It was supposed to be the season of revival. So far, it has been anything but: one point from four games, bottom of the table, five goals conceded against Barcelona in a Mestalla that bordered on the surreal. By now, Valencia have grown accustomed to bitterness, and yet the bar for how bad things can get keeps dropping, with these days bringing the fiercest response yet from the supporters. There are different ways to protest, to express dissent and despair: some boycott the stadium altogether – Lazio and Torino, for instance – while others flood into it in numbers, counting on the noise. Valencia chose the second option, trying to hit the club hierarchy through sheer numbers, against a board and ownership with whom the city is now completely at odds.
During the big game against Barça, the most fervent section of the Valencia support stayed outside the stadium for the first 19 minutes in protest, while around them they staged a pointed demonstration against Kiat Lim and his fellow directors – the Singapore-based owners of Valencia. Then Mestalla became the echo chamber of a nightmare, with what was happening on the pitch reflected back from the stands. Only those working inside the stadium carried on with their business, stumbling into scenes that bordered on the grotesque: as El País reported, piping Highway to Hell by AC/DC over the speakers – hardly the most inspired choice with the horror show Corberán’s players were about to face – was not exactly a stroke of genius. Hell duly arrived through Pedri, Yamal and Raphinha. The 5-0 confirmed Barça’s overwhelming strength – four wins from four and 17 goals scored, numbers worthy of a PlayStation – while laying bare the weakness of a squad heading into yet another season of indescribable suffering. The reinforcements expected in the transfer market never came – the biggest investment in the end was Arnau Martínez, a right-back signed from Girona for €5 million – and the spectre of relegation, pushed away time and again over the past few seasons, was back at the door almost immediately.
As the defeat against Barça unfolded, the home crowd relentlessly targeted the directors and the presidential box. During the cooling break, a sea of white handkerchiefs rose from the stands, accompanied by chants of “Fuera, fuera!” aimed at the players on the touchline. As if to say: perhaps we would be better off giving up and calling it here. At the final whistle, the silence – the rush for the exits – was more chilling than the boos. Corberán himself admitted that “this game has shaken everyone a little. We accept the fans’ criticism because the season had started with enormous enthusiasm, and the results have not followed. We will get through all this together, once again.” Whether that is conviction or prayer, the Valencians in revolt will have to decide.