Victor Valdes: The Underrated Hero

Why Real Madrid fans are eager to keep saying that Casillas is the best GK in the world (even history) while Barça fans are eager to say Valdes sucks when they have done the same big mistakes this season/year?

Casillas big mistakes: Valencia's goal, 1st Getafe goal, both City goals, Dortmund second goal.
Could have done more in second Getafe goal and 1st Messi goal.

Valdes big mistakes: Di Maria goal at Camp Nou, Deportivo second goal.
Could have done more: Ronaldo goal at Bernabeu (supercup), Ronaldo 1st goal at Camp nou.

So Casillas is actually having a worse season than Valdes! wake up...

Victor Valdes
starts : 13
goals conceded : 18
clean sheets : 2

Iker Casillas
starts : 13
goals coneceded : 16
clean sheets : 3

You should add to Could have done more - Sevilla goal (1st), Deportivo 3rd goal, Osasuna goal, 2nd Spartak goal, also Ronaldo goal in the League = VV mistake.

free_cat wrote:So Casillas is actually having a worse season than Valdes! wake up...

No, he isn't. He didn't cost his team a trophy. Valdes idiotic mistake that lead to Di Maria goal cost us a trophy, it's a fact. 3-1 at home in two legged tie = fantastic result, 3-2 = crap. That Di Maria goal change the outcome of the tie, and it's Valdes fault we didn't celebrate at Bernabeu, so no you won't change the facts with your catalan bias, VV isn't better than Casillas right now, he is crap and cost us also in every big game last season (RM 1st league game, 2nd league game both goals his fault, Chelsea all 3 goals big mistakes by him - Ramires goal also cost us a tie, this was changing moment in that 2nd leg, 2-0 at HT - Chelsea would have to attack in the 2nd half, due to VV mistake, they could park the bus).

VV is poor for more than a season, it was mistake not to buy Lloris. Let's hope he improves, because we won't win a trophy with a towel in the goal. He isn't making any saves anymore, shot on goal by rival = goal and VV throwing his hands and making stupid look on his face.

Who cares about Supercup?
I care much more about losing 3 points in the league than losing supercup.

You are being ridiculous if you say things like Valdes costed us all 3 Chelsea goals last season, when they were all mistakes by Mascherano mostly (same with Ronaldo goal at home).

You are also being ridiculous saying he doesn't make saves anymore. He saved 4 shots vs. Deportivo, saved 2 one on ones vs. Granada, saved numerous one on ones vs Madrid away in the Supercup, etc. But you only want to see the bad side of his game.

I agree he is in bad form, but for some reason everyone slates him much more than any other GK for his mistakes, and I really don't understand the reason, considering than Iker has made more mistakes this season.

Well it is not like he is saving our asses in the league as well. He is a good keeper, but cant reach Iker's level. He had a good run for 3 seasons and last 6 or more months he is too unreliable. Even worst, he is not providing much help with possession right now. That was his trade mark!!!

I was the one who was saying VV is better than Iker, but he could not hold it. If he could hold the bar high during these last months, he could have been there. And i do not believe Ikers mistakes were as big as VV.

I hope he improves to the form he was a year ago, cuz the way he is now i would not rate him even in top 5 let alone better then Iker.

EDIT:

RIght now, all the teams we played so far had far better keepers then Valdes, each one of them made at least 2 awesome saves. VV did what?

Not only Iker mistakes were as big but he made more of them.
Check them out on video and you will see such blunders.

eelir wrote:

RIght now, all the teams we played so far had far better keepers then Valdes, each one of them made at least 2 awesome saves. VV did what?

Like Casillas at Camp nou? (0 saves).
These stupid generalizations....

It is not stupid. VV is in bad, really bad form right now, and with the defense we have we need him more then ever. He should have stepped up, and all i see is him being shaky. How many long shots did he take this season? He is so afraid, that even when he has options to pass he takes a long shot. I mean, i see a Celtic keeper (and perhaps all the rest we played) have at least one save from Messi and co. I do not remember when i have seen a nice save from him. Please enlight me, when was his last cool save? I see this kind of saves constantly against us. If you check our games, the usual MOMs for our oppositions are the keepers.

eelir wrote:It is not stupid. VV is in bad, really bad form right now, and with the defense we have we need him more then ever. He should have stepped up, and all i see is him being shaky. How many long shots did he take this season? He is so afraid, that even when he has options to pass he takes a long shot. I mean, i see a Celtic keeper (and perhaps all the rest we played) have at least one save from Messi and co. I do not remember when i have seen a nice save from him. Please enlight me, when was his last cool save? I see this kind of saves constantly against us. If you check our games, the usual MOMs for our oppositions are the keepers.

