goals in group stage. The away goal is by David Villa in the first match. Villa stole the ball in goalkeeper's hands with right foot against Schalke 04 and this match is the only victory in group stage. The only goal in Mestalla is by Villa as well. Villa scored early at about ten minutes of the Match against Chelsea. Valencia was reversed by Cole and Drogba's goals. Valencia scored no goals in four games later.

References

1. "Koeman agrees to join Valencia". The Guardian. 31 October 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
2. Lowe, Sid (21 April 2008). "King's Cup half empty for Koeman". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
3. Voro determined to rescue Valencia; UEFA.com, 22 April 2008