Valencia 0-1 Real Betis: Five things we learned at Mestalla

With both sides offering very little attacking threat throughout the game, there was a feeling that another 0-0 draw was in the offering after Saturday's drab affair when Celta Vigo came to town.

However, a late winner from Pablo Garcia sent the thousands of travelling Betis fans into raptures, and Valencia could not find an equaliser in the dying minutes.

Here's five things I spotted from my seat at Mestalla, which was unfortunately partly blocked by a railing...

Valencia are yet to score in either of their games this season, the only team alongside city rivals Levante to have played more than once without finding the back of the net.

Fans have hit out at Carlos Corberan's tactics, with a back five seen as too negative, but despite the prevailing anti-manager sentiment in the stadium, the reality lies in the quality of the squad.

There have been several different attacking combinations trialled across the two games, with Hugo Duro brought into the starting lineup against Betis.

Arnaut Danjuma was disastrous as a central option against Celta, and the Dutchman pulled wider against Betis, with the bright Ryunosuke Sato drifting to the right.

Luis Rioja and Umar Sadiq were among the attacking substitutes, but despite Sadiq being presented with two big opportunities, neither could find the back of the net.

This feels very much like a quality issue rather than a coaching one, and looking back on the sides that were relegated last season, there is a huge cause for concern.

Fede Vinas, Vedat Muriqi and Vladyslav Vanat were among the attacking players who were relegated last season. All three strikers would currently stroll into this Valencia side.

Los Che do not have a single reliable attacker, and it is a mystery as to where the goals will come from this season.

Valencia fans whistled his tactics and again, there were calls for Corberan to resign, but his approach actually worked the way he wanted it to.

Lining up with a back five and a narrow midfield, Corberan's game plan was to restrict Betis, keep their potent attacking players at bay, and crowd them out of the area.

That is exactly what happened. In the first half, Valencia were the side on top, with more chances created and more shots.

Cucho Hernandez and Antony could barely get into the game, and despite the end result, Valencia's defence was solid against a significantly better footballing side.

This begs the question: what do Valencia fans actually want?

The crowd at Mestalla is demanding, and expectations are still miles above what the reality looks like.

If Corberan was to try and play attacking football with this squad, he would be labelled as tactically naive.

By playing to the defensive nature of his team and focusing on limiting the opposition, he is employing a style that he knows will be unpopular and dire to watch, but one which gives his side the best chance of gaining a result against superior opposition.

Garcia's winning goal was a superbly taken first-time finish, and the 20-year-old was electric off the bench as his dribbling and intelligent movement caused nightmares for Valencia.

It was a first LaLiga goal for Garcia, and he became the first-ever Cantenaro Betico to score in the top flight, having scored at every single youth level.

Despite an emotional moment at Valencia airport between Garcia and his mother after netting his first goal, it now appears that the midfielder could be leaving his boyhood club to join Hull City.

Manuel Pellegrini has not given Garcia too many starting minutes, and given that he is still on a youth contract, he will expect a significant pay rise in England.

However, Betis should not be letting him go. This goal was a huge moment for the player and the club, and his departure will not be of major benefit in terms of the wage bill.

This is one of their most talented academy players, who has a lifelong affinity with the club, and offers a goalscoring midfield profile which can be useful if he stays this season. He should be going nowhere.

Valencia's senior stars have often taken the brunt of criticism, both for their lack of quality as well as a perceived lack of effort and commitment.

The introduction of Sato into this team has been a breath of fresh air. The 19-year-old did make some mistakes in possession and is clearly quite raw, but he injected speed, energy and desire into a team otherwise lacking in all three.

Sato has quickly earned the support of the Mestalla crowd, and he should be a mainstay in this team.

The same goes for David Otorbi. The 18-year-old forward was electric in pre-season, and even in just two minutes against Betis, he offered pace and an out-ball which Valencia otherwise do not have.

Otorbi and Sato should be the players Valencia build their attack around, rather than the petulant Danjuma, the clumsy Sadiq or the underperforming Duro.

Irish striker Troy Parrott made his highly anticipated LaLiga debut off the bench at Mestalla, and he almost made an immediate impact as he fired a shot just wide of Stole Dimitrievski's goal.

Parrott's first-touch and hold-up play were excellent, offering Betis a focal point at number nine, and it was his initial link-play with the two Garcia's which led to the winning goal.

It is easy to see why there is excitement around Parrott at Betis beyond fans of his National Team, and he is only going to get better with more minutes as his first season in Spanish football progresses.