It's stupid because you said all games Valdes has been worse than the other GK and that's false.

I guess two one on one saves vs. Granada is nothing of merit, neither 3 one on ones saves in Madrid game at Bernabeu, or two important saves he made vs. Madrid at Camp nou?

I completely agree that he is in bad form, but he is far from rubbish or even being worse than Casillas. The thing is, GK make mistakes, all of them. If Casillas,the best keeper in history, is making blunder after blunder, anyone else will make some. You should know that by now.

I don't think Free is trying to say VV is better than Iker, he is pointing out the double standards that exist. Iker is treated like some god who does no wrong, whereas Valdes is a consistent villain.

Its just ridiculous and this is why this thread name is appropriate because he remains the most under appreciated player at Barca. Its disgusting in my opinion the number of Barca 'fans' that always call for a new keeper. The man is a club legend already imo.

I find it extremely frustrating how people write him off without even understanding his unique role at Barca.

1) High-line means almost all big chances on goal are very high-percentage shots (and VV still saves a lot of them!). No other keeper is subjected to the same exposed defence in the world as VV is. Particularly this season.

2) His ball distribution is absolute superb. He is wonderful on the ball and now everyone is forgetting this because of the Di Maria goal. People make mistakes... deal with it. What is important is he still continues to believe in his ability and plays it out from the back. That takes balls... and you can only see the difference when Pinto steps in and almost every pass he makes is that of a nervous old lady.

Can't believe some have suggested Pinto gets a go in some games... What a joke. Guy has good reflexes, it ends there. He's in the team for one reason: dressing room personality.

VV I continue to support you and you have my faith. Maybe we should stop blaming this guy and look at Mascherano etc. horrible mistakes which are made almost every game. Schoolboy errors. Maybe we should help him out and invest in a better defence.

Not calling for a new keeper to replace him, more to replace Pinto, but the one that could push VV. And free can't talk about double standards when he acts similar way towards Alves as i do towards VV. Now this is double standard in the expense of non-Catalans.

@Free - VV did some saves, but we expect from him to do that every game, not occasionally! The main point is, if Alves is so bad lately, VV is worst.

EDIT: in no way i say he is bad, just at this form he is not even a top 5. And with the team we have, we need at least top 5. That is why a nice competition would return him to his rightful place

i don think mash's performance should be compared here......who asked to play him out of position.....???he is playing out of position so if he saves that is just bonus....

VV had really been shaky this season but its also true we just cant remove him for this, everyone can have a bad patch.....

eelir wrote:Not calling for a new keeper to replace him, more to replace Pinto, but the one that could push VV. And free can't talk about double standards when he acts similar way towards Alves as i do towards VV. Now this is double standard in the expense of non-Catalans.

@Free - VV did some saves, but we expect from him to do that every game, not occasionally! The main point is, if Alves is so bad lately, VV is worst.

Which double standards?

About Alves I'm saying he is having a poor season and that we can try Montoya more. I haven't proposed to change his nickname in his thread to "the right suck" instead of "the right boss" like some people is proposing in Valdes' thread. And I still think he is a great player in poor form probably due to a frenetic lifestyle after his separation.

While about Valdés, I also say he is having a poor season, but I don't understand the hate and the exaggeration. Also, and I already said that, if we had a reliable backup I think he should hit the bench a match or two (although it's very risky to bench a GK because it's a very psycological sport).

The double standards is whenever Casillas makes a mistake and no one even takes notice - and he is doing a lot this season as I proved -, while Valdes is killed by every shot he doesn't save, even when it's a lob that would make Romario proud from a teammate!! Unbelievable.

So basically we are saying the same thing, but i am not using kind words. The only thing we do not agree is the comparison with Iker. The difference with Iker and VV is that Iker saves RM when they really do need them!

Not this season so far, neither last season. So...

Valdes also has saved our ass many times. (CL final 2006, Semifinal vs. Chelsea in 2009, CL final 2009).

Thats the thing that i keep repeating. He was better then Iker during that time, and lately he has been failing in key moments. I want the old VV back, and some competition will do him good. He did have some odd moments and lapses even then, but considering he was like a 11th player and helped in keeping possession, i did not mind that. Now, he is not up to his game in both departments!

