The Valencia CF season 2006-07, consists of several competitions for Spanish football (soccer) club Valencia CF compete in. They play in the domestic 2006-07 La Liga championship, the Copa del Rey and the international 2006-07 UEFA Champions League tournament.
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Valencia has made significant changes for the 2006/2007 season. Coach Quique Sanchez Flores and technical director Amedeo Carboni reshuffled the squad to give it a fresh look. Players who did not fit in the current Valencia playing system such as Marco Di Vaio, Bernardo Corradi, Pablo Aimar, Rufete, and Mista were some of those who were sold, while Fábio Aurélio signed for Liverpool after refusing an extension to his contract. To strengthen the squad, Valencia have made big signings by bringing in Joaquin, Asier del Horno, Fernando Morientes and Francesco Tavano. They have also recalled the likes of Silva and Gavilan who are expected to form a core part of the squad this season. Valencia have also promoted several youngsters from the Valencia B Squad.
The current squad is therefore a blend of youth and experience. On paper, Valencia has one of the strongest teams in years, with international talent on almost all fronts. While normal, experienced players such as Roberto Ayala provide their leadership, the captain's armband is on international defensive midfielder David Albelda, with David Villa "El Guaje" becoming one of the most recognizable names on the Valencian roster. The fans expect the team to deliver this time around after some disappointing seasons. However the club has already experienced its fair share of problems in pre-season. The club's attempt to sign Benfica's Simão Sabrosa has yield no favorable result. Carboni and the club's president have also fallen out with veteran defender Roberto Ayala, who has expressed his desire to leave the club for local rivals Villarreal CF. Current players such as Stefano Fiore and Mario Regueiro have also been linked with different clubs. However, Valencia have started the season strongly. So far, they have won all their matches in the Champions League against Olympiakos and A.S. Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk. The team qualified to pass on to the next round in a 2-2 draw against Shaktar the second time they played them. On 15th December 2006, Valencia were drawn to play against Internazionale in the last 16 of the Champions League with the first leg scheduled to take place on 21st February 2007. In the La Liga, Valencia started the season on a high, having registered victories against Real Betis, Atlético Madrid, Getafe, Gimnastic de Tarragona along with a creditable draw with current La Liga champions FC Barcelona. As of 1 October 2006, Valencia are sitting on second spot behind Barcelona on goal difference in the Spanish La Liga. However, they went through a slump in November which caused them to slip up in the La Liga. The first of 6 winless matches starting with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Racing Santander. The theory behind these bad results is that Valencia have lost much of their key talent to injury, such as the likes of captain David Albelda, midfielder Rubén Baraja, wingers Jaime Gavilán and Vicente Rodríguez, defenders Carlos Marchena and Asier del Horno and forward Francesco Tavano. Despite all these worries, the team is making a strong comeback, winning their last 3 matches before the winter break against Deportivo La Coruna, Real Zaragoza and Real Mallorca. With key players returrning soon, Valencia finally looks settled and strong enough to make an impact in Europe this season as well as in La Liga.
As of 12 September 2006 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Only three non-European Union nationals can be on the pitch at any time. Those with European ancestry can claim a passport from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry, he can claim a Spanish passport after playing in Spain for five years.
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