In with the old and new: How Valencia have turned it around in 2025

Earlier this season we made an article covering the absolute horror show that has been Valencia CF, both this season and over the last 10 years describing their awful running of the football club. Now I’m not here to tell you that has changed, in fact with the news coming out last week that owner Peter Lim had appointed his own son as president as well as the fact that he hasn’t even attended a Valencia match in over 1,000 days (roughly almost 3 years), it is clear that nothing significant or groundbreaking is going to happen at Valencia if the Singaporean businessman is to stay around.

And this season it seemed as if Valenica were going to pay the ultimate price: relegation. Of course I am in no way saying that Los Ches are exonerated from relegation, but for the first time this calendar year Valencia are out of the relegation zone. In fact, in 2025 Valenica have lost 4 games, all of which were against the big 3 that are neck and neck gunning for the title. You have to go all way back to December 13th for the last non-big 3 loss which was against bottom of the league Valladolid. I think we can safely say that this was a definitive low point in the club’s history in the 21st century. This one game that can sum everything up for not only their season, but in terms of the backward direction the club has been going in. Losing to a team that are probably going to go down as one of the worst in the history of La Liga, a team that has shown absolutely no fight to stay up, and yet they managed to beat Valencia with 10 men.

But as they say, when you hit rock bottom the only way is up. Yes, they have been dismantled twice by Barcelona, 0-5 and 7-1 respectively, but in an amongst it there have been some quite brilliant wins. A crucial win picked up at the Mestalla against Sociedad in January, a 2-0 win vs relegation rivals Leganes and a hard fought 2-1 win against high flyers Celta Vigo. Furthermore, taking into account some important draws, 1-1 away at Villereal, 1-1 away at the  Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and a thoroughly entertaining 3-3 away draw against Osasuna and suddenly things are looking positive again. And in a kind of full circle moment this weekend, Valencia faced Valladolid at home and made sure to right their wrongs emerging victorious 2-1. As the Spanish phrase it, this game was a ‘win or win’ kind of fixture, I guess in English it would be described as a 6 pointer, but the gravity can still be understood. Valencia, climbing out the relegation zone, a feat deemed extremely unlikely just 2 months ago when they sat in 19th and 6 points from safety.

So, you may be asking then, what’s changed? Well, in my opinion there have been 2 significant factors in enabling the changing of the tides. The first one is obvious and the praises must indeed be sung. It is of course the big man up top Umar Sadiq who looks a player reborn since his January arrival. Sadiq is a player who, when you’re watching him, looks awkward and it seems as if he cant dribble for his life. But in reality he’s got some nifty tricks up his sleeve and his combination of short bursts of pace with his almighty strength is truly a joy to watch. Never prolific in La Liga, he made the 2nd division look easy with Almeria who he got promoted with and it seems that he may be the player that will keep Valenica from joining the Andalucian club next season.

If you haven’t seen his delightful goal to grab a point against Osasuna, I urge you to give it a look, it is truly audacious from a player that stands at 6ft 4. It’s not just the amount of goals he’s scored, 4 in 7 league games, but the timing of his goals. His first, an 84th minute equaliser to rescue a point at neighbouring Villereal. His next 2 game at once, in the aforementioned game against Osasuna where he scored in the 87th minute to again rescue a point for Los Ches. And finally his last, a 58th minute winner against Valladolid where he quite literally outmuscles 2 defenders to prod the ball into the net. Sadiq’s efforts have no doubt gone under the radar but if he can keep up this record and with the same amount of clutchness there will be no doubt that the plaudits will go to him when Valencia survive come the end of the season. The other perhaps more subtle factor into their change in form has to be pointed to the Mestalla.

A true footballing marvel and one on any serious football fan’s bucket list, the Mestalla is hostile to say the least. An iconic institution to Spanish football, it is certainly not one for the fear of heights as the stairs are notoriously steep and packed together making it a breeding ground for intense and intimidating atmosphere. What is more significant to the increase in atmosphere is the news coming in early January that once the new stadium is complete in 2027, the more than 100 year old stadium will be knocked down and demolished. I believe it is for this reason that extra motivation has been seeped into the crowd.

Fans who have been going to this holy grail of stadiums for 50 maybe even 60 years understand they only have so long within this special ground and are making the most of it. Using every piece of effort to make a difference for the team on the field. And it must be said, even with all the turmoil both on and off the field the fans have stayed close by to the team. There have been boycotts and mass protests understandably, but when the fans are out in full force, the Mestalla is absolutely packed and absolutely rocking, giving the team a much needed morale boost as we enter into the most crucial part of the season.

Umar Sadiq and the Mestalla: one very new and one very old piece of Valencia that are working together to keep their survival hopes alive.