Once the new La Liga campaign starts in August all eyes will undoubtedly be on the likes of the champions and treble winners Barcelona, globally renowned Real Madrid and emerging power Atletico. However, possibly the most enticing story will be that of 2014-15’s fourth placed finishers Valencia.
The Mestalla club enjoyed a fantastic previous season as they qualified for the Champions League play-off round. All of this despite losing the likes of Ever Banega, Carles Gil and Juan Bernat last summer. As a result of such a strong campaign, the expectations will be high for Valencia once the first ball of the new season is kicked-off.
Los Che manager Nuno Espirito Santo has already started improving on his side for the new season, with a total of €72 million spent on new players such as Alvaro Negredo and striker Santi Mina. These new signings mean that Valencia are sure to be raring to come their first fixture. However, as has become almost of a typical trait, they could be set to lose talismanic centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, with the Argentine being linked to Manchester United and Real Madrid all summer.
As has been already said, the expectations for Valencia next campaign will be much higher than what they were this time last year. When it comes to domestic expectations, Los Che will be expected to challenge Atletico Madrid for third place in La Liga. It will be far too soon to expect a challenge on heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid for the league title, but a battle with the Rojiblancos may be possible.
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Valencia will also be expected to be a factor when it comes to cup competitions. As the chances of a league title are pretty slim, the fans will like to see their side challenge in the Copa Del Rey, a competition which they have not won since 2008, lifting the trophy will go some way towards making the 2015-16 season a success. However, it is not just domestic success which the Los Che faithfull will want to see achieved.
By finishing fourth in La Liga, Valencia will be entering the Champions League play-off round alongside the likes of Ajax and Manchester United. They will be expected to progress through to the group stage and, depending on what opposition that are drawn against, make it even further than that. This does not mean that they will have the pressure to challenge for the title itself, but it may come to the point that Valencia will want to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition or the last 16 at least.
2014-15 was a good run for Los Che and its fans. The new campaign could be very important for the as they look to push both domestically and onto the biggest stage in European football.
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