Valencia's crisis has reached a breaking point, culminating in the dismissal of manager Carlos Corberán following the worst start to a season in the club's history. The decisive blow came after a 1-0 defeat to Sevilla at the Sánchez-Pizján, where a header from Juan Iglesias condemned Valencia to their fifth match without a win, leaving them bottom of La Liga with just one point from five games.
The unraveling began in earnest on 6 September, when club president Kiat Lim attended his first competitive match since assuming the role 18 months prior. What he witnessed was not a triumphant homecoming but a club in turmoil. Fans stayed away from the lower south stand until the 19th minute in protest, while those present later turned their chants toward Lim himself, demanding his family's exit from ownership. Barcelona, inspired by a brace from Lamine Yamal, thrashed Valencia 5-0 at Mestalla.
But the moment that truly crystallized Valencia's decline came from an unexpected source. Spain captain Rodri, once a Valencia academy product now starring for Manchester City, was substituted in the 60th minute to a standing ovation. Sitting on the bench beside Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí, he was caught on camera delivering a brutally honest assessment of his former club. "This lot are very weak, eh?" he said. "Very weak, mate. Very bad." When told Valencia had finished just outside European qualification the previous season, Rodri appeared genuinely stunned, later remarking that the team hadn't ventured out of their own half — calling them simply malísimo, or awful.
The comments, captured by El Día Después, spread rapidly. Rodri personally apologized to Valencia captain José Luis Gayà and later issued a public apology following Barcelona's Champions League victory over Feyenoord. Corberán, for his part, acknowledged the apology but noted the words had "not been born of respect," pointing out that Mestalla itself had applauded Rodri during his emotional exit. Supporters embraced the sentiment nonetheless — T-shirts soon appeared reading "They're very bad," paired with the phrase "We're all Rodri."
Four games into the campaign, Valencia had conceded nine goals and scored only one — a goal credited to a player now sidelined with a serious injury. The defeat to Sevilla proved to be the final straw. Fans gathered outside the Paterna training ground in the early hours to voice their frustration, and by Sunday morning, the club's leadership had made its decision. Corberán learned of his dismissal via video call, with Lim once again overseeing matters remotely from Singapore, some 10,000 kilometers away.
Corberán had arrived in December 2024 with Valencia mired in the relegation zone and guided them to a 12th-place finish. Despite another slow start last season, he steered the club to the edge of European qualification by campaign's end. His sacking comes just five weeks into this season and only ten days after CEO Ron Gourlay publicly defended the coach's job security. Ironically, Gourlay and his entire staff have since been dismissed as well.
Braulio Vázquez has been brought in from Osasuna to lead a search for a new manager, with the club's B-team boss taking interim charge. Names being floated as potential replacements include Ernesto Valverde and Jagoba Arrasate. Valencia's statement described the shake-up as ushering in a "new era" for the club.
Despite the turmoil, Rodri struck a conciliatory tone in later remarks. "We all want Valencia to get back to where they should be, one of the best clubs in our league," he said. Yet for a club that hasn't featured in Europe since Rodri's departure and has cycled through fifteen coaches under Peter Lim's ownership since 2014, genuine optimism remains in short supply among supporters, many of whom feel Rodri simply confirmed what they already knew.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.