Everyone knows about the selling of Valencia’s stars down the years, and few now remain. Those who do however should be cherished, and none more so than Éver Banega.
The Argentinean midfield has experienced another season of inconsistency and a mixture of highs and lows. The negative aspects however, have been more than ever a result of aspects out of his hands. The lack of continuity in the first team, shunted out wide on occasions, and handed a partner in Tino Costa he clearly has no relationship with on the field.
This past weekend Banega caught the imagination with a mesmerising performance against Málaga, one he’ll have to replicate this weekend as Valencia head into a almighty clash with Real Sociedad which will go a long way to determining who makes that final Champions League place. Against Málaga, Banega achieved his highest WhoScored rating of the season at 9.72 – not too far from perfect. It followed on from another impressive game against Espanyol in which delivered two assists, albeit that time playing more advanced.
The Málaga win was his most impressive of the season however, with the midfielder making 54 passes at 94% accuracy, 2/2 accurate long balls, three key passes and seven successful dribbles. His offensive power was immeasurable on the field, as he tucked into a midfield role that allowed him to dictate incident on every inch of the field. Banega’s intelligence saw him drop deep into midfield to view play, but also race forward to provide definition between the lines. Banega switched duties as a ‘5’ and a ‘10’ with a subtle brilliance. His dribbling was a particularly impressive sight, as coming from a central midfielder it’s a rare quantity these days and can be used to devastating effect. Defensively too Banega was no hindrance, making four tackles and helping recover the ball to initiate attacks himself.
It’s no surprise in that game he was flanked by Dani Parejo, and had David Albelda behind him at all times offering that safety net. It gave Banega the confidence to focus on his duties and not be concerned with others’ actions, though the fact Sergio Canales and Jonas offered themselves as classic interiors allowed Banega more freedom. Too often Banega can get bogged down in other functions of the Valencia team, thus negating his own strengths and not allowing the team to flow.
Much of this is due to his pairing with Tino Costa, his fellow countryman, as he attempts to provide attacking impetus to less effect. This, be it alongside him in central midfield or as Tino has been on occasions this season, played as an advanced attacking midfielder. He doesn’t harness the agility or intelligence to make the position his own, or even bridge a gap.
Banega should be handed the steering wheel to this team, and be allowed to drive them forward as no one else is more capable of doing so. The midfielder has provided on average; 1.4 key passes per game, 2.2 successful dribbles (the highest at the club), 0.5 through balls per game (again, the highest) and maintained a healthy 82.7% pass accuracy.
Even when he was shunted out wide at times this season, Banega showed the correct attitude in his game to offer elements of quality – a world apart from the common feeling he’s a player who lacks the attitude to succeed at Valencia or in football in general. It’s no surprise that Valencia’s Champions League campaign failed for many reasons, but one of the major ones was Banega’s lack of involvement as he started just the two games. An elite player, being cut off from elite competition. Valencia harnessed a healthy amount of possession in the competition, dominating their opponents on these terms even in defeats - it proved redundant without a player of Banega’s quality to find the gaps and offer ingenuity however, especially at a game level when margins are so fine.
Banega remains the second highest rated player at Valencia in La Liga this season, sharing a 7.04 with Jonas. Only Roberto Soldado is higher, with his 17 goals giving him an advantage there. This weekend against Real Sociedad it will again be the perfect stage for Banega to take the lead role, and provide the sort of commanding performance the team needs to overpower the exciting, young Basque side - and get revenge for a 2-5 humiliation earlier in the season. It’s time Valencia settled on a system and a pattern of player, the glue bringing everything together should always be Banega.
