After years of struggles on and off the pitch, Valencia are flying high again. Guillem Balague explains why.

It seems the sleeping giant has finally woken up.

Valencia continued their brilliant start to the season with a 4-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday.

They sit second in La Liga, ahead of both Madrid sides and unbeaten in nine games under Marcelino.

It is a dramatic turnaround after a miserable few years on and off the pitch.

This time last season, Cesare Prandelli had just become their fifth manager in 11 months.

Valencia sat two points above the relegation zone in 15th place and the fans were far from happy.

The change of fortunes is a consequence of good choices by Mateu Alemany, the former Real Mallorca president who became Valencia's general director in March.

Instead of taking on Quique Setien, who was the choice of sacked director of football Alexanco, and instead of allowing super-agent Jorge Mendes to run the show in the summer, Alemany took matters into his own hands.

He chose Marcelino as the new manager and the pair worked closely together when deciding on the new playing squad.

They got rid of uninterested veterans such as Enzo Perez, Diego Alves and Nani, instead placing their faith in youth.

Valencia did not sign a single player over the age of 26, and they now have the youngest squad in La Liga. There is hunger and energy that simply wasn't there before.

Valencia have been particularly impressive going forward, scoring 21 goals in their last five games alone.

Former West Ham flop Simone Zaza is the top scorer with eight - only Lionel Messi has more in La Liga - while Spain international Rodrigo is not far behind on five.

If you watched the remarkable 6-3 win over Real Betis last week, then you will be aware of just how clinical they are in front of goal.

Indeed, with Zaza and Rodrigo paired together up front, Valencia have the best shot conversion rate in the division.

They play good football, too.

Valencia are a major threat on the counter-attack and Marcelino has placed the emphasis on short passing.

According to Opta, they attempt even fewer long passes than Barcelona.

Geoffrey Kondogbia has proved an effective destroyer in the heart of the team and gives balance to the young team, but the rest of Valencia's midfield is focused on creating chances.

Valencia are second in La Liga after an impressive start under boss Marcelino, with the goals of Simone Zaza

Academy product Carlos Soler continues to impress on the right-hand side, while Goncalo Guedes, a loan signing from PSG, has been just as good on the left. Unai Emery already wants him back in Paris at the end of the season.

Guedes has contributed a league-high five assists from open play this season, and Soler has produced four - equal with Andres Guardado from Real Betis.

Valencia can still improve in a defensive sense - they still have a tendency to lose control of games - but their off-the-ball intensity has been impressive.

Marcelino likes his teams to press their opponents aggressively, and the former Villarreal manager has already got Valencia playing in his image.

Marcelino's men get in the faces of their rivals, breaking up opposition attacks in any way they can.

The stats show that Valencia have averaged more fouls per game than any other team this season.

It may seem like ill-discipline but in fact, it's tactical intelligence.

Valencia may not be in second place come the end of the season, but with three games against teams from the lower half of the table coming up, they have a chance to keep the momentum going.

For the first time in a while, Valencia seem to be heading in the right direction.