Marcelino’s starvation treatment steering Valencia out of their lean years | Sid Lowe

Oct 23, 2017

Valencia have changed everything from their players’ diets to the players themselves, and the revolution at the club has sent them second from top

Valencia’s players were hungry. It was two years since they’d had a decent run of results and it felt almost as long since they’d had a decent meal.

For the 13th time in five years they were under new management and this time things were actually going to change. Not just the coach but the culture, everything from the president to the players to what was put on their plate. If you are what you eat, it was time to eat something good. At Paterna, the club’s training ground, food was prepared for them, but not much of it and not exactly the tasty treats either, while detailed diets were sent home: rigid new regimes written out to be followed to the letter, families called upon to help impose them on famished footballers.

Tags: European club football Football La Liga Sevilla Sport Valencia