Valencia Coach Emery Bows To Superior Barcelona

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It's not all plain sailing for Valencia coach Unai Emery (PA)

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Like many managers before him, Unai Emery was left helpless as he watched his Valencia side crumble before a rampant Barcelona. The spectacle was enough to convince him that the Catalans are the team to beat this season, a task far easier said than done.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Emery emphasised that the match was out of their reach in the early stages.

"We came to the game well aware of how well Barca have been playing," he said. "We knew we had to play at our best to win, but they hit the post with their first chance and then they scored the next two."

Emery could not deny that the result had been a fair one, but said that his team needed to "lift as soon as possible. This rout may have been expected but that does not mean it does not hurt."

This result has confirmed the suspicion that Barcelona are a class above everyone else, and Emery was the latest to add his name to the list of admirers. When asked if the rest of the teams were merely involved in a fight for second place, he said, "Barcelona have proved that they are ahead of everyone else, and even though there is a lot of time left to play, they have a great advantage over the other teams."

The Valencia coach then highlighted just why the Blaugrana are so hard to beat, saying that they "monopolise the play and dominate the possession".

Predictably, even Emery was pressed for his opinion on next week's Clásico, and his opinion was that "even though Barcelona is on another level, you never know what can happen in a game like that".

Valencia will provide the starters to the main course of Spanish football next Saturday, then they play host to Espanyol in the match that precedes the big one.   

Arjun Miglani, Goal.com