You guys can keep comparing Iker to VV but the truth is, 99% of barca fans have a heart attack when the opposition takes a shot on Valdes.
He's not the same GK anymore.

He needs to prove himself again.

Iker is irrelevant to this thread

BarcaKizz wrote:I don't think Free is trying to say VV is better than Iker, he is pointing out the double standards that exist. Iker is treated like some god who does no wrong, whereas Valdes is a consistent villain.

Its just ridiculous and this is why this thread name is appropriate because he remains the most under appreciated player at Barca. Its disgusting in my opinion the number of Barca 'fans' that always call for a new keeper. The man is a club legend already imo.

I find it extremely frustrating how people write him off without even understanding his unique role at Barca.

1) High-line means almost all big chances on goal are very high-percentage shots (and VV still saves a lot of them!). No other keeper is subjected to the same exposed defence in the world as VV is. Particularly this season.

2) His ball distribution is absolute superb. He is wonderful on the ball and now everyone is forgetting this because of the Di Maria goal. People make mistakes... deal with it. What is important is he still continues to believe in his ability and plays it out from the back. That takes balls... and you can only see the difference when Pinto steps in and almost every pass he makes is that of a nervous old lady.

Can't believe some have suggested Pinto gets a go in some games... What a joke. Guy has good reflexes, it ends there. He's in the team for one reason: dressing room personality.

VV I continue to support you and you have my faith. Maybe we should stop blaming this guy and look at Mascherano etc. horrible mistakes which are made almost every game. Schoolboy errors. Maybe we should help him out and invest in a better defence.

Kizz, you know me as a very rational fan who does not make decisions based on feeling.

Everything you said about VV is true, but what is also true is this:

1. Valdes is consistently beaten at his near post.
2. He rarely, if ever, seems to make an effort to even save shots close to his body. He's so flat footed, that it's not even funny.
3. His ball distribution has been caught out twice against Real Madrid. Fastest goal in Liga history, anyone?
4. He "used" to be the best one v one keeper. I can't recall the last time he made one of those saves, though.

Truth is, VV is getting back to his pre 2008 form which made people bawl for his skin. He needs to improve, and significantly. Whenever he has been called on to make a save, he has failed this season.

And keep Casillas out of this thread, we don't need to care what happens in the RM camp. We need to worry about our club, and our man between the sticks, who simply can't do anything right at the moment.

We need a young talented goal keeper, who can give Valdes some competition now and get from from now (used to the system) to take the 1st spot in the Future...

I dont diasgreee with what I read from Free or Kizz, but at the same time, didnt Pinto have a good preseason and Valdes has already made more than a handful of goal giving mstakes this season?

One or two errors, so be it..but 5 and 6...its crazy.

I dont see much harm in dropping Valdes for a game, playing Pinto...to me, Valdes looks comfy and his mistakes are just bordering on silly now.

Neuer distributes the ball just as good as Valdés and he's a better goalkeeper in terms of making saves and decision making - in my opinion.

_LMG_10_ wrote:..............
You guys can keep comparing Iker to VV but the truth is, 99% of barca fans have a heart attack when the opposition takes a shot on Valdes.
............................

this. and specially the near post shots , you can certainly feel those are going in......He made CR7 so good looking in Classicos lately....

it does not matter how well pinto did in preseason, no one is going to put him into keeping . that will not help either, anyway. So i think the situation is complicated - we will not buy a good keeper as we don think of benching VV and VV is not improving without competition.....

He seems to have lost confidence lately, what I think is because of the whole defensive situation, and freezes more and more to shots now.

We need to have faith in Valdes. Sure he's been very shakey and is performing quite poorly right now, but I think on his game he's the best keeper in the world for Barca. I've always said that. It's just some poor form, I think he'll get better in time.

I think a more apt time to judge Valdes is with a proper defense in front of him, not this makeshift stuff we have going on. If he's still poor then-consistently- perhaps it's time to drop him or look for some competition.

The thing with him now is that he is pretty crap with his ball distribution as well. Just look at how many of his balls ended over the sideline in this last game against Rayo alone, resulting in loss of possession. He also misjudged a seamingly easy and slow ball coming his way which could've cost us at least a corner. You can't really blame all of this on a shaky defence. He just seems completely off right now. I used to get pissed off when someone was hating on the guy about a year ago, as he had obviously been superb for us. But right now?

He did produce a couple of very good saves to be fair.

Didn't think that any of the saves were more than ordinary, but i'm glad he kept the clean sheet. It's good for his confidence.