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The captain of the Spanish champions, David Albelda, stated that the team, under the leadership of Antonio Lopez, is much better organized than when Claudio Ranieri was in charge.
"Now we have a tactic, we know much more about our future opponents before the matches," praised the Valencia captain. "We put in the same effort, but the results are better because we all clearly know our place on the field."
"Before, we tried hard, but there was a lack of organization," continued one of the leaders of the Spanish national team. "Also, now we don't change the lineup as often."
Another Valencia star, the Argentine Roberto Fabianas Ayala, also did not spare praise for Lopez.
The Spaniard Antonio Lopez, who was previously a long-time assistant coach at Valencia, took over the reins of Valencia last month when the club fired Italian Claudio Ranieri. Despite having a stronger squad than the one that won the UEFA Cup and the Spanish championship in the 2003/04 season, Ranieri failed to meet his goals and was dismissed after Valencia's defeat in the UEFA Cup Round of 16.
Although Lopez is only temporarily in the coaching position, Valencia's very decent results (a 2-1 victory against Betis, as well as draws with the strong Sevilla and Real teams) could impress the club's board of directors and give the Spaniard a chance to get a longer contract with the Spanish club.
Currently, Valencia is in 5th place in the Spanish championship. It is worth mentioning that the top four teams in the Spanish championship earn the right to play in the UEFA Champions League next year.
