Valencia’s poor home form continued as they drew 1-1 with rivals Levante on Sunday and with the team jeered off the pitch, the pressure is growing on coach Unai Emery.
Valencia have just one victory at home since Christmas and have gone from having a comfortable cushion in third place to being just a point above fourth-placed Malaga.
“We were on top in terms of openings, chances and possession but we lacked a finishing touch,” said Emery, who is believed to have met club president Manuel Llorente after the match.
“At the moment it is very important that we keep the errors to a minimum as the results do not correspond to how well we are playing.”
Banana incident: culprit identified
Russian football authorities are calling for legal action against a student who threw a banana at Anzhi Makhachkala’s Congolese defender Christopher Samba.
The head of the Russian Football Union’s ethics committee, Vladimir Vasilev, told reporters that the perpetrator of the March 20 attack had been identified as a student at a Moscow college.
Former Blackburn defender Samba was on his way to the dressing room after the final whistle of the match at Lokomotiv Moscow, which Anzhi lost 1-0, when a banana came flying from the VIP box and landed nearby.
Robben to extend Bayern deal – Bild
Bayern Munich’s Dutch star Arjen Robben is set to sign a contract extension to keep him in Bavaria until 2015, according to a report in Bild yesterday.
The 28-year-old, who signed from Real Madrid in August 2009, has a contract until 2013 but according to the tabloid he will sign an extension deal at the end of April, keeping him in Munich for at least three more years.
Robben has been in fine form for Bayern with 11 goals in the German league and three in the Champions League which have proved crucial in the last week.
M’Vila interested in Gunners switch
Yann M’Vila has admitted he would love to join Arsenal. The Rennes midfielder has long been linked with the Gunners, who reportedly watched him during Sunday’s Ligue 1 draw with Lyon.
The 21-year-old also declared he would happily join Inter or Real Madrid before suggesting that a team managed by one of his compatriots would have an advantage.
“Inter, Arsenal, Real... I will take the fun everywhere!” he said.
“These are great clubs. If the coach calls you and tells you he wants you to make you play, especially a French coach, it changes everything.”
Blatter’s best wishes to Petrov
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has become the latest high-profile figure to wish Stiliyan Petrov “strength” as he began his fight against acute leukaemia in London yesterday.
The diagnosis of Petrov’s illness was publicly announced on Friday, sparking a wave of sympathy and good wishes towards the Aston Villa captain.
Now via his Twitter account, football’s most powerful man has offered Petrov his encour-agement as Blatter said: “Very sad to hear about Stiliyan Petrov’s illness. Wish him strength in his fight to win this battle.
“Support shown at Villa Park by both sets of fans another sign of all that is good in football. #getwellstan.”
Raul undecided
Raul has still not decided whether to sign a contract extension with Schalke, according to the club’s sporting director Horst Heldt.
The Spanish striker has proved a hit in Gelsenkirchen since arriving from Real Madrid in 2010. The 34-year-old’s current deal runs out at the end of the season and he is weighing up the offer of a one-year extension.
“There is still no inclination, there is still no decision,” Heldt was quoted as saying by Kicker.
“For Raul it is a fundamental decision. He has to talk with his family about whether it makes sense or not.”
Napoli can finish third – club chief
Napoli’s nine-match unbeaten run may have come to an end on Sunday at Juventus, but club president Aurelio De Laurentiis believes his players still have enough energy left in them to finish third in Serie A.
The Naples outfit missed the chance to climb into the top three after losing 3-0 in Turin.
“Third place is still up for grabs, seeing as Udinese and Lazio also lost,” De Laurentiis told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We have got to scrape together the remaining energy we have and rediscover the sharpness that all the teams that competed in Europe are struggling with now.”