Valencia's rise to European prominence has been staggering, however, it has not resonated with the fans. They have long been tired of Cooper's defensive tactics, especially after the team sold Lopez to Lazio in favor of Aimar and senior midfielder Kalou, a move that was clearly designed to cater to Cooper's tactical needs.
Valencia reached the final of the Champions League for several years in a row, but Cooper seems to be destined to be the "runner-up". After losing to Bayern on penalties, the fans had no outlet for their anger. Despite conceding only 34 goals in 38 league matches, it was not what the fans expected. In that season, Valencia scored only 55 goals, while relegated Oviedo scored 51.
Back then, Di Stefano led his team to regain the La Liga title after 24 years, but the fans didn't have a deep affection for him simply because his tactics focused on defense. Now, Cooper is in the same embarrassing situation. After losing his Champions League berth to Rivaldo, the unpopular Cooper left Valencia for Inter Milan. Burning pictures of Cooper became a fan protest at the San Jose Festival in Valencia.
The opening of a new chapter
Rafa Benitez, who replaced Cooper, had an underwhelming career as a player with Real Madrid and was sacked by Valladolid and Osasuna for poor performances as a coach. However, his conservative style upset the fans. But Benitez proved in action that his tactics can win championships.
Rafa Benitez's tactical acumen took Valencia to new heights. His innovative use of 4231 still influences the game of soccer today. By playing with a single striker and receiving fewer goals, Valencia always had the advantage against the 442 formation. Protected by Baraja and Albelda, Aimar could show off his offensive creativity.
However, that became history with the departure of Rafa Benitez. During his five years at Valencia, Benitez left behind a league title and a League Cup, and Valencia's hopes of being among the Western Premier League teams came to an abrupt end.
The road to recovery is a long way off
Since Rafa Benitez's departure, the Bat Boys have hired 18 different managers, including names such as Ranieri, Flores, Koeman and Emery. However, none of them have been successful at Valencia and all have gone on to achieve great things since leaving. As for the likes of Dukic, Neville and Prandelli, Valencia became a blemish on their coaching careers, with some even bidding farewell to the coaching chair as a result.
It's obvious that any success is addictive and even the giants struggle to maintain a streak of success. The success of Ranieri, Cooper and Benitez has led to the club and the fans losing their way.
More importantly, Valencia's shrewd maneuvering in the transfer market has disappeared. Players such as Credio Lopez, Canizares, Marchena and Mista all opted for free transfers and became beloved Valencia legends. However, in order to usher in success quickly, the club began blindly overpaying for players such as Fiore (14.5 million), Zigic (12 million), Rodrigo (25.5 million), Negredo (24 million) and Gare (20.5 million), which made the team a wrongdoer time and time again.
Especially after Malaysian tycoon Lim Eng Hock took over, a series of maneuvers caused the team to fall out of favor. Marcelino was sacked just as the team was making headway because he didn't want to be interfered with by the owner. Lin Rongfu's interference in the team's business, weakening the power of the head coach and other executives, has long been the norm. He then swapped resources with Mendes in order to acquire Cairo's likeness rights, handing Valencia over to the agent predator as a testing ground for him to market the player.
The Bat Army is now long gone. Valencia's glory days can only remain in the memories of the fans.
