Valencia’s old football ground is accustomed to carrying its history in plain sight, from the steep stands at Mestalla to the routines that have framed matchdays for generations. Javier Aguirre has now altered one of those routines, ordering a switch in the position of the home bench at the stadium as he begins his attempt to reshape the club’s season.
The Valencia technical staff and players will sit to the right of the dressing-room tunnel from now on. Visiting teams, meanwhile, will take the bench previously used by the home side. It ends an arrangement that had stood at Mestalla for around a century.
Aguirre’s decision is not simply a matter of presentation. The Mexican coach made the same request during his spell with Mallorca, believing that the right-hand position beside the tunnel offers a different view of the match and a different way to manage its key moments. He sees the adjustment as a psychological detail that can help make Valencia’s home stadium a more formidable place for opponents.
The club has formally informed LaLiga of the change in order to meet the competition’s required procedures. The new layout is due to be used for the first time when Athletic Club visit Mestalla in Valencia’s next league fixture.
Aguirre’s mark on Mestalla
For Aguirre, the change is part of a broader effort rather than an isolated superstition. Tasked with keeping Valencia in Spain’s top division, he is seeking to refresh the mood around the squad and establish new habits within the dressing room as well as on the pitch.
In a city where Mestalla’s customs carry unusual weight, moving the home bench is a visible early assertion of the coach’s authority. Aguirre has used the same formula successfully before in Mallorca; Valencia will now discover whether a small shift beside the tunnel can contribute to a much larger fight for survival.
