Leaps and Bounds
A look at the tactics of La Liga’s hottest squad.
For all their sustainable practices, Levante’s stay in La Liga wasn’t quite looking reflective. They were level on points with 18th place Las Palmas as March hit, with a league-low 3 wins and none since a November mining of the Canary Islanders.
A draw with Espanyol was the last straw for the manager who had brought them back up to the top division, and the man chosen to replace him was their B-team coach, who had never risen higher than the third tier of Spanish football.
And yet, since Paco López’s appointment, Levante has now risen to the top of La Liga.
That’s not an exaggeration. Since he took over in early March, Levante is 9–1–2, a record that tops even Barcelona (a side that, lest you forget, were searching for an undefeated season before the plucky Valencians “defended” their home turf in a 5–4 slugfest). With a statement win at neutrals’ favorite Real Betis to begin this campaign, it’s time to take a closer look at the performances driving the latest small club to take La Liga by storm.
Make no mistake: this is a team that revels in being the smaller side. That’s not to say they pack it in with a negative approach and look to grind out one-goal victories where they can. You don’t rack up 5 on Barcelona, or depart San Mamés and Benito Villamarín with 3 each, without ample firepower. But the defensive organization is much of what makes this team so great at the moment.
López generally sets up the Valencians in a 4–4–2, which allows for easy organization, as well as flexibility in choosing either a low block or a more aggressive pressing scheme. This is demonstrated in their early setup against Athletic Club last season. Watch the way their second bank and forwards press up the field in unison, while still restricting Bilbao’s passing options. Their switch of play does nothing, and smart shadowing of players like Iturraspe and de Marcos forces possession from the attacking third all the way back to a GK long ball.
Their most recent match against Real Betis is another prime example of their defensive scheme working to perfection. Quique Setien’s side has been lauded for their offensive prowess, with a style of play that’s easy on the eye and saw only the “Big Three” having a better shots on target ratio last season. Yet, when faced with Levante’s defense, they could only generate 1.04 xG on 22 shots, which is downright abysmal from an efficiency standpoint. Here, Morón cuts inside into space with Boudebouz looking to break through. However, Campaña tracks back to pressure him from behind, Doukouré keeps pace on the other side, Toño cuts off any balls to the winger, and the centre back pairing do an excellent job of switching assignments to keep both threats under control.
Betis were usually forced to settle for these shots all match, with the alternative being that they were shuttled out wide, where Levante often equalled them in numbers and restricted space even easier.
Their compactness on this end translated to their upset over Barcelona as well, and even in transition at that:
So defensively, they’re relatively sound, which in and of itself can be enough to save a team from relegation compared to some of the sieves we see each year. (My mind immediately goes to last season and Las Palmas’ staggering 74.43 xGA, which is somehow right on par with the 74 goals they allowed).
What of their offense, then? You can’t win matches without scoring goals, and thankfully, Levante have a few different ways to do so.
The first, as you might have guessed, is the good old-fashioned transition offense. This is something Barcelona can attest to, being caught out by 3 of those goals within 10 minutes in the second half of their defeat.
This is a team that’s pacy and creative, just as you’d expect from an under-the-radar Spanish squad, and the way some of these players find spacing or time their runs (either ahead of the break or trailing it) often opens up some lucrative opportunities such as the ones capitalized upon above.
Oh yeah, and it also helps when you have a playmaker like Jose Morales on the wings:
They actually thrive off that kind of creativity from the flanks in general, though. Look at this goal against Málaga: Coke cuts inside and chips a gorgeous ball in to Lukic, which sees the defense scrambling in a vain effort to prevent the square ball and the tap-in winner.
Of course, the 4–4–2 Lopez frequents (as well as the 4–2–3–1 he occasionally dips into) does nicely to accentuate their emphasis on flank play, allowing not just the pairings on the flanks to over/underlap, but for a central midfielder or striker to slide over as well to create problems for the defense. From there, they can try to drive into the danger zone and put in crosses from close-range, rather than just hoofing low-percentage air balls into the box. This is another reason why players like Morales can thrive, as their creativity can be utilized in a more efficient manner.
Finally, this one doesn’t take much explanation but it’s still important, especially considering his role in their triumph in Bilbao: Enis Bardhi.
Is a free kick.
God.
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Many wondered how Levante’s form in the final third of last season would translate to this coming season, especially given their pattern of selling their best talent on should the offers come in. They did lose one of their key players in midfielder Jefferson Lerma, to be fair, but the €28m they received for him (thanks, Premier League money!) has been re-invested into several players that can factor in this season. They’ve held onto just about everyone else as well, and Paco López has had a full offseason now to mesh with his squad even further. Traveling to one of the great atmospheres in Spain in the Benito Villamarín was going to be a true test of whether they’d hold their gains or not, and against a side that looked a bit lackadaisical at times, they pounced on the chances they were given.
It’s early yet, of course, and they have a couple more matchups against top 7 teams in the early weeks (including the Valencia Derby in a couple weeks), but Levante have come out and proven that they’re the real deal at the moment. And with teams like Getafe and Eibar having made runs at international football in recent seasons, who’s to say Paco López and friends can’t be the next to defy the odds?
Will Clarke is co-creator of The Challengers Podcast, a soccer website and podcast that discusses the Premier League, the Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A. Listen to their show on iTunes, like them on Facebook, and follow them on twitter—@Challengers_Pod.
