1 - Victor Valdes
- Thread starter M.L. King
- Start date
Galning
Moderator
raskolnikov
Well-known member
Stric
New member
Pep is also a player legend. And Pep waited until all competitions were decided to announce his departure. And that was only weeks before his contract expired. Unlike Valdes. Also, Pep's contribution to Barcelona is incomparable to Valdes'. The guy won 14 trophies in his 4 years as coach, the first time he's ever coached in a top league. We were lucky to have him.
sabby
New member
I'd not be surprised if Valdes felt unwelcome at the club by the stupid management. May be he was getting all the blames for those goals where as he had an almost sh!t defense in front of him.
Stric
New member
I doubt he is feeling unwelcome at the club. Since January all they've been doing is trying to convince him to stay. They're literally embarrassing themselves, acting desperate in front of him, just to make him stay.
Don't know if you can compare player and manager but if you're referring to Pep as a player, he left at the time he was past it. Said so himself as well and opened space for Xavi. Valdes is leaving at the peak of his career.
raskolnikov
Well-known member
Im joking man
I actually agree with most of your post.I do feel it might not be a bad thing to bring in a talented young keeper who can be with us for over a decade, our Buffon.
abual3bed1
New member
Unzue left the team before, in 2010 he left and was replaced by Carles Busquets for one whole season. Unzue returned in 2011 then left again last year. So yes I think Unzue had something with Victor's decision. Valdes said that publicly (?) that he was bothered with the changes made last summer.
Kerrybai
New member
Interesting article on Valdes here http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/v-for-valdes-so-long-youll-miss-me-when-im-gone/
Victor Valdes’ decision to leave Barcelona is about recognition; the lack of it.
Stack ‘em up. Record 5-times Zamora winner (goalkeeping equivalent of the Pichichi), 3-time Champions League winner (equalled only by Ajax’s Heinz Stuy and Bayern’s Sepp Maier, though the former never won an international cap, and the latter suffered the original Panenka), 6 Liga titles. The fourth most capped player in Barça’s history.
But for all the praise sent his way, you’d swear he was a poor man’s Ruud Hesp, or a vulgar imitation of Carles Busquets. His ‘haters’ have it that all that’s a matter of circumstance; that he just so happened to be there. Right place at the right time; a freeloader bunking a ride on the rollercoaster of the world’s best ever indigenous generation.
They fail to comprehend the singular contribution made by Valdes to this Barça era. And much as Zubi wants to move swiftly on, with talk of Ter Stegen, Guaita, or even Reina (seriously?) replacing him, deep down he knows. He knows that Valdes will never really be replaced. Because this ‘average’ keeper revolutionised the role. Mes Que Un Portero.
The Valdes Paradox
Valdes is prone to the occasional gaffe, but name me a ‘keeper who isn’t. Comes with the territory.
All the more so in the case of the Double V : there’s simply no other ‘keeper in the land who plays such a high-risk, high-stakes game, a game Pep Guardiola more or less thrust upon him as a non-negotiable change. It was a task many would have baulked at, others walked at; Valdes accepted the challenge no questions asked.
Pep released him from the caterpillar cocoon of mere goalkeeper, gave him wings and evolved him into a sweeper-keeper butterfly. No more a reactive shot stopper, he was expected to step up 10 yards to the edge of his sanctuary and dictate play, as a proactive sweeper. A diversifying trapeze act that most ‘keepers could do without. Valdes took to the role seamlessly, laying the ball out left foot- right foot, becoming so comfortable on the ball as to often have more touches of it than opposing midfielders. In street terms, he became essentially a fly ‘keeper; an auxiliary defender who could use his hands.
With such a high risk game came an inevitable trade-off, as the mistakes became more frequent the more ingrained he became with the role.
There’ve been the footwork mistakes, like the fastest Clasico goal ever offered to Benzema last season; but also the handling ones, like the one offered to Drogba in the 2012 Champions League semi-final.
Not to mention the kamikaze aerial salidas, once knocking Dame N’Doye’s tongue down his throat, and forcing his own teammate Pique off last season.
The handling errors were an inevitable consequence of the increased toque demands placed upon him; while he also probably came to believe his hype, spending more and more time playing Rondas at training than working on the more rudimentary aspects of the trade.
But then there’s also the context of Barça to consider: he often had so little to do as a traditional keeper that he could have been forgiven for bringing a good book, Rubik’s cube or an impossible bottle along to games to keep himself occupied.
As Manuel Neuer said recently, it’s fucking boring being a ‘keeper; but to be Barça ‘keeper should carry a health warning: ‘may cause narcolepsy’. The chances of making mistakes were always going to be increased in those conditions.
Because before his evolution, Valdes was a pretty solid keeper. Paris ’06 is a Tale of Two Keepers: Lehmann sent off for Arsenal; Valdes (almost) unbeatable in the Barça goal; known as the Valdes Final by some. That’s the Valdes Paradox: the more important, essential even he became to the Pep Team, the less recognition he got. The irony is that had Pep hypothetically never asked (told) him to evolve into a sweeper-keeper, he could have gone on become one of the best traditional ‘keepers in the world.
So it’s off to Monaco, where he’ll have to relearn some of the basics, and say ‘adios’ to the toque.
For Barça, it’s a case of don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.
For Valdes, it’s so long, you’ll miss me when I’m gone.
Edit: Basically the article is arguing that Valdes was one of the top keepers around before Guardiola. He was immense in the 06 final etc but the new role he has been forced to play has lead to his status dropping. He was on his way to becoming one of the best shot stoppers in the world but that all changed and when he became a sweeper keeper. It argues that his errors are a result of the new role he has had to play since 2008 and that he isn't really leaving for new cultures, bit instead for recognition. As the authour points out, what new expereinces could he have at Monaco? Tax evasion?
Victor Valdes’ decision to leave Barcelona is about recognition; the lack of it.
Stack ‘em up. Record 5-times Zamora winner (goalkeeping equivalent of the Pichichi), 3-time Champions League winner (equalled only by Ajax’s Heinz Stuy and Bayern’s Sepp Maier, though the former never won an international cap, and the latter suffered the original Panenka), 6 Liga titles. The fourth most capped player in Barça’s history.
But for all the praise sent his way, you’d swear he was a poor man’s Ruud Hesp, or a vulgar imitation of Carles Busquets. His ‘haters’ have it that all that’s a matter of circumstance; that he just so happened to be there. Right place at the right time; a freeloader bunking a ride on the rollercoaster of the world’s best ever indigenous generation.
They fail to comprehend the singular contribution made by Valdes to this Barça era. And much as Zubi wants to move swiftly on, with talk of Ter Stegen, Guaita, or even Reina (seriously?) replacing him, deep down he knows. He knows that Valdes will never really be replaced. Because this ‘average’ keeper revolutionised the role. Mes Que Un Portero.
The Valdes Paradox
Valdes is prone to the occasional gaffe, but name me a ‘keeper who isn’t. Comes with the territory.
All the more so in the case of the Double V : there’s simply no other ‘keeper in the land who plays such a high-risk, high-stakes game, a game Pep Guardiola more or less thrust upon him as a non-negotiable change. It was a task many would have baulked at, others walked at; Valdes accepted the challenge no questions asked.
Pep released him from the caterpillar cocoon of mere goalkeeper, gave him wings and evolved him into a sweeper-keeper butterfly. No more a reactive shot stopper, he was expected to step up 10 yards to the edge of his sanctuary and dictate play, as a proactive sweeper. A diversifying trapeze act that most ‘keepers could do without. Valdes took to the role seamlessly, laying the ball out left foot- right foot, becoming so comfortable on the ball as to often have more touches of it than opposing midfielders. In street terms, he became essentially a fly ‘keeper; an auxiliary defender who could use his hands.
With such a high risk game came an inevitable trade-off, as the mistakes became more frequent the more ingrained he became with the role.
There’ve been the footwork mistakes, like the fastest Clasico goal ever offered to Benzema last season; but also the handling ones, like the one offered to Drogba in the 2012 Champions League semi-final.
Not to mention the kamikaze aerial salidas, once knocking Dame N’Doye’s tongue down his throat, and forcing his own teammate Pique off last season.
The handling errors were an inevitable consequence of the increased toque demands placed upon him; while he also probably came to believe his hype, spending more and more time playing Rondas at training than working on the more rudimentary aspects of the trade.
But then there’s also the context of Barça to consider: he often had so little to do as a traditional keeper that he could have been forgiven for bringing a good book, Rubik’s cube or an impossible bottle along to games to keep himself occupied.
As Manuel Neuer said recently, it’s fucking boring being a ‘keeper; but to be Barça ‘keeper should carry a health warning: ‘may cause narcolepsy’. The chances of making mistakes were always going to be increased in those conditions.
Because before his evolution, Valdes was a pretty solid keeper. Paris ’06 is a Tale of Two Keepers: Lehmann sent off for Arsenal; Valdes (almost) unbeatable in the Barça goal; known as the Valdes Final by some. That’s the Valdes Paradox: the more important, essential even he became to the Pep Team, the less recognition he got. The irony is that had Pep hypothetically never asked (told) him to evolve into a sweeper-keeper, he could have gone on become one of the best traditional ‘keepers in the world.
So it’s off to Monaco, where he’ll have to relearn some of the basics, and say ‘adios’ to the toque.
For Barça, it’s a case of don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.
For Valdes, it’s so long, you’ll miss me when I’m gone.
Edit: Basically the article is arguing that Valdes was one of the top keepers around before Guardiola. He was immense in the 06 final etc but the new role he has been forced to play has lead to his status dropping. He was on his way to becoming one of the best shot stoppers in the world but that all changed and when he became a sweeper keeper. It argues that his errors are a result of the new role he has had to play since 2008 and that he isn't really leaving for new cultures, bit instead for recognition. As the authour points out, what new expereinces could he have at Monaco? Tax evasion?
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