Congratulations to Valencia Club de Futbol for winning the 2009 LLTO Most Improved Club Award. Valencia was able to have a good year moving up four spots in the total rankings and have an opportunity to play in the UEFA Cup next season.
A year ago Valencia was a struggling club that at season’s end were among the middle of the pack in the top-tier rankings. In 2007/2008 the club finished the year in 10th place and had a losing record of 15-6-17. The club only earned 51 points for the season and were outscored by opponents by a -14 goal margin for the year. Los Che also had one of the worst offenses in all of top flight Spanish football only scoring 48 goals for the entire season. Going into 2008/2009 many critics were questioning whether the former powerhouse still had what it takes to be considered an above average La Liga squad.
In 2008/2009 Los Che would not disappoint. The club finished the year in 6th place and qualified for a spot in Europe next season. The offense improved dramatically scoring 20 more goals this season and finishing the year with an above average result of 68 total goals. The defense also improved 8 goals on the year total and were among the strongest in the entire league. The club’s goal margin improved as well and this season Valencia had a +14 goal differential. The club also improved their record to 18-8-12 and were among the best home teams in the league with a 12-4-3 record in front of the home crowd. They won five more matches at home this year and scored 23 more goals.
If the club can hang onto David Villa next year, then look for the offensive numbers to stay among the league’s best